Marques Brownlee tests whether Apple Pay can work on a locked iPhone and a $10,000 charge goes through
Published on Apr 20, 2026 at 10:16 AM (UTC-4)
by Daisy Edwards
Last updated on Apr 22, 2026 at 11:59 AM (UTC-4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
It sounds like something that shouldn’t be possible, but Marques Brownlee has tested whether Apple Pay can work on a locked iPhone, and he was blown away when the $10,000 charge went through.
In a wild demo, the YouTuber watched as money was taken from his phone without ever unlocking it.
What starts as a simple $5 test quickly spirals into something much bigger.
It’s pretty unsettling.
Marques Brownlee tests Apple Pay on a locked iPhone, and it works instantly
In the experiment, Marques Brownlee and fellow YouTuber Veritasium place Brownlee’s locked iPhone on a payment device that seemed completely normal.
He didn’t have to do Face ID, put in his passcode, or click ‘approve’, but still, a $5 charge went through straight away, complete with a receipt and timestamp.
Then things got serious in his experiment, the amount was bumped up to $10,000, and somehow… it worked again.
The payment was approved in seconds, even though Brownlee hadn’t touched his phone beyond placing it on the device.
His reaction was very telling: he panicked a bit as he realized just how easily it happened.
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How it allowed the $10,000 charge
This wasn’t a glitch or a one-off fluke, because the setup was created on purpose with cybersecurity researchers who figured out a clever way to bend the rules of contactless payments.
The trick starts by fooling the iPhone into thinking it’s being used for public transport.
Apple’s Express Transit Mode is designed to let you tap in quickly without unlocking your phone, which is great for commuters, but opens the door here.
From there, the system is manipulated so a massive payment looks like a tiny one, and on top of that, the payment terminal is fed false information that makes it believe the transaction has already been verified.
Put it all together, and you get a $10,000 charge going through with zero proper authentication.
It’s worth noting that this only works in a very specific setup, including using an iPhone with an Apple Pay Visa card set for transit payments.
Companies say the chances of this happening in real life are low, and users would be refunded anyway, but seeing it happen like this is enough to make anyone think twice the next time they tap their phone.
Daisy is a technology and automotive journalist covering artificial intelligence, consumer tech, Apple news, cryptocurrency, emerging technologies, and transportation innovation. Since joining the team in 2025, she has reported on everything from AI-powered startups and major iOS updates to viral car stories and the latest developments shaping transportation and the digital economy. Drawing on her background in automotive journalism and a degree in History and Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London, Daisy specializes in breaking down complex topics into clear, engaging reporting for a global audience. Her work spans cutting-edge technology, innovative vehicles, and the people driving change across both industries. Daisy has gained first-hand access to some of the world's most talked-about technologies and innovators, including meeting Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot during its first European appearance in London. She has also discussed the future of space exploration with an astronaut, bringing unique insights and real-world perspectives to her coverage of emerging technology.
