Talk about remote control.

Right now, a new and improved version of the PRESTO app, which features full instant load capabilities, is available for download.

This means that all mobile users – whether they have an Android or an iPhone – can now instantly load funds and passes onto their PRESTO card. For customers who need to travel during these times, those funds and passes can be added from home prior to travelling, or even just prior to boarding if they had forgotten. The convenience and safety to load funds and passes on your mobile device is now at your fingertips, eliminating any wait times between loading and being able to travel.

The addition of iOS near-field communication (NFC) functionality – a way that data is shared – means all of the same real-time capabilities that were previously available to Android users are now available to iPhone. In addition to instant load, iPhone owners can also now easily check their transaction history, card balance and last time they tapped on by using the “Check Balance” feature.

The upgrade also adds Google Pay to the list of ways to pay, simplifying the payment experience for Android users. Customers can continue to load funds and passes onto a PRESTO card through the app with debit or credit. iOS users can also continue to load through Apple Pay.

Some things will stay the same. Customers can still set up Autoload or Autorenew to make sure they have enough funds to travel. If Autoload or Autorenew aren’t used, alerts can be turned on to let riders know when their balance drops below a certain amount or when a pass is about to expire.

The updated PRESTO app is available for download from your app store. Just click here for those directions. The app is available on NFC enabled devices – for Apple users, this feature is available for iPhone 7 and higher running iOS13 and higher.

As well, to  find it in the Apple App Store, you can click here, while Google Play can be found directly by going here.

PRESTO initially launched its app in 2019 to give users the convenience of loading funds onto a PRESTO card on the go. The app has since been downloaded almost one million times. The enhanced PRESTO app is just one of the ways that Metrolinx is committed to providing customers with a more seamless and convenient transit experience.

While these real time capabilities have been available to Android users since the PRESTO app launched, the same NFC functionality that allows for this was not initially made available by Apple to iOS app developers. But starting today, that’s changed.

Being able to use the app from your living room – without the need to queue up in a line at a station or stop – is also a change for the better.