Australian bank Westpac adds Touch ID fingerprint login for iPads

Australian bank Westpac recently added the option for customers to use their fingerprint via Touch ID on their iPads to securely sign in to their mobile banking account, according to a report by ZD Net.

In just over six weeks since introducing the fingerprint login option, 165,000 customers have registered for the service, said Westpac.

The Touch ID technology can be deployed by all customers using iPads running iOS 8, including the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3.

According to Westpac retail banking general manager Gai McGrath, the introduction of the iPad service provides greater security and convenience for customers who decide to bank on their mobile devices.

“This is the next step in for our successful digital banking service Westpac Live, which has been used by over 2.9 million personal customers to manage their accounts on the move, and which we are now swiftly introducing to our 800,000-plus business customers,” said McGrath.

In the past, Westpac has added other authentication features to its mobile banking app, such as the introduction of its mobile banking app Get Cash, which enables customers to withdraw cash from a Westpac ATM without a card by using a six-digit code.

Last September, the bank improved the process by eliminating the need for customers to dial Westpac’s call center to attain the six-digit code by sending the code directly to the customer’s phone.

Westpac also recently introduced its mobile banking application, under its St George brand, for the Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch, after it was initially made available on the Sony SmartWatch 2.

Article Topics

Australia  |  banking  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint authentication  |  tablets  |  Touch ID