Apple to extend Apple Pay to the web this fall

Apple is extending its biometrics-enabled payments service to the web this fall, enabling consumers that use the company’s Safari browser to authorize purchases by touching the iPhone’s fingerprint sensor, just as they do in physical stores, according to a report by Finextra.

Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president, made the announcement Monday in a presentation at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

The new feature will pit Apple against online payments competitor PayPal while helping online retailers to lower the high percentage of abandoned shopping carts.

PayPal — which currently has 14 million active merchant accounts and 170 million active consumer accounts — also has a feature that enables users of certain devices to log into their accounts with a fingerprint reader.

Several businesses have already partnered with Apple for the feature, including Target Corp., United Airlines, Lululemon Athletica Inc. and Etsy Inc.

Starting this fall, customers shopping at participating merchant sites through Safari will see a ‘Pay with Apple Pay’ button at checkout.

Once they click on the button, a message will appear on the screen prompting them to authenticate the purchase via Touch ID on their iPhone or Apple watch.

In other Apple news, Apple Pay is launching in France, Switzerland and Hong Kong within the coming weeks.

Article Topics

Apple Pay  |  biometric payment system  |  biometrics  |  fingerprint authentication  |  online authentication  |  Paypal  |  Touch ID