
Shortly after Apple announced the opening of Touch ID APIs to third-party developers with iOS 8, mobile and digital payment services giant PayPal is already said to be working on implementing the feature into its apps. According to sources within PayPal, the company is looking to integrate forthcoming iOS 8 Touch ID fingerprint recognition APIs into its mobile payment apps according to BusinessInsider.
A team of PayPal developers attended a Worldwide Developers Conference session on Wednesday focusing on the hardware-based security system. PayPal’s director of global initiatives, Anuj Nayar, confirmed the company had indeed sent a handful of developers to the session, suggesting PayPal is at least showing official interest in the technology. According to the person:
It seems to be a fairly easy API to use, but we're still kicking the tires.
The Cupertino California company is widely expected to include Touch ID into every new iOS device introduced in 2014, including the rumored iPhone 6, refreshed iPad lineup and possibly the iPod Touch. With a huge installed user base and hundreds of millions of credit cards on file, the iOS iTunes ecosystem is ripe for a fast and secure mobile payments solution. Touch ID solves the storage and recall of financial data part of the equation but point of sale infrastructure in retail stores represents a large obstacle when it comes to widespread adoption.
PayPal among other companies like Square, have partnerships with certain retailers, though the proprietary solutions require a standalone app and can be more difficult to use compared to paying with a credit card or cash.
Apple recently wet its feet with the consolidation of payment-oriented apps with Passbook, which serves as a central hub for gift cards, rewards cards, tickets and other digital assets, but the app’s reach is still somewhat restricted. With the opening of Touch ID’s APIs, Apple could potentially be testing the waters to see its full-fledged first-party payments solution is worth the effort. We’ll have to wait and see what comes of the whole ordeal.
Source: BusinessInsider
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