Apple Pay To Expand ‘Beyond Apps’ To Websites

Apple Pay users could soon be able to pay for good and services on websites using just their fingerprint, according to reports.

At present, Apple Pay allows iPhone owners to pay in physical stores by tapping their device onto a card reader and in iOS applications that use stored card details.

However with the update, retailers would be able to build Apple Pay functionality into their browser-based stores, allowing shoppers to complete payments without entering card details using the TouchID fingerprint sensor.

Updates to iOS and Apple’s Safari browser will apparently take place before Christmas, according to Re/code, and could be extended to desktop systems as well.

Touchy

Such a move would pitch Apple into the highly competitive ecommerce market, placing it alongside the likes of PayPal, whose recently-launched One Touch service offers a similarly-speedy way for online shoppers to pay.

One Touch launched in the UK last summer, and allows retailers to greatly speed up the checkout process in order to keep their customers engaged across mobile and desktop.

Since its launch in July, more than 250,000 stores in the UK have pledged their support for Apple Pay, with nearly all the country’s major banks now also making their services available.

A recent study by analyst firm Juniper Research has estimated that that the number of annual purchases made via mobiles, tablets, desktops and other connected devices should reach 125 billion annually by 2018 – 60 percent more than the total number of transactions in 2015, as more and more consumers look for greater flexibility.

Apple has been contacted for comment.

All clued up on mobile payments? Try our quiz!

Mike Moore

Michael Moore joined TechWeek Europe in January 2014 as a trainee before graduating to Reporter later that year. He covers a wide range of topics, including but not limited to mobile devices, wearable tech, the Internet of Things, and financial technology.

Recent Posts

Ericsson To Cut 1,200 Jobs in Sweden Amid ‘Challenging’ Market

Swedish telecoms giant Ericsson blamed “challenging mobile networks market” and “further volume contraction” for job…

16 hours ago

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried Sentenced To 25 Years In Prison For $8bn Fraud

Dramatic downfall. Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for masterminding $8bn fraud that…

17 hours ago

Elon Musk Orders FSD Demo For Every Tesla US Sale

Fallout avoidance? Tesla buyers in the US must be shown how to use the FSD…

17 hours ago

Amazon Pumps Another $2.75 Billion Into Anthropic

Amazon completes its $4bn investment into AI firm Anthropic, after providing an additional $2.75bn in…

19 hours ago

The Sustainability of AI

While AI promises unparalleled efficiency, productivity, and innovation, questions regarding its environmental impact loom large.…

22 hours ago

Trump’s Truth Social Makes Successful Market Debut

Shares in Donald Trump’s social media company rose about 16 percent after first day of…

22 hours ago