Apple is bringing its Apple Pay payments system to the web. Soon the tech firm will be adding the payment service to websites so people can use their Apple account to buy things online. The smartphone maker is working with companies to add the Apple Pay icon to directly purchase things from their websites, the tech giant said on Monday at WWDC in San Francisco.
Based on Apple’s Touch ID
With the new functionality, the iPhone maker comes in direct competition with PayPal, which claims to have more than 179 million active users across the world. Google is also working to bring Android Pay to websites, the search giant announced at its developer conference in May.
After hitting the pay button on a website, users can authenticate their purchases using Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad. This method is a completely new way of using the payment service, which is linked to a credit card to process payments. Presently, the Cupertino-based giant has offered two ways to use Apple Pay, and both of them depend on Touch ID as well.
The first way lets users load their credit information onto their phones and simply wave the device at payment terminals. This method has not really taken off because it requires both the payment terminal and the device to use the same close-range wireless technology. The other way allows people to purchase things within iPhone apps without entering their shipping information or credit card information.
Apple Pay seeing “tremendous” growth
Presently, Apple Pay is available in six countries and will be released in three new countries this summer: France, Hong Kong and Switzerland. This fall, Apple Pay will be available for the web. Brands such as Expedia, Lululemon, The New York Times, United Airlines, Target, Etsy, The Wall Street Journal and North Face have all signed on to bring Apple’s payment service to their websites.
Uptake of the payment system has been increasing at a “tremendous pace” with more than 1 million new users per week, says Apple. In addition, the tech giant says there are over 10 million contactless payment-ready locations in the countries where its payment service is live, and it is accepted at more than 2.5 million U.S. locations. The tech giant is seeing an increase in the use of the payment service within apps as well.
To allow users to call a Lyft or an Uber ride simply by clicking a button on their Apple Watch, the tech giant is allowing Apple Pay within the watch apps. Also the tech giant is working with new developer features for creating iMessage apps, apps that work with Siri with Maps, and SiriKit.
