PayPal 'Kicking the Tires' on Integrating Touch ID Into its Mobile Apps

PayPal is already working to incorporate the fingerprint scanning capabilities of the iPhone 5s into its mobile apps, likely planning to use the technology to authenticate users and confirm payments through the use of a fingerprint rather than a password.

Apple first announced a Touch ID API for developers on Monday, which will allow the feature to be integrated into third-party apps for the first time. According to a PayPal source that spoke to Business Insider, PayPal developers attended a developer session on Touch ID at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference yesterday to learn about the new API.

paypal

"It seems to be a fairly easy API to use, but we're still kicking the tires," the PayPal source tells us.

Anuj Nyar, PayPal's senior director of global initiatives, confirmed in an email that company developers had attended the session.

At the current point in time, Apple's Touch ID feature is limited to unlocking the iPhone and making purchases for apps and music within the iTunes Store. Apple has previously faced significant scrutiny over privacy concerns with Touch ID, which is likely why it has taken nearly a year for the company to allow developers access to the feature.

Since the release of the iPhone 5s, Apple has worked to overcome security concerns by releasing extensive documentation on Touch ID, which works through a "Secure Enclave" within the iPhone's A7 chip, using a secure boot process and other security measures to prevent both Apple and any other third parties from accessing Touch ID data.

Touch ID for developers works in conjunction with Keychain, unlocking Keychain items through a simple yes/no verification process that identifies successful fingerprint matches. During Monday's keynote, Apple software chief Craig Federighi assured iPhone users that fingerprint data remains protected and inaccessible to developers.

PayPal's main app currently allows users to send and request money and to make payments via the service in retail stores, restaurants, and more. Several features require a password to login or confirm payments, steps that may be simplified with Touch ID.

Apple may have plans to build Touch ID into a complete payment service in the future, as the company is said to be working on a mobile payments solution. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, mobile payments were "one of the thoughts behind Touch ID." Apple has also reportedly been in talks with PayPal about a possible payments partnership, so it is no surprise that PayPal is eager to be at the forefront of Touch ID app integration.

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Apple Expected to Release iOS 18.3 Next Week With These New Features

Thursday January 23, 2025 6:41 am PST by
iOS 18.3 should be released to the public next week, following beta testing since mid-December. While the software update is a relatively minor one, it still includes a handful of new features, changes, and bug fixes for iPhones. Below, we recap everything new in iOS 18.3. Notification Summary Changes Examples of inaccurate Apple Intelligence notification summaries Apple Intelligence...
iOS 18

5 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.3

Friday January 24, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.3 next week, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a couple of neat new capabilities to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 devices, and bug fixes. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.3 still introduces capabilities that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Beta Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday January 24, 2025 8:16 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is expected to be widely released next week, and that means the first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner. Apple has previously implied that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, as that is when it promised to make Apple Intelligence available in even more languages. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri ...
Apple Pay Walmart Feature

Walmart Stands Firm on Why It Doesn't Accept Apple Pay in the U.S.

Thursday January 23, 2025 7:32 am PST by
Walmart still does not accept Apple Pay or other NFC payments at its more than 4,600 stores across the U.S., and it stood firm on its reasoning for that today. A spokesperson for Walmart today informed MacRumors that its position on contactless payments has not changed since we last reached out about the matter in 2022. The big-box retailer said it remains focused on its own convenient...
apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Launching This Year With These New Features

Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:01 pm PST by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year. In this article, we recap rumored features and changes for the device. The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports Wi-Fi 6E, which would be an upgrade over the current Apple TV's standard Wi-Fi 6 support. Wi-Fi 6E extends the...
iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full Release Notes for iOS 18.3

Tuesday January 21, 2025 4:31 pm PST by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 18.3 today, and with it comes release notes confirming what's new. While we knew about several of the features that are in the update, there are some lesser known tweaks and bug fixes. The update adds new Visual Intelligence features for iPhone 16 models, it tweaks Notification summaries on all...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal Single Feature

Kuo: iPhone 17 Models Won't Have Smaller Dynamic Island

Friday January 24, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The upcoming iPhone 17 models that Apple plans to release this year will not feature a smaller Dynamic Island, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today. On social media, he said that he is expecting the size of the Dynamic Island to remain "largely unchanged" across the iPhone 17 lineup. His statement is contrary to prior rumors that we've heard about planned changes for the iPhone 17 models. ...
iPhone 16 Apple Store Levels

Gurman: Apple Stores Receiving 'Merchandise' Updates Next Week

Saturday January 25, 2025 5:07 pm PST by
Apple's retail stores will be rolling out "merchandise/floor marketing updates" next week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman did not explicitly say if the store updates are related to any upcoming product announcements, but he did mention that next week is around the time that Apple rolls out its annual Black Unity watch band for the Apple Watch. In each of the past four years, ...
apple power beats pro 2

Apple's First Product Announcement of 2025 is Imminent

Thursday January 23, 2025 2:48 pm PST by
It's also time for Apple's first product announcement of the year. Last year, Apple said it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and the wireless earbuds are expected to launch very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter last weekend, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the...

Top Rated Comments

Cougarcat Avatar
139 months ago
Do people use paypal that often on iOS though?

I don't know if would be possible, but it'd be cool to use Continuity in some way for this. PayPal app notices you're accessing Paypal.com on your Mac and prompts you for your TouchID.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FlatlinerG Avatar
139 months ago
Do people use paypal that often on iOS though?

I don't know if would be possible, but it'd be cool to use Continuity in some way for this. PayPal app notices you're accessing Paypal.com on your Mac and prompts you for your TouchID.


This should be a thing in general. Seriously, Mac recognizes you are nearby, use TouchID to unlock your account, put in admin credentials, etc.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menel Avatar
139 months ago
Paypal devs are worthless. Their app has never even worked with their own home baked two factor auth.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kemal Avatar
139 months ago
I would rather see this working with Square. Paypal is an annoyance.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
travis64 Avatar
139 months ago
paypal sucks

refuse to use them ever again after they held my money for 6 months and said they are not allowed to give a reason
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TXCherokee Avatar
139 months ago
I use paypal online invoicing the most and do in person card swipe with the card reader. I would actually like Apple to have their own and hopefully be cheaper. Paypal just went up to 2.9% (was 2.7%) and 30 cents per swipe and online invoicing. Not bad but would love to see what Apple could do.

Apple would charge 3.2% and $0.50 a swipe. But hey, it would be incredibly great and magical....with diamond chamfered edges. :D
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)