PayPal announced at MWC 2014 that it will offer biometric authentication on Samsung Galaxy S5 and the smartwatches made by the South Korean company, but it only officially launched this feature just now.
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung told the world that the fingerprint scanner would be accessible by developers, and the proof that that is just rolling before our eyes now, as PayPal announced that it launches biometric authentication for Samsung’s flagship smartphone. On one hand, this represents a quicker way of accessing the app, while on the other hand, it adds a bit to the overall safety of the authentication process, as fingerprints are not that easy to replicate. Or are they? Leaving Chaos Club’s method aside, I’ve watched plenty of movies in which biometric authentication is bypassed by removing the needed part from the… OK, I think I’ve said enough!
The ability to login to PayPal using nothing but the fingerprint is available as of today in 25 countries. In addition, PayPal announced the launch of a mobile app specifically tailored for Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Fit. While this app won’t allow people to make any transactions, they will at least be able to see their balance. Obviously, payment notifications will also be available, as they are featured on the smartphone version. On top of that, local business offers will be displayed on the smartwatch’s screen if any of them are available.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41K8b_Kcj1U
PayPal’s biometric authentication is something new both for e-payment processors, so this company definitely has the head start in this field. They even went the extra mile and offered to help people get rid of their old devices in the favor of the Galaxy S5. How? Well, in case you don’t know or remember, PayPal is owned by eBay who happens to be the largest auction site on Earth. What simpler way to say your non-fingerprint-scanner smartphone goodbye than to put it up for auction?
The introduction of this new technology enables people to make payments using only their fingertips, regardless if they’re done in PayPal’s mobile app or on websites or apps that accept PayPal as a payment method. I’d love to see this thing extended to all the countries where PayPal is used, and not only in the 25 privileged ones.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Order Ahead and Pay at Table mobile services that PayPal introduced last month, and the Photo Checking feature of the PayPal app for Android.
