iOS 11 is available tomorrow — Apple — “Coming this fall with an update to iOS 11 and watchOS 4, Apple Pay users will be able to send and receive money from friends and family quickly, easily and securely. Pay and get paid right in Messages, or tell Siri to pay someone, using the credit and debit cards they have in Wallet. When users get paid, they receive the money in their new Apple Pay Cash card in Apple Wallet and can use the money instantly.”
iOS
Google adopts sound-based payments for Indian mobile wallet
Introducing Tez, a mobile payments and commerce app from Google — Google — “Cash Mode is built using our proprietary AQR (Audio QR) technology, which is similar to QR codes but more convenient and more secure. And unlike NFC, it works on almost any smartphone in India, whether Android or iOS.”
Apple: Developers must offer an alternative to Face ID for children
New App Store guidelines crack down on iOS ‘virus scanners’, require alternatives to Face ID for under-13s — 9to5Mac — “Apple has updated its developer app review guidelines for the iPhone and iPad App Store this week with new clauses addressing the appropriate usage of Face ID, ARKit and more… Developers using the LocalAuthentication framework to enable Face ID unlock (in the same way apps can already use Touch ID authentication) must offer an alternate method of unlock for children under the age of 13 to use.”
Google unveils iOS and Android mobile payments app for India
Tez: Money made simple — Google — “Send money home to your family, split a dinner bill with friends, or pay the neighbourhood chaiwala. Make all payments big or small, directly from your bank account with Tez, Google’s new digital payment app for India.”
What code is running on Apple’s Secure Enclave security chip? Now we have a decryption key…
What code is running on Apple’s Secure Enclave security chip? Now we have a decryption key… — The Register — “Apple’s Secure Enclave, an ARM-based coprocessor used to enhance iOS security, became a bit less secure on Thursday with the publication of a firmware decryption key. The key does not provide access to the Secure Enclave Processor (SEP). Rather, it offers the opportunity to decrypt and explore the otherwise encrypted firmware code that governs it.”
Italian consumers can now make P2P payments in stores
Jiffy, the P2P payments service that lets 4.2 million Italian consumers send money from their bank account using just the contacts list on their smartphone, has begun rolling out to retail stores with an initial launch in 150 outlets in the cities of Milan, Rome and Turin... More
TD Canada for iOS now lets you easily add TD cards to Apple Pay
TD Canada for iOS now lets you easily add TD cards to Apple Pay — iPhone in Canada – “TD Canada for iOS has been updated to make it easier to add your TD cards to Apple Pay… This update will assist new Apple Pay users to easily adopt the mobile wallet, as all they have to do is verify their TD cards within the bank’s iOS app, instead of scanning or manually entering numbers within Apple Wallet.”
Banco Bradesco customers get mobile-only banking
Customers of Brazil’s Banco Bradesco can now open new accounts, send money, split payments with friends, keep track of their spending and manage their finances directly on their mobile phones using a new digital platform that the bank has launched with the aim of introducing a “more intuitive and transparent experience to younger, hyper-connected customers”... More
Apple adds support for NFC tags to iPhone 7 and Apple Watch
A new Core NFC function which forms part of iOS 11 will add support for NFC tag reading to the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, Apple has revealed... More
Amazon adds shoppable stickers to its iOS app
Amazon adds shoppable stickers to its iOS app — TechCrunch — “Amazon has added support for stickers within its iOS app’s camera feed — the feature that allows you to search for products on its site by viewing real-world objects through your phone’s camera… In addition, you can tap on the “i” (information) button on the stickers themselves to be taken to the product detail page.”
Facebook Messenger adds payment prompts using artificial intelligence
Facebook Messenger users across the US are now being prompted to send and request money transfers by an artificial intelligence-based feature that detects when a payment is being discussed in a conversation on the social media platform and responds with a suggestion designed to help the user complete that payment. More
Amazon customers get in-store cash deposits to fund online payments
Amazon customers across the US can now top up their Amazon balance using cash at “thousands of participating convenience, grocery and drug stores” by showing a printed barcode or a barcode on their mobile device to the cashier. They will then be able to use the funds to make online purchases at Amazon. More
Apple details Touch ID and PC-to-phone payment security features
A new security white paper on Apple’s iOS 10 provides details about security improvements made to Touch ID as well as insight into the security infrastructure behind a feature of the operating system that makes it possible for developers to enable Apple Pay users to start a payment on a computer and finish it on their phone, Techcrunch reports... More
Nordic banks roll out first mobile payment services with support for Dankort
Customers of more than 60 banks belonging to The Bokis Partnership have become the first in Denmark to be offered a mobile payment service for Dankort, the country’s national debit and credit card. The service is available through the mobile apps offered by each of the supporting banks and works on Android handsets through host card emulation (HCE) and on iOS through a Bluetooth acceptance device at the point of sale. More
Westpac launches payments keyboard for chat apps
Customers of Australian bank Westpac will soon be able to use an innovative replacement for the default keyboard found in social messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to make P2P money transfers to friends, family and businesses as well as send cardless cash codes to recipients for ATM withdrawals. More
Hasbro to create new beat with NFC music mixing game
A music mixing game that lets players create and share new tunes by mixing elements of their favourite songs contained on NFC-enabled cards is to be released globally by toy and board game provider Hasbro in September 2017... More
Royal Bank of Canada adds Siri money transfers
Customers of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) can now send money using Apple’s Siri voice assistant using the latest version of the RBC Mobile iOS app... More
Wearable payments platform to be tested on three continents
A digital cash service allowing consumers — including those without bank accounts — to load money onto a range of wearable items and make contactless payments in retail outlets will roll out across “eight or nine countries” in North America, Europe and Africa from April 2017... More
Russian mobile network MTS launches first phase of Money Wallet payments, transfer and loyalty service
Russian mobile network operator MTS has launched MTS Money Wallet, an online payments and money transfer service that incorporates loyalty points, offers and discounts, and is to be expanded to transport and in-store payments via NFC, SMS and USSD technologies later this year... More