iPhone and Apple Watch users in the US can now verify their identity in third-party apps with their digital driving licence or state ID card stored in Wallet... More
The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for an “electronic device having sealed button biometric sensing system” that would enable users to unlock a device, authorise transactions and access apps by verifying their identity with their fingerprint on a wearable device such as an Apple Watch... More
Apple users in the US states of Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah will soon be able to store and present digital versions of their driving licence and state ID documents on an NFC-enabled iPhone and Apple Watch... More
Fans of the Jacksonville Jaguars American Football team can now make QR-based mobile payments at retailers and concessions across its TIAA Bank Field stadium using a mobile wallet integrated into the official team app, which supporters can already use to access their mobile tickets for entry on game day... More
Supermarket giant Carrefour has become the first retailer in Europe to integrate its customer loyalty programme with Apple Pay, enabling shoppers both to pay for their purchases and collect loyalty points with a single tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch... More
Octopus transit card holders can now use their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay their fares and make purchases at 35,000 retail outlets across Hong Kong that accept Octopus for payments... More
Commuters in 275 Chinese cities can now add their T-Union public transportation card to their iPhone or Apple Watch and then use their smartphone or wearable to tap in and out of bus and subway services without the need to first validate the transaction using Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode... More
Apple’s new CarKey service will make it possible for a digital car key to be shared using the Messages app, the second beta release of iOS 13.4 shows... More
Las Vegas restaurant Makers & Finders is the first to use a new service that lets diners scan a QR code on their printed bill to pay for their meal with Apple Pay... More
Apple Pay’s Express Transit mode working in parts of London Underground — MacRumors — “Apple Pay’s Express Transit mode has been functional on at least some tube and bus routes in London since last Tuesday or so, according to multiple MacRumors readers… Express Transit mode eliminates the need for users to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode or even wake their device when they pay for rides with Apple Pay.”
Facebook has unveiled a unified payments service designed to provide “a convenient, secure and consistent payment experience across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp”... More
The UK’s NatWest bank has launched a new service that will let consumers pay online merchants directly from their bank accounts, “saving merchants at least 25% of card processing costs”... More
Deutsche Kreditbank (DKB) is enabling cardholders to use biometrics and their banking app to verify their identity in real time when making online purchases with their credit card... More
Apple has launched a credit card to link with Apple Pay... More
Apple has applied for a patent for a system that uses the Touch ID or Face ID biometric authentication facility on its phones to unlock a car... More
Apple’s just-published iOS 12 security guide has revealed a new feature which will see owners of the latest iPhones able to conduct some NFC transactions even when the device has all but shut down because the battery needs to be charged... More
NatWest trials new way to pay for online shopping — RBS — “The service removes the need to input long card numbers by providing customers with the option to press a NatWest button at the end of the purchase process which will take them through to their mobile app. Then the customer will login with Touch ID or their standard password before the process will complete automatically… Customers will immediately see their balance, updated in real time… In the initial trial, over half of customers chose to make their payment using the NatWest service, rather than use their card.”
iPhone X Face ID slower than Touch ID (but there’s a fix) — Tom’s Guide — “I’ve been using Face ID on the iPhone X for more than 24 hours, and I don’t need a stopwatch to tell you that it unlocks my phone slower than when I was using Touch ID on my older iPhone 7 Plus… It took 1.2 seconds from pressing the side button to the iPhone X’s screen turning on and for the phone to recognize me and unlock the device. And it was another 0.4 seconds to swipe up to get to the lock screen. Total time: 1.8 seconds.”
Apple predicted to ditch Touch ID for Face ID with 2018 iPhone lineup — AppleInsider — “Apple is going all in on Face ID, according to well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes the company will completely abandon its Touch ID capacitive fingerprint recognition system in favor of the depth-sensing technology when it introduces next year’s iPhone lineup.”
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.”
