iPhone 8 facial recognition will likely work with Apple Pay — MacRumours — “We’ve already seen confirmation that Apple is working on facial recognition in the iPhone 8 through a recent HomePod firmware release, and now additional information found in the code confirms Apple has a mechanism for authenticating Touch ID payments with a face scan instead of through a fingerprint.”
Apple
AIB celebrates Apple Pay launch with €0.01 ice cream cones
AIB celebrates Apple Pay launch with €0.01 ice cream cones — Irish Mirror — “Apple Pay ice cream trucks will be arriving at a number of locations across the country this weekend to celebrate the arrival of Apple Pay for AIB customers. The trucks will travel through Dublin, Cork and Galway offering €0.01 cent ice cream cones to AIB customers with Apple Pay on an eligible device.”
TransferWise links with Apple Pay globally
TransferWise links with Apple Pay globally — Reuters — “The London-based money transfer company said on Thursday that it was joining with Apple Inc’s payments service in the US and a handful of other countries, following a similar move in the UK in 2015. This means users on Apple devices will no longer have to insert their payments card or bank account details to send money via TransferWise, but will be able to transfer funds through their Apple Pay account, speeding up the process.”
JCPenney adds credit cards and loyalty rewards to Apple Pay
Customers of US department store chain JCPenney can now add the retailer’s credit card to Apple Pay and make contactless payments at any of the company’s stores nationwide... More
Carrier billing for Apple services spreads to Denmark, Hong Kong, Sweden
Carrier billing for Apple services spreads to Denmark, Hong Kong, Sweden — AppleInsider — “The addition of Denmark, Hong Kong, and Sweden bring the total list of countries supporting carrier billing up to 17, across 29 mobile phone networks. The list of countries does include some major first-world nations, including France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, but the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are notably still absent from the list, among others.”
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.”
Apple unveils promotional campaign to win Chinese consumers to Apple Pay
Apple unveils promotional campaign to win Chinese consumers to Apple Pay — South China Morning Post — “Consumers using Apple Pay to make payments in designated online and offline merchants in mainland China that display the logo of UnionPay’s QuickPass facility will receive discounts of up to 50% and as much as 50 times the usual amounts of reward points for credit cards.”
Santander pays 5% cashback when you pay by mobile phone
Santander pays 5% cashback when you pay by mobile phone — Which? — “Santander 123 Lite Current account customers can earn 5% cashback on all purchases using their debit cards via Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay. The two-and-a-half month deal runs from 17 July to 30 September, with the bonus paid out by the end of November.”
Apple has just weeks to fix its fingerprint problem, says KeyBanc
Apple has just weeks to fix its fingerprint problem, says KeyBanc — Barron’s — “Apple is still struggling to put a fingerprint sensor under the glass of its next iPhone, says KeyBanc, and it has until August to fix the problem or else ditch fingerprints on the new device or decide to delay substantially its roll out… Not having the fingerprint sensor, he writes, would not be good, as it might effectively shut out the new phone from things like Apple Pay.”
PayPal now available on App Store, Apple Music, iTunes and more
PayPal now available on App Store, Apple Music, iTunes and more — PayPal — “PayPal’s availability across Apple’s services further expands our vision of providing customers a variety of ways to easily make mobile purchases, such as asking Siri to make a payment using the PayPal app… Once PayPal has been selected, all future purchases with the customer’s Apple ID will be automatically charged to their PayPal account.”
US pop band adds NFC tags to merchandise range
Fans of US pop group Airspoken can now access music, videos and other digital content by tapping their NFC mobile devices against NFC tags embedded in the band’s merchandise, from t-shirts, stickers and hats to bracelets and more... More
N26 will bring Apple Pay to customers in Spain later this year
N26 will bring Apple Pay to customers in Spain later this year — N26 — “Later this year, N26 will bring Apple Pay, which is transforming mobile payments with an easy, secure and private way to pay that’s fast and convenient, to customers in Spain. N26 is proud to bring Apple Pay to Spain. Supporting Apple Pay is another example of the innovation for which N26 is so well known.”
Over 20 financial institutions in the US, Europe add support for Apple Pay
Over 20 financial institutions in the US, Europe add support for Apple Pay — Apple Insider — “Apple added another 22 banks and credit unions to its roster of Apple Pay-supporting institutions in the United States, with the new additions to the collection joined by a number of European institutions… The latest batch of institutions to join the Apple Pay support page are, like the last update, made up of regional banks and credit unions.”
Apple tests 3D face scanning to unlock next iPhone
Apple tests 3D face scanning to unlock next iPhone — Bloomberg — “For its redesigned iPhone, set to go on sale later this year, Apple is testing an improved security system that allows users to log in, authenticate payments, and launch secure apps by scanning their face, according to people familiar with the product… The company is also testing eye scanning to augment the system, one of the people said.”
Apple Pay purchases trigger donations to US national parks
Apple is donating a dollar to the National Park Foundation for every purchase made with Apple Pay at any Apple Store across the US, on the company’s website or through the Apple Store app until July 15 in support of the country’s national parks... More
Qualcomm and Vivo show off under-display fingerprint tech
Qualcomm and Vivo show off under-display fingerprint tech — ZDNet — “The US chip giant said the new solution, Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors, can be integrated underneath Oled displays and dunked in water. It also said the function works under metal and glass… Apple’s next iPhone is also rumoured to have the fingerprint sensor under the display.”
ACCC to question Apple on Westpac chat app payments ban
ACCC to question Apple on Westpac chat app payments ban — Australian Financial Review — “Technology giant Apple’s controversial decision to order Westpac Banking Corporation to disable a mobile banking feature that let customers make payments in chat apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger has caught the attention of Australia’s competition watchdog, amid concerns it could be attempting to remove rivals to its own upcoming service.”
Apple makes NFC tag reading available for beta testing
Members of the general public who sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program can now download a pre-release edition of iOS 11, the latest version of Apple’s operating system for iPhone and iPad which brings with it support for NFC tag reading... More
Beijing subway launches smartphone version of travel card
Beijing subway launches smartphone version of travel card — ECNS — “Starting Monday, subway travelers in the Chinese capital with NFC-enabled phones can leave their physical travel card at home and use their smartphone instead, Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card (BMAC) said… Beijing subway said the mobile pass function does not support iPhone because of Apple’s restrictions.”