One Touch isn’t going to be a standalone app, or something we’ll be seeing on the high street, but an add-on system that online retailers can place in their own mobile apps. Today marks the first time developers will be able to get their hands on the beta version, and start integrating it into their own mobile-friendly stores.
PayPal also wants One Touch to end the problem of remembering passwords, and re-entering them every time we go to buy something. Using One Touch means a single sign-in through the standard PayPal app will be all that’s needed the first time you make a purchase, then each time you return in the future, you’ll just tap the Buy button and that’s it. PayPal does say you’ll still be able to choose different funding methods, but otherwise, you won’t be bothered by multiple options, or annoying browser windows opening up.
The One Touch system is the work of Braintree, the mobile payments startup purchased by PayPal’s parent company eBay in 2013. Both Braintree and PayPal emphasize the importance of security, and promise all financial information is kept safe using the “industry’s best fraud management tools.”
When will you get to use the One Touch system? Only selected developers are able to access the software development kit at the moment, but PayPal expects the first examples to start showing up over the coming weeks, and things should accelerate once the SDK becomes more widely available. All you need to prepare is to have a PayPal account, and the PayPal app installed on your iOS or Android phone.
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