Previously, American customers could use PayPal for transactions through the iTunes desktop app. Other territories were left out, and the service wasn’t supported anywhere in the world on iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. All of that will change in the coming weeks.
First off, iTunes on MacOS and Windows will support PayPal outside the U.S. The list will grow to include Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Austria, Australia, Israel, Germany, Netherlands, France, Italy, and Spain. Additionally, those same 12 countries will be able to use PayPal on mobile, too. Besides media and app purchases, the payment method can also be used for iCloud subscriptions as well.
If PayPal support is live in your region, you can add your account by entering the settings menu on your iOS device, scrolling down to “iTunes and App Stores,” tapping on your Apple ID, and then finally the section marked “Payment Information.” The service should eventually be available as an option underneath your existing credit or debit card, and from there you simply sign in.
This is certainly a long time coming for PayPal and Apple, and follows the web payment giant’s integration with Android Pay back in May. You can add PayPal as a “card” to an Android Pay account, allowing you to pull from your account balance for transactions at brick-and-mortar retailers. Currently, no similar feature exists on Apple Pay, though you can use Siri to send funds to friends through the PayPal app.
Meanwhile, Apple intends to go toe-to-toe with PayPal in the direct money transfer space with an upcoming iMessage app due to release as part of iOS 11 in the fall. The company will also launch an “Apple Pay Cash” digital card that will let you use the funds accrued through transfers for tap-and-pay NFC transactions.
