Apple cranks up heat on PayPal by finally bringing Apple Pay to websites

By Christian de Looper Published June 13, 2016

Look out PayPal, Apple’s coming for you! Apple announced Monday that it’s finally bringing Apple Pay to the web, essentially allowing users to pay for items through Apple Pay in Safari. Not only that, but Apple Pay will also be coming to the Mac through Sierra.

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The move — first revealed last week in an exclusive report from Digital Trends — is likely to prove problematic for PayPal, which has long been the champion of web-based payments. Apple’s announcement was made at the 2016 Worldwide Developers Conference.

To date, Apple Pay has worked in a few different ways — users could load their phone with credit information and “tap to pay” at pay stations in-store, or use Apple Pay within apps to buy items or services at home. The only thing missing? Apple Pay on the web, which is what Monday’s announcement addressed.

Apple Pay Websites — Image used with permission by copyright holder

On the desktop, users will add items to their cart, and once they’re ready to check out, a message will pop up on the iPhone, which will allow the user to authenticate their purchase through TouchID. This is likely how Apple Pay will work until the Mac has more secure authentication methods. Of course, Apple Pay will only be available on Safari — Chrome users on a Mac won’t have access to the feature.

Apple Pay isn’t just expanding in use — it’s also expanding in users. The system is currently available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, and Singapore, but it’s also coming to France, Switzerland, and Hong Kong.

Of course, the move won’t upset just PayPal — it also steps on Google’s toes. Google also announced it was bringing web-based payments to its payment platform, Android Pay.

The mobile payment market is seriously heating up of late, and while PayPal has tried to keep up with apps for mobile, people tend to prefer more native payment systems, like those built by Apple for the iPhone or by Google for Android.

Christian de Looper

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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