Apple Pay will soon be let users make online purchases, the company announced Monday at the WWDC 2016 keynote speech.
“Now when you’re shopping online, you’ll have a ‘Pay with Apple Pay’ button,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. The new feature will be available when the latest version of macOS, Sierra, becomes available to Mac users this fall.
Federighi said the online “Apple Pay” button will require users to authenticate their identity from a TouchID device—iPhone or Apple Watch—to preserve the security of their transactions.
Apple Pay first went into operation in October 2014, but it’s been confined to real-world brick-and-mortar transactions—with iPhone owners using that device to pay for items when checking out at such stores—as well as purchases made from iOS apps. Today’s announcement expands the service to the broader realm of e-commerce—putting the service in broader competition with online pay services like PayPal.
Author: Joel Mathis
Joel Mathis is a regular contributor to Macworld and TechHive. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife and young son.