Apple will be expanding Apple Pay to allow iOS users to make online purchases via their device’s Safari browser, says a report by Re/code. Currently Apple Pay is only available for purchases at physical stores, and in third-party apps that support the service.
Apple has been telling potential partners that its payment service, which lets shoppers complete a purchase on mobile apps with their fingerprint rather than by entering credit card details, is expanding to websites later this year, multiple sources told Re/code.
Allowing such integration would remove the requirement for users to download a specific retailer’s app to be able to use Apple Pay to purchase online goods and services. The experience would be much more convenient, similar to PayPal.
While the report indicates Apple is also considering making the payments service available to Mac users, it isn’t clear how that capability could be enabled, due to the Mac lineup’s lack of a fingerprint sensor for Touch ID, which is a much-touted piece of the Apple Pay security system.
Apple is reportedly telling partner websites that the new payment feature will be ready before the all-important holiday shopping season, and the report indicates the new feature could be announced at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
