Apple brings Apple Pay out of the app

Consumers will have a new, convenient way of making online purchases this fall.



In conjunction with the release of the new iOS10 operating system, Apple late on Monday announced that an online version of its Apple Pay digital payment service will be available to Mac device users in fall 2016. Up until this point, consumers could only complete Internet transactions using Apple Pay through a mobile app.



Customers will be able to use Apple’s Touch ID authentication feature to approve online Apple Pay purchases on their iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. In addition, developers can now add Apple Pay functionality through the iMessage Apps SDK, meaning retailers will be able to customize iMessage conversations with shoppers to allow in-message purchases.



This latest move to extend the functionality of Apple Pay would appear to be aimed at PayPal, the leading third-party online payment provider. While PayPal has the advantage of working on platforms beyond iOS, Apple Pay online purchases may wind up being more convenient and could well dominate PayPal and other competitors in the iOS environment.



E-commerce platform providers including IBM and Shopify will allow retailers to accept online Apple Pay payments. In addition, retailers including have already signed up. Target has also signed up for the online version of Apple Pay.