Online retailer Zappos, part of the Amazon family, announced on March 4 that its mobile app is now Touch ID enabled through iOS with the new update that was released two days earlier.
“Passwords can be a hassle and that’s where Touch ID comes in, with a single touch you are logged in and ready to check out!” touted the company on its official blog. Zappos also credited Apple with making iOS integration into mobile apps so simple to use, stating that it took just “one afternoon” for the app to be made Touch ID compatible.
While Zappos is new to Touch ID, Apple introduced the concept in September 2013, with Apple Pay integration starting about a year afterwards. The feature enables users to log in by touching the home button on an iOS device, which takes the image and encrypts it for security. It’s been adopted by banks such as American Express as well as Google Wallet users, though the latter doesn’t have access to Apple’s NFC technology. Touch ID has also been touted in the past as the development that would get mobile commerce “over the hump” in the U.S.
Apple has also begun developing iCloud based Touch ID over the last couple of months, with patents that were published back in February regarding fingerprint scanners from different angles. In January, a patent was also taken out on an iCloud development that would enable consumers to make payments at enabled merchant POS systems with just a fingerprint scan and PIN, no smartphone required. The information for this patent would be sent via NFC or Bluetooth communications, avoiding public networks in an attempt to discourage hackers from stealing card information and personal identities.
Touch ID is also expected to be part of the Apple Pay features on the Apple Watch, which was announced on March 9.
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