Barclays Account Holders Can Now Make Payments With Siri

Customers with a Barclays bank account can now make payments simply by asking Siri to do it for them.

9to5Mac reported that the feature, added to the latest version of the company’s iOS app, uses the Siri integration for payment apps Apple introduced with iOS 10.

PayPal took advantage of this last November, making it available in a variety of languages and in 30 nations, including Australia, Austria, Belgium (French and Dutch), Brazil, Canada (English and French), China, Denmark, Finland (Finnish), France, Germany, Hong Kong (Cantonese), India, Israel (Hebrew), Italy, Japan, Malaysia (Malay), Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia (Arabic), Singapore (English), Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (French, German, and Italian), Thailand, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates (Arabic) and United States.

But banks have been slow to utilize Siri — although making a payment is as simple as “Hey Siri, pay John Appleseed $10 with Barclays.” And just like with PayPal, the exact wording shouldn’t be important as long as you specify the person, the amount and Barclays.

To prevent someone from picking up your unlocked phone and asking Siri to make a payment to them, Barclays announced several protections that are in place. First, you need to opt-in to the feature in Barclays Mobile Banking via the Siri “What’s New” screen, or by visiting “Manage payments” under the More menu (where they can also update their Siri settings anytime).

In addition, the feature will only work with someone you’ve paid before, or someone in your iPhone contacts. You will also need to confirm payment with TouchID, and there are unspecified single and daily transaction limits.

Barclays revealed that the system is designed primarily for person-to-person payments, and may not work with companies.