Apple Watch Will Use Skin Contact To Authenticate Contactless Payments

At their event yesterday, Apple took the wraps off several new products such as the Apple Watch and Apple Pay. The company revealed that Apple Watch users would be able to participate in Apple Pay, although we’re sure some of you guys are wondering how this will work since the Apple Watch does not sport a Touch ID sensor for authentication.

Well according to both Rene Ritchie of iMore and a report from Cult of Mac, it seems that skin contact will be what is used to authenticate payments made through Apple Pay. The report states that upon first launch, users must enter a PIN code to authorize Apple Pay, after which the four sapphire-covered sensors on the underside of the watch will be in contact with the wearer’s skin to authorize future payments.

It was also noted that when the sensors lose contact with the wearer’s skin, the user is then required to re-enter their PIN to re-authorize the device again. We’re not sure if this will be more secure compared to using fingerprints, but so far it seems that credit card companies such as MasterCard and Visa appear to be on board with it, claiming that it was a solution to potential security issues that arise with contactless payments.

What do you guys think? Will skin contact be good enough to ensure security when making payments with Apple Pay, or do you think that you would feel safer using a more secure method such as the scanning of fingerprints?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Gadgets
Tags: Apple Watch, Smartwatch, Wearable Tech