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PayPal launches Galaxy S5 fingerprint sensor payments in 25 countries, Gear apps

By Luis D.

Published: Apr 11, 2014, 9:35 AM

Samsung Android

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Just minutes after we told you aboutAliBaba's similar plans, PayPal announced that fingerprint-basedpayments using the Samsung Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner are nowavailable in 25 countries. In addition, apps for the Samsung Gear 2 and [LINK type="review" id="3650" title="Gear%20Fit"] are available too. Strangely enough, said 25countries haven't been specified anywhere, so it's pretty muchanyone's guess where the functionality is available.

PayPal's system works by letting S5owners log-in and authorize payments with a swipe over thesmartphone's home button. No password entry fields, no dotted-outpasswords, and hopefully, no worries are to be found from now on. AsPayPal has always been heavily scrutinized for its securitypractices, the company is enthusiastically communicates the system'srobustness. John Lunn, "Chief Wizard" of PayPal X UK, commented:

"Customers can use their finger to pay with PayPalfrom their new Samsung Galaxy S5 because the FIDO Ready software onthe device securely communicates between the fingerprint sensor ontheir device and PayPal’s service in the cloud. The onlyinformation the device shares with PayPal is a unique encrypted keythat allows PayPal to verify the identity of the customer withouthaving to store any biometric information on PayPal’s servers.”

As for PayPal's wearable apps, theywill let users check balances, receive notifications, and save offersfrom local businesses. Not that you can't use your smartphone forthese purposes, but smart-watches are more hip now. If you've everused the eBay app for the original Galaxy Gear, you know what toexpect. Meanwhile, the apps should be available for Gear owners soon,and they probably won't be limited to 25 countries.

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Luis D. has a multitude of news, features and review articles written for PhoneArena. He adeptly demystifies complex technology topics, such as the development of advanced materials for bendable device displays and the evolution of chipset manufacturing.