This mobile wallet has now made its way Down Under and aims to replace cash and train tickets.
In the competitive world of mobile payments, the Samsung Pay app has now launched in a new market. Australians have another mobile wallet choice in this area where there are many rivals but where adoption is scarce.
Mobile wallet apps have not been taking off at the rate expected by many of the companies behind them.
The Samsung Pay app was launched as a result of a partnership with both Citibank and American Express. The goal is to be the first contactless mobile payments platform to truly take off in the country.
Australians who use Samsung smartphones can pay at contactless terminals through those mobile devices. They simply need to download the mobile wallet and connect it with an American Express or Citibank card. That said, they cannot use Citibank and Amex branded cards from other banks with this mobile application.
The Samsung Pay app lets consumers complete payment transactions through tap and pay terminals.
This has made Australia the fifth market to be able to use Samsung Pay. Before Australia, the countries using this mobile app have been: Korea, the United States, China and Spain. That said, Singapore followed closely on its heels, having launched only days later.
Samsung Pay will function on any Galaxy smartphone, provided it has at least Android 6.0 Marshmallow or higher. Its interface is designed to be simple and straightforward with a swipe to pay format. Samsung claims this makes it just as easy to pay with a smartphone as it is with a card. In fact, the company said it might be even easier for some.
The Korean consumer electronics company also identified four secure steps that are taken to complete every Samsung Pay app transaction:
• Open payments by swiping up from the home screen
• Select the desired card
• Place your finger on the home button so you can verify your fingerprint
• Tap the smartphone against a contactless terminal
The mobile payments system uses tokenization to make certain that card details remain private. They are never shared with the merchant.
The new Apple Watch activity app arrived with the latest updates to the WatchOS 3 operating system.
Shares of the company behind the Fitbit fitness tracker devices fell considerably this week. The drop in stock prices was the direct result of Apple’s new improvements to its wearable technology.
The Apple Watch plus has received several updates including a fitness app that presents notable competition.
The new Apple operating system, the WatchOS 3, was launched on Tuesday. That OS is meant to address the primary complaints customers have identified in the device. For instance, the new WatchOS 3 makes it possible for wearable technology apps to load more rapidly.
Customers were consistently complaining about slow load and launch times. The upgrade allows apps to load data in the device’s background. The Wall Street Journal reported that this makes the process notably faster. That said, it is now putting the pressure on the FitBit fitness tracker.
The Fitbit fitness tracker maintains a consistent leadership position in the wearable tech industry.
The company behind the Fitbit wearable technology devices is based in San Francisco. It offers a spectrum of different gadgets for monitoring daily activity levels, heart rates and even a wearer’s sleep patterns. In addition, users can employ the compatible app to record their tracked data and to share it.
That said, the new version of the Apple fitness app allows wearers to record and share their tracked data. When users share their tracked data, friends can then message them other through the app. Furthermore, Apple also launched an additional Breathe application on top of its fitness app for its wearables. The Breathe app is meant to provide fitness tracking for wearers in wheelchairs. It also has features geared toward relaxation.
Beyond that, the WatchOS 3 offers SOS. The SOS feature works when the wearer holds down the slide button for a certain length of time. That action automatically calls 911 and sends a notification to the wearer’s emergency contact list. It shares the wearer’s location, date of birth, medical information and allergies with emergency responders. These features go well beyond the offerings of the Fitbit fitness tracker. This helps to explain the downward shift in the stock prices.
