Apple Pay has become an important part of our daily lives. Imagine you go out to buy something and forgot to carry cash or a card with you, this is where Apple Pay comes to the rescue. You don’t need to worry about carrying cash or a card everywhere you go because you will always have Apple Pay with you on your iOS device unless you even forget to carry your phone with you. Since we use Apple Pay so much in our daily lives, we might get a little concerned about its security and fraud incidents. It’s natural to worry and wonder: is Apple Pay safe? So, in this article, we will be exploring the possibilities of why Apple Pay is safe and what are the things that we should be looking forward to when using Apple Pay. Let’s get started!
What is Apple Pay?
Developed by Apple, Apple Pay is a mobile payment app, like a digital wallet that you can carry around on your iOS device. It is an easy process of making secure and convenient transactions using your iOS device or Apple watch. Apple Pay is specially designed in a way that would help simplify the process of online and offline transactions for users by eliminating the need for cash or cards.
How does Apple Pay work?
Understanding how Apple Pay works isn’t rocket science. The process involves a simple combination of NFC reader technology, tokenization, and biometric authentication. To put it in simple words, you need to add the credentials of your debit or credit card to the apple wallet app manually. Now whenever you go to the store you need to hold your device and point it towards the NFC reader. Use touch ID or face ID to confirm the transaction’s authenticity. The user’s actual card information is never disclosed to the merchant; all transaction information is securely communicated through NFC to the payment terminal. Instead, the payment is processed using a special device account number and a dynamic security code.
Apple Pay uses a function known as “Payment Request API” or “Buy with Apple Pay” for online transactions. This enables customers to choose Apple Pay as their preferred payment option when checking out on compatible websites or mobile applications. The user then authenticates the transaction on their device using biometrics, and the payment is successfully processed.
Is Apple Pay safe?
Now coming to the main question: is Apple Pay safe? Keeping in mind all the factors surrounding Apple pay, I can say that Apple pay is safe to use. Let me elaborate and explain why I think it’s safe.
Your credit or debit card information is not saved on your device or on Apple’s server when you set up Apple Pay. Instead, a special chip on your device called the Secure Element creates and securely stores a one-of-a-kind device account number.
The device account number and a dynamic security code are transmitted to the store when you use Apple Pay to make a purchase. This helps lower the likelihood that your information will be compromised in the event of a data breach because the retailer does not receive your actual card information.
Additionally, Apple Pay authorizes transactions using biometric authentication techniques like Touch ID or Face ID. This provides an additional layer of protection by making sure that only you can use your smartphone to make payments.
Additionally, industry-standard encryption safeguards Apple Pay transactions, making it difficult for hackers to intercept and access your payment information.
What are the limitations of using Apple Pay?
- If you don’t own an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac, you won’t be able to use Apple Pay because it only works with Apple products.
- Even while Apple Pay is accepted at many large outlets, some smaller companies and merchants could not be on board.
- To complete transactions, Apple Pay has to be connected to the internet, whether via Wi-Fi or cellular data. Therefore, Apple Pay won’t function if your Wi-Fi or data connection is poor.
- If you are using a jailbroken device then your device might be prone to vulnerabilities to cyber crimes when using Apple Pay.
- Apple may collect your personal data to give you the best possible experience. But your
- data might be leaked even after the strict policies of security.
Until next time, with another topic. Till then, Toodles.