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A simple guide to setting up Apple pay
Monday October 20 is the first day Apple Pay will be available to use at select retailers across the U.S., but will you be ready to bust out your phone and make a purchase? Here's a handy walkthrough for making sure you're ready when you hit the register. Step 1: Own a new iOS device Sorry, but Apple Pay is only available on Apple's newest devices, meaning you'll need to have an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus to use the service in stores. The latest iPhone comes with a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna, which allows them to communicate with the payment interface in stores. Users with an iPad Air 2 or iPad Mini 3 can use Apple Pay to make purchases online, but they'll be out of luck when they hit their local Walgreens. Hopefully the next generation of iPads will get the NFC upgrade. Of course Apple Pay is more than just NFC, otherwise every iOS user would be able to make payments online. These newer devices feature Apple's Secure Element chip which stores your private financial data and encrypts it for your protection. Older iPads lack this chip which is why you can't currently use the service with them. Step 2: Update iOS to version 8.1 Make sure you're device is updated. Go to Settings --> General --> Software Update to make sure you're using version 8.1. The update also brings back Camera Roll to your device so it's like getting two gifts at once. Step 3: Open up Passbook and set up the right card You'll need Passbook for Apple Pay. If you've never used Passbook, don't fret. The app is still on your phone. You may have previously moved it into a sub-folder marked "productivity" or something along those lines, but it is there. When you open the app it will ask you if you would like to use the card you already have on file for iTunes purchases or if you want to use a new card. Of course there's a hitch. Apple Pay only works with Visa and Mastercard from certain banks, plus American Express, so if the card you have on file isn't with one of those services you'll need to input another card. Currently Apple pay works with cards issued by Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, City, and Wells Fargo. Barclays, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC, USAA, and US Bank will be added in the near future. When you enter a new card into the system Apple Pay will ask you to take a picture of the card within the app. Apple cross references the card with your bank to make sure it really is your card, but don't worry. When the card is displayed on your device the card number won't show up. The reason Apple doesn't display your card number is simple; Apple doesn't actually store your credit card number. Apple Pay purchases are made using a device specific account number which is stored on your devices Secure Element chip. When you buy something with Apple Pay, Apple sends your bank an encrypted one-time use payment number and security code to make the purchases. Apple won't be able to track what you buy or where you buy it, and cashiers won't see your name or credit card number when you make purchases anymore. Step 4: Go buy something Once you've set up your card you're ready to go. Apple Pay isn't available across the board, but it's available at a number of leading retailers. At launch Bloomingdales, DuaneReade, Macy's, McDonalds, Staples, Subway, Walgreens, and Whole Foods are all accepting payments via the service. To make a payment simply wave your phone in front of the NFC terminal at checkout, swipe your finger over your iOS device's TouchID sensor, and bask in the joy of trying something new. If you're on an iPad shopping is a little more complicated. At the moment you'll need to download each company's Apple app to make purchases with Apple Pay. Given this is the service's launch day the process is remarkably easy. If you make any purchases today using Apple Pay let use know about your experience in the comments below.
Apple Pay goes live on October 20, many new retail partners and banks on board
Tim Cook earlier today provided new details regarding Apple Pay, the company's upcoming mobile payments platform. First and foremost, the service is slated to go live on Monday, October 20. Second, Apple has shored up the number of banks and retail partners throwing their support behind Apple's nascent payment platform. In addition to the nation's top banks, Tim Cook relayed that 500 new banks will support Apple Pay in the coming months. On the retail front, Apple's list of merchant partners has expanded considerably. Tim Cook also explained that the number of mobile apps with built-in support for Apple Pay has expanded. The list of Apple Pay compatible apps now includes Airbnb, StubHub, Lyft, and more.
Engadget Daily: Hands-on with Apple Pay, a 'Day of Action' and more!
Itching to learn more about Apple Pay? We went hands-on. Wondering what all the "Day of Action" talk is about? We covered that too -- and a whole lot more. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Facebook 'experiment' lets select users pay to have messages routed directly to a stranger's inbox
Get ready to have your preconceived notions of email destroyed. In a Facebook blog post today, the company has gone to great lengths to bury the lede -- which, essentially, says that it's experimenting with the idea of letting non-connected users pay in order to have a message routed to one's inbox instead of that ill-fated "Other" folder. According to the company, it's being dubbed a "small experiment" to "test the usefulness of economic signals to determine relevance." As an excuse, Facebook has evidently consulted with "several commentators and researchers," which "have noted that imposing a financial cost on the sender may be the most effective way to discourage unwanted messages and facilitate delivery of messages that are relevant and useful." Bitterness aside, there is some value in being able to directly ping a stranger you heard speak at an event, or you want to really show your interest in a job opportunity, but it still destroys the level playing field that we've all come to know and respect as it relates to digital communication. This message routing feature is only for personal messages between individuals in the United States, and if there's a silver lining to be found, we're told that the number of messages a person can have routed from their Other folder to their Inbox will be limited to a maximum of one per week. It's unclear how the service will evolve once the testing ends, but perhaps it depends on how much blowback occurs compared to the whole Instagate thing.
Intuit GoPayment comes to the UK, renames itself Intuit Pay
In a bid to catch mobile payment rival Square napping, Intuit GoPayment is leaping across the pond to begin an assault on the UK. It's certainly putting the effort in, having had to rework its hardware to be compatible with Chip-and-Pin and being forced, for legal reasons, to drop the "Go" and "ment" parts of its name. The service is currently in a limited trial before being rolled out to switched-on stallholders and itinerant fraudsters (we kid) nationwide.
Bump Pay lets you tap a friend for cash
Taking cues from an ING Direct app that used its API, Bump Technologies has developed its own version of the mobile payments software, enabling phone-to-phone "Bump" transactions using PayPal. Yes, PayPal. That minor processing detail aside, the service appears to offer a fun solution for simplifying the fairly painful process of paying the check at group meals, or splitting a tank of gas with a friend. Both you and your bud need to have the app installed before you can beam that green, and there's no option to send payments remotely, though you could always use plain ole vanilla PayPal for that. The app is free, and if you have a checking account linked you won't have to deal with any fees. Bump Pay is iOS only "at launch" (read: it could be making its way to Android as well), so for now you'll need to bump the App Store to get folks paid.
New York Times nears half-million online subscriber mark, halves free article allowance to celebrate
The New York Times just gave you more reason to consider making the jump to a paid online subscription -- beginning in April, that free article allowance will see a 50-percent cut, from 20 monthly articles to just 10. This modification comes one year after NYTimes.com launched its infamous content paywall, and following an announcement that the publisher has signed up 454,000 digital subscribers. Paying readers will receive a 12-week subscription that they can gift to anyone on the fence about swiping for access, and smartphone and tablet app users will continue to have access to the "Top News" sections for free. You'll also be able to read articles linked from other sites on the web, including your inbox, and can access five free posts a day that appear in search engine results. Completely unfettered access will range in price from $15 to $35 per month -- you'll find full details in the PR just past the break, and at the source link below.
PayPal's Digital Wallet lets you decide how you empty yours (video)
PayPal has been helping us pay for those impulse purchases for a long time, but now its forthcoming Digital Wallet could see it popping up on our bank statements a whole lot more. Speaking with eBay Ink, PayPal's Sam Shrauger gave a quick demo of some of the new features. As well as the regular payment handling, you'll be able to register gift vouchers, coupons, loyalty points and store credit cards all under one account. This sounds tidy, but more interesting is the ability to change how you pay for something (say, from credit to debit card) up to seven days after the fact. If you want to keep those big purchases on the Amex, that's no problem either, with configurable rules letting you assign different cards to different spending situations, including setting your own custom payment plans. It's not all about buying either, with savings also getting the digital treatment, that's if you haven't doled it all out on gadget rarities. The service is expected to land in May, in the meantime see the new features via the videos after the break.
PayPal Facebook app lets you send money and greetings to friends, only takes 2.9-percent cut of your 'free' e-card
Well, this certainly seems like a no-brainer for PayPal. The company just launched a Facebook app that lets you send money to anyone on your friends list, with the usual list of terms and conditions in tow. After logging into Facebook and authorizing the app, you'll be able to use PayPal to transfer funds to individuals that you're connected with (who also have PayPal accounts, of course), adding a layer of security to the notoriously fraud-laden online payment service. Payments are free to send and receive, but only if they're funded using a bank account with both parties in the U.S. Want to use a credit or debit card instead? PayPal will collect 2.9 percent (either from the sender or recipient), with a 30-cent processing fee to boot. And if you're sending funds abroad, fees range from 0.5 to 3.9 percent, depending on a variety of factors. A rather comprehensive collection of e-cards helps soften the blow if a fee applies, and includes selections for just about every occasion. Fourth of July coming up? Let's top up that fireworks fund. So dig up those account and routing numbers and get ready to stick some virtual cash in a virtual card -- just one week 'til Thanksgiving!
The Daily Grind: Are we cheating studios by not paying for free-to-play?
Here's an odd question that I've been chewing on lately: Is there something wrong if we extensively enjoy a free-to-play title that we do not, and are determined to never, pay for? I mean, sampling a F2P title is kind of like participating in a trial, but what about playing a F2P MMO for months or even years without paying? Is there something ethically or perhaps morally wrong about that, particularly since our playtime is funded by both the studio and the paying members out there? On one hand, we're invited to do so. Studios use F2P to lure us in on the chance that we'll become so invested that we'll be tempted to spend money to either support it or gain a better play experience for ourselves. The studios set the rules for free-to-play, and we operate within them. But on the other hand, I wonder if there comes a point when one can take so much advantage of a "free" service at someone else's expense that it gets tacky or just plain wrong. Do we become the unwelcome house guest who mooches but never gives back -- and never leaves? What do you think? Should we feel obligated to pay at least something if we've played a F2P MMO for a good length of time? Or am I totally off my rocker here? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Vodafone lets Londoners pay for taxis via text message, charge their phones in transit
Mobile payment systems may be gaining only gradual steam in the US, but over on the other side of the pond, Vodafone UK has launched a broad new campaign to integrate smartphone technology where Londoners may need it most -- in the back of taxis. As of today, many cab passengers will be able to charge their smartphones in transit, thanks to a wide range of chargers that the mobile carrier has installed in more than 500 of London's iconic black vehicles. Vodafone is also rolling out a new payment scheme today, whereby cash-strapped travelers can text their cab's license number to a specific code, allowing any owed fares to be charged directly to their phone bills. The system certainly doesn't sound as elegant as some of the NFC-based operations we've heard about, but it still beats having to navigate your cab driver to the nearest ATM, with the meter tick-tocking away.
Android Market gets in-app billing, your virtual nickels are now spoken for
Google said they were coming this week, and here they are -- Android apps can now have their own miniature storefronts for in-app purchases galore. You'll find Tap Tap Revenge, Comics, Gun Bros, Deer Hunter Challenge HD, WSOP3 and Dungeon Defenders: FW Deluxe accept your credit card for microtransactions starting this very instant, and Android developers can start building similar functionality into their own creations right now. Head on over to our source link for instructions on how to shake those extra coins out. Don't want to commit to a full transaction yourself? Hit the break for a quick video refresher of how in-app purchases work. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
New York Times reveals labyrinthine subscription plans, Canadian readers already hitting paywall
We knew it was coming, and now The New York Times has followed through on its promise to erect a paywall for online content, which means no more free news -- kind of. Starting today in Canada and March 28th in the US, NYTimes.com will ask visitors reading more than 20 articles per month to pay for their info fix. The new plan offers monthly subscriptions of $15 with a smartphone app, $20 with tablet app, or $35 for complete digital access -- subscribers with a physical subscription will be granted a full pass, except on e-readers. Further convoluting the pay structure, entry from sites like Twitter and Facebook won't face the same restrictions, and access via Google is set at five free visits per day. Other news sources, including The Wall Street Journal, have already started charging for online content in the face of declining ad revenue, but this is certainly one of the most elaborate systems we've seen so far. The subscription plan was unleashed in Canada today, allowing the paper to iron out any kinks before hitting the US, which means you've got just under two weeks to hit NYTimes.com completely free -- after that, prepare to be confused.
FT subsidizes employee iPads, wants them to keep up with the times
You know tablets have officially become a mainstream craze when even the reserved, serious types over at the Financial Times start splashing subsidies around to stimulate their ownership. We've just heard that a $480 purse of gold coins will be extended to any FT workers who decide to purchase an iPad or another tablet between now and the end of June 2011, reportedly in an effort to help the paper's staff become "expert and experienced in using them." We already knew the FT, which happens to have its own iPad and Galaxy Tab apps, saw slate devices as an important piece of the puzzle that is our future, and this move cements that attitude in place. Paper's dead, long live electronics-filled plastic.
Editorial: Should your next mobile OS update cost you?
Will that fancy new smartphone you're looking at buying run a version of Android that hasn't even been announced yet? Or that Nokia 5800 -- where's the Symbian^3 upgrade? Has the lack of commitment on a launch date for the webOS 2.0 upgrade stopped you from buying a Pre on Sprint? The balance between the relative importance of hardware and software in the smartphone industry is definitely teetering toward the software side these days for a number of reasons: screens have no need to get any bigger or higher-resolution, processors likely can't get much faster without a significant advance in battery technology, and we're reaching a point where we're all going to have HD camcorders in our pockets capable of taking still shots that'll put even higher-end point-and-shoots to shame. So when you stabilize the hardware like that -- that is, you get to the point where manufacturers are iterating essentially the same large slate over and over again with marginally better specs -- the spotlight starts to fix squarely on the software underneath. That is to say, whether a phone receives "good" operating system builds (and receives them on a timely basis) really makes or breaks its retail success now more than ever before. All too often, the question isn't whether a particular device is great, it's whether the manufacturer and carrier have committed to upgrading it -- quite often to a version of its operating system that hasn't officially been announced. It's a recipe for confusion and paralysis among consumers that really don't have a great reason to be putting off their purchases -- they just want a reasonable assurance that their new phones aren't going to be regarded as "obsolete" in six or nine months. And why shouldn't they?
More than 25% of iTunes users want the cloud
A new NPD Group survey says that if Apple ever does release its rumored cloud music service for iTunes, there will definitely be an audience. Over 25% of iTunes users polled say that they would be interested a free iTunes cloud service. And about half of those would be interested in actually paying $10 a month for services like music sharing and streaming their personal libraries through iTunes. Out of an estimated 50 million users in the US, NPD says that 15 million or so would be interested in a free service, and around 7 or 8 million wouldn't mind paying $10 a month to Apple. Keep in mind that this is a survey done in May of this year, Apple hasn't even worked their marketing magic on something like this yet, and it doesn't even exist. If a service like that was actually offered, it's not hard to think that word of mouth and/or a well-marketed feature set would drive that audience even higher. But NPD concludes, not too surprisingly, that there is an audience ready for any iTunes cloud plans that Apple wants to reveal. How 'bout it there, Steve?
StarCraft 2 free for WoW players in Korea, loses 18+ rating
Blizzard is tweaking the business model for its upcoming StarCraft 2 release in Korea. IGN reports that the RTS will be free for Korean subscribers to World of Warcraft there, as Blizzard reportedly wants to bolster the MMO's player base overseas. Other players will be able to buy the game outright for the US equivalent of about $54, or pick up $8 monthly or even $1.60 daily passes for the game, so Blizzard will still make a googoojillion dollars on the long-awaited sequel in Korea. No word on if these plans will make their way to North America, but we'd bet against it. WoW itself has had different pay models overseas for a while, but just the usual monthly price here in the US. That money can also come from children as young as age 12 -- after the game was originally rated for adults only, an edited version of the game has brought the rating back down to a 12+ age rating. The edit changes Zerg and Terran blood to black from red, and removes all profanity and smoking from the game. Blizzard is reportedly still thinking about releasing the "mature" version in Korea separately, although it'll be after next month's worldwide release.%Gallery-3311%
Foxconn axes suicide compensation, relocating some production to Vietnam or Taiwan
At yesterday's annual shareholder meeting, Foxconn revealed that it'll no longer be compensating families of dead employees as a move to discourage further suicides. CEO Terry Gou reasoned by exhibiting evidence that showed the money -- an amount almost equivalent to ten years' worth of salary -- was a major motivation for the suicides. One such exhibit was a man's suicide letter that contained the following message for his parents: "...now I'm going to jump off Foxconn, really leaving now, but you don't have to be sad, because Foxconn will pay a bit of money, this is all your son can repay you now." Gou also blamed a possible "Werther Effect" created by the news coverage, which might have led to six of the twelve suicides all taking place in May. Consequently, the company will be handing over its welfare management work to the local Chinese government, as it's unable to deal with too many social responsibilities. In the same meeting, the company made an unsurprising announcement that it's looking to relocate some manufacturing work, amid a worsened earnings forecast due to increased wages -- basic salary has gone up from ¥900 ($132) to ¥1,200 ($176), rising to as much as ¥2,000 ($293) for those who meet new performance criteria. This will involve setting up a fully automated facility in either Taiwan or Vietnam, while the existing Vietnamese plant will be receiving more orders. Chairman Samuel Chen also said that Foxconn will be working with its clients to share the load -- no further details on this, but we suspect Apple's rumored direct subsidies are part of the plan.
Rising labor costs in China may lead to pricier electronics, manufacturing relocation
You might recall that Foxconn, faced with the searing spotlight of the world's attention on its working conditions, recently announced not one but two wage increases for its employees, which is now looking like part of a larger trend in China toward higher pay. The city of Beijing has said it'll be raising its minimum wage by 20 percent, to 960 Yuan ($140) a month, and is expected to be followed by others. The New York Times pins this on numerous factors, including growing competition for workers, state authorities insisting on higher standards, and a national policy effort to ease the gap between rich and poor. All good news, you might think, but these worker-friendly measures are taking their toll on manufacturing costs, and now there's talk of companies relocating production to cheaper locales. Vietnam, India and Indonesia are the prime suspects for taking production duties away from China, with some companies also apparently contemplating shifting to poorer regions within the nation. These changes are unlikely to perturb high-end electronics manufacturing in the short term, due to its more sophisticated infrastructure and supply chain, but the end consumer might still feel their effect in the form of higher prices. Inflation within China and a projected increase in its currency value are likely to drive up the cost of exports, so we'd advise buying what you need sooner rather than later. [Thanks, Daniel]
Foxconn offers additional 66 percent raise, pending mysterious performance review
Though working conditions at Hon Hai Precision Industry may or may not have improved since Foxconn CEO Terry Gou showed off the pool, pay most certainly has. Where workers once made 900 yuan (about $132) per month, Reuters reports that should workers pass a three-month review, they could pull in 2,000 yuan ($293) in the same period. However, Foxconn's not saying what would qualify an individual for the review. Even should they not pass, wages will be 30 percent higher than before the company's labor scandals were brought to light, and before a string of twelve laborers reportedly committed suicide.
