As soon as Tim Cook unveil Apple Pay back in September , two affair were instantly decipherable : 1 ) Contactless payments had arrived ; and 2 ) Samsung was travel to simulate it . So when Samsung unveil its next flagship earphone , the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge , on Sunday in Barcelona , I come along with great interest , ready to snigger at its iPhone - like crook border , fingerprint sensing element , and perfectly round speaker grilles .
Samsung ’s gotten so unspoilt at this game , it ’s not even fair . About midway through the demonstration , it was announced the new phones would have a mobile payment organization call … look for it … Samsung Pay . And suddenly , I could n’t point and laugh . Besides theSingle White Female - level name copying , this service , which launches in the U.S. and South Korea this summer , sounds like it might actually one - up Apple Pay . Here ’s what you require to know so far , and why this could still be good tidings for Apple Pay user .
Really, they called it Samsung Pay?
Yeah , they did . They go there . But Samsung did n’t bite Apple ’s mention style just to troll us . before this year , Samsung bought LoopPay , the company that invented Magnetic Secure Transmission engineering to conduct wireless payments without NFC . So the salary part might really be more apt of a name – Samsung Loop just sounds silly .
Seriously , I ca n’t go any further without steer out Samsung ’s newfangled speaker system grille .
So how does it work? How do people store cards?
The main welfare of Apple Pay is its end - to - terminal ease of use , and Samsung has go to some considerable distance to mimic it . Adding a carte du jour to be used is near identical to Apple’s — either eccentric in the numbers and expiration day of the month manually or scan it with the camera — and it ’ll be quick to get at the next time you involve to pay for something .
Is accessing those cards as easy as Apple Pay?
With Apple Pay , your salt away cards as if by magic appear on the lock screen when your iPhone phone comes in touch with a compatable defrayal proofreader , but Samsung ’s method acting is n’t quite as automatic ; board are accessible by swiping up from the bottom of the screen .
Will it work in the same places?
As you might have guessed , Samsung Pay will be able to be used at the same depot that take Apple Pay , but Galaxy users have a serious advantage . SinceSamsung acquired LoopPay , the earpiece also sport MST technology , which allows it to be recognized by stores with magnetized quotation card readers ( you recognise , like almost all of them ) give Samsung Pay a far wider orbit than Apple .
How do I use it?
If you ’ve ever used Apple Pay , you ’ll already have a fairly good melodic theme of how to apply Samsung Pay . Like Apple Pay , the tonality is your fingerprint ; when you ’re ready to pay , swipe to pick out the card you want and authenticate with your fingerprint . However , there ’s an special tone : Samsung Pay users also need to exploit their phones to the circuit card reviewer or record ’s magnetic striptease .
Apple Pay is a cinch to use , but only where you may find NFC payment terminals .
Is it secure? Is it private?
Samsung Pay is as untroubled as Apple Pay . Cards are locked until your fingermark open them up , and credit bill of fare selective information is stash away and transmit as encrypted tokens that ensure your card data ca n’t be hacked or breached . Samsung is also taking Apple ’s approach to privacy — the comapny wo n’t collect datum on where users shit or what they spend .
Does it actually work?
We wo n’t full be able to do that interrogative sentence until the earpiece go on sale April 10 , but based on former hands - on experience , the fingerprint lector and software is as slick as Apple ’s . Our baby site Greenbot recently compared the experience ofusing LoopPay versus Google Walletfor wireless payment on an Android phone , and LoopPay — the engineering Samsung buy — pull ahead by a landslip .
LoopPay used to call for redundant computer hardware , but its MST engineering is being built into the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge .
Can I use it with older Galaxy phones?
Just like Apple Pay only go with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus ( and coming soon , the Apple Watch ) , Samsung Pay is a feature tie to the Galaxy 6 and Galaxy 6 Edge .
Really, it’s called Samsung Pay?
Yes , it is . permit ’s move on .
Does Samsung Pay work within apps?
Apple Pay ’s most underrated feature it its ability to work for on-line purchases on our iPhone 6 , iPad Air 2 , and iPad mini 3 , but Samsung has n’t say whether its system will be able-bodied to shape with its own apps or those purchased through the Google Play store .
Who’s on board?
Apple Pay already works with nearly 100 fiscal institutions , and it remains to be seen how fast Samsung can convince them to sign on to stick out Samsung Pay . The troupe announce partnership with JP Morgan Chase , Bank of America , Citi , and US Bank , as well as MasterCard and Visa , but it has a prospicient way to go to catch up with up with Apple Pay .
Will it work with the Galaxy Gear?
Presumable Samsung Pay will turn with the next version of the Galaxy Gear , but Samsung did n’t have anything to announce about its watches at MWC . In the interim , if you ’re not bad on bribe stuff using your articulatio radiocarpea , Apple Watch is your only option .
Samsung Pay launch this summertime , but a major NFC rollout is expected by the fall , so its MST vantage may not last long .
How will Apple respond?
Short answer , it might not even have to . LoopPay ’s MST applied science might be yesterday ’s news before Samsung Pay even come off the land . The federal government is requiring retail outlets to adopt fancy newNFC - equipped Europay , MasterCard and Visa terminals by October , which would all but neutralize Samsung ’s advantage .
What does this mean for Apple Pay?
That ’s the billion - dollar question . Apple Pay is off to a rolling first , thanks in tumid part to Apple ’s marketing drive and lively sales of the iPhone 6 , and it seems as though digital , contact less defrayment are on the verge of becoming somewhat mainstream . Even if Samsung sells as many phones as Apple did ( which , have ’s face it , is unlikely ) , it certainly wo n’t injure Apple Pay ’s expansion . If anything , it ’ll serve — the more people apply telephone to pay for matter , no matter if it ’s through Apple Pay , Samsung Pay , or Google Wallet , it place more press on computer storage and banks to support the conception . And that ’s good for everyone .
