Millions of consumers are now using their fingerprints to unlock their mobile devices, thanks to the popularity of Apple iPhones and iPads and Samsung Galaxy S smartphones. Security experts note that fingerprint sensors are more secure than passcodes. But the sensors aren't just useful for unlocking devices. They also serve as the crux of Apple's and Samsung's mobile payment systems, using your finger's unique characteristics to confirm your identity and make a purchase. Developers are increasingly adding support for Apple's biometric system TouchID, making it easy for their customers to open mobile apps with just a touch of their finger. These include financial apps like Mint and American Express, shopping apps like Amazon.com and file-sharing apps such as Dropbox. By 2019, people will be downloading fingerprint-enabled apps more than 770 million times a year, according to Juniper Research.

Adding fingerprint support to Android M puts Google's operating system on equal footing with Apple's iOS mobile operating system, Google said the feature can be used for making purchases in Google's Android-based marketplace, Play Store, Several companies, including Target, have already started to integrate the fingerprint feature into test builds of their Android apps and plan to integrate the feature "later this year."Google's new Android M operating slim armor case for apple iphone xs max - violet system will not only let users open their devices with a fingerprint, it also gives developers free rein to bundle fingerprint-sensing in their apps..

After the search giant's initial forays into mobile payments failed to catch on, Google on Thursday unveiled details of its new payments platform, Android Pay, at its Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco. Customers can use Android Pay for in-store purchases, much like Apple Pay, and to buy items within mobile apps. Android Pay can also power third-party apps from banks and other institutions. "We built Android Pay as an open platform, so people can choose the most convenient way to activate Android Pay," Dave Burke, a vice president of engineering at Google, said at the event.

After mobile payments failed to gain consumer interest for years, competition in the space has started heating up since Apple in September announced its own service, Apple Pay, which works with iPhones and the Apple Watch, About 72 hours after its October debut, over 1 million credit slim armor case for apple iphone xs max - violet cards had been activated on Apple Pay, more than any similar service combined, That service now is forcing other players to up their game to stay competitive, Samsung in March announced its own service, called Samsung Pay, for its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones, Also, Google in February acquired some of the technology behind Softcard, a payments system backed by several US telecommunications firms, PayPal, too, is working to improve its mobile services..

If Android Pay becomes a draw, it could help mobile payments take off and keep Google relevant in that burgeoning market. Smartphone payments at a point-of-sale terminal totaled $3.5 billion in the US last year. That number is expected to surge to $118 billion by 2018, according to eMarketer. "The stakes are huge," said Vijay Koduri, an executive at payments processor Adyen. "Payments have always been strategic for Google. They've tried several initiatives, but like mobile payments at large they haven't gotten mass adoption."Having a payment system, he said, is critical for any mobile operating system to remain successful not just in smartphones, but the growing areas of wearables and other connected devices. Koduri, a former Google executive who helped launch Google Wallet, said Android Pay looks to be an improved system, thanks to its ability to integrate with banking or loyalty-card apps -- something Google Wallet couldn't do -- making it easier to use for both customers and merchants.