Apple is opening up its digital ecosystem to PayPal from today, with customers now able to use the omnipresent payment platform to purchase goods through iTunes, iBooks, Apple Music, and the App Store.
Kicking off in Canada and Mexico, PayPal payments will be slowly rolling out to other markets — including the U.S. — “soon after,” according to a statement issued by PayPal today.
In real terms, this means that rather than simply setting your credit or debit card as your default payment mechanism, you will now also have the option of selecting PayPal.
Apple has already embraced other third-party payment methods in some markets. Last year, for example, the company opened to Alipay, a service that is effectively the PayPal of China.
This latest integration also opens up PayPal to Apple’s voice-activated digital assistant, Siri, meaning you will soon be able to ask Siri to make a payment using the PayPal app directly.
Notably, this also opens up PayPal’s One Touch payment smarts to Apple devices, meaning you will be able to purchase goods on compatible sites and mobile apps.
It’s worth noting here that this isn’t the first time Apple has embraced PayPal payments. Apple used to offer PayPal’s Credit service in the U.S. to enable consumers to finance physical products, such as Macs and iPhones, but this was discontinued in 2015 — though it is still available in some markets, including the U.K.
-by Paul Sawers
Courtesy of Venturebeat