Apple Watch Will Use Skin Contact for Apple Pay Security

[shanson27]

it would be a good feature to unlock the door of your car

 

[gnasher729]

Hmm...this means the only security measure for payments with the watch is a PIN number.

Anyone could put on your watch and create skin contact...getting the PIN would be as easy as looking over your shoulder while you entered it, or looking at security camera footage from above you.

You enter the PIN when you put your watch on. Which I usually do in the bathroom after a shower. The only person looking over my shoulder knows my PIN anyway, and there are no security cameras in my shower.

it would be a good feature to unlock the door of your car

Or to unlock doors without waving a security card around.

 

[Trapezoid]

and then what?

Drag the victims lifeless corpse to McDonald's and purchase a happy meal?

Hahah, this made me laugh out loud. It's hilarious the scenarios people come up with, right?

 

[ditzy]

How's this more secure than entering your pin number at the register? The only difference is that it wont work if the watch is not strapped to the hand. In all other aspects its the same level of security that we currently have. Even worse, if somebody knows your passcode you're pretty much screwed since he can go waving your watch around shopping malls without any problems. Oh yes, real genius.

If someone has your pin code and watch, it is exactly as secure as someone having your pin code and credit card. Basically you would have to cancel as quickly as possible.
However a lot of people are robbed by having their credit/debit card cloned, the watch would stop this crime.

 

[neuropsychguy]

Yes, I can just picture a thief walking into a store with a severed hand and paying for something with no one saying 'gee, that looks weird"

It's probably a mafia store cause hey, even mobsters need a place where they can buy all their mafia needs.

 

[0098386]

I have bony wrists. With most watches I wear the back is rarely plastered up against the back of my wrist. How tight are people going to have to wear this thing? I think there's going to be a lot of re-entering your pin.

That's my concern too. I like my watch slightly loose. Hopefully the sensors are good enough to detect that I'm still wearing it even though it's not pressed right into my skin.

My GF likes to wear her watch on top of a sweatband. I guess she's out of the iWatch market!

 

[neuropsychguy]

So basically you have to renter the pin every day, since you need to charge every night. Breakthrough... Not!

Guess what? I have to enter a PIN every time I want to use my phone (Nexus 4), which can be dozens of times or day. Same goes for my iPad. I even, oh the horror, have to type in my password every time I want to unlock my iMac.

 

[xboxusr666]

Yes, according to Apple's press release:

"Apple Pay will also work with the newly announced Apple Watch™, extending Apple Pay to over 200 million owners of iPhone 5, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s worldwide."

So the major addition besides screen size is doable on the watch? Hopefully the watch comes soon aka very early 2015 as I might just get that instead of upgrading.

 

[Trapezoid]

So basically you have to renter the pin every day, since you need to charge every night. Breakthrough... Not!

It's like they copied google where you have to enter your password every time you want to log into gmail. Really can't understand what they were thinking, the watch should be unlocked permanently and you should never have to authenticate.

 

[6836838]

Not very secure. Crafty thieves would just have a slither of plastic at body temp to slide underneath the watch as they nab it. Im sure someone will start selling a tool. Bad idea to leave something authorised for a long time period. Asking for trouble.

One that gives a pulse?

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Yep implication for folks who wear their watches loosely was first thing that occurred to me when I heard of this security measure.

Also confirms there'll def not be any NFC payment capabilities when watch is out of juice (though that was pretty much a given the way Apple Pay is set up anyway).

Although it would be nice if this did work for small payments, say under £20, as is the case with current cards.

 

[Smartass]

[/COLOR]

If someone has your pin code and watch, it is exactly as secure as someone having your pin code and credit card. Basically you would have to cancel as quickly as possible.
However a lot of people are robbed by having their credit/debit card cloned, the watch would stop this crime.

You would still need to have a normal credit card with you at all times, since not everybody accepts/will accept this kind of payment via apple pay... So yes, it does add some extra security but more in a "gimmick way" and at the end nothing is going to change radically untill banks figure out something else watches like this wont be able to stop skimming and all other credit card frauds

 

[dugbug]

but the blood would cause liquid damage and the watch might not work....

And seriously, lie about the pin. They aren't holding u at gunpoint to buy condoms and cigarettes at the walgreens.

The logical thing would be to have a kill switch that you can activate in the phone (assuming they dont steal that too) or in icloud

you are overthinking it. Seriously, someone capable of overpowering you and willing to sever your arm (or whatever). That is way beyond the mindset of a typical pocket picker or someone lifting your credit card number.

 

[X-X]

This is how the Watch should have looked.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/11/6134981/apple-watch-round-concept-photo-essay

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Oh, the irony of a credit card named, "Freedom"



I guess the "Give them enough rope..." credit card wasn't as marketable.

 

[ditzy]

[/COLOR]
You would still need to have a normal credit card with you at all times, since not everybody accepts/will accept this kind of payment via apple pay... So yes, it does add some extra security but more in a "gimmick way" and at the end nothing is going to change radically untill banks figure out something else watches like this wont be able to stop skimming and all other credit card frauds

I accept that the watch probably won't be accepted everywhere, but it doesn't change that when it is accepted it will be more secure. I don't see how that is a gimmick.

 

[fallenjt]

Well if you prefer a loose fit prepare to enter and re-enter your password.

4 sensors at the bottom will constantly contact with your skin somehow.

 

[ptb42]

Will Apple Pay work on a iPhone 5s with Apple watch?

Yes, according to Apple:

http://www.apple.com/apple-pay/

Apple Watch
Paired with iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus.
In-store purchases only.

 

[FlatlinerG]

Hopefully it detects that the hand is warm to prevent thefts.

Imagine someone showing up with a severed arm trying to make a purchase. "Can I get a venti hazelnut macchiato", pulls out severed arm, "Do you take ApplePay?"

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

Imagine someone showing up with a severed arm trying to make a purchase. "Can I get a venti hazelnut macchiato", pulls out severed arm, "Do you take ApplePay?"

Well, they'd have to keep it warm as well at 37° C (or thereabouts).

"Could you put this in the oven for about 10 minutes?"

I'm betting there will be a booming market for arm transplants to take care of this.

 

[ilovemyibook]

Unless they take your wrist with the watch...

I think at that point your bank account would be the least of your concerns.

 

[gadgetguy03]

This would be awesome! But there are two points that aren’t so good:

1) If it’s waterproof, but not water-resistant. That means every time you are swimming, taking a shower or other activities, you have to take it off.
2) if the battery life is just for one day, you have to take it off everyday.

These 2 points are going to make you put the pin code almost every time you are buying something.

I don't mind entering in a PIN each time I reattach the watch. I didn't mind an unlock code on my iphone for the past 4 years. Maybe they could tie it with the Unlock PIN on the phone so when you unlock your phone after checking messages it automatically re-pairs and activates ApplePay.

 

[NeroAZ]

Is there a mechanism in place to prevent people from touching the watch with a sensor? For example, if you're standing in a crowd, someone standing next to you could potentially touch a sensor against the watch to initiate a payment.

It's harder to do this with the iPhone 6 when it's in your pocket because it requires Touch ID authorization, but the Apple Watch doesn't need this and it's easily accessible on your wrist.

I imagine you would need to have the passbook watch app open to initiate payments, it wouldn't be broadcasting the payment data all the time.

 

[bawbac]

If someone has your pin code and watch, it is exactly as secure as someone having your pin code and credit card. Basically you would have to cancel as quickly as possible.
However a lot of people are robbed by having their credit/debit card cloned, the watch would stop this crime.

Except people don't leave their CC's laying on a table, bedroom or car.

The comment that the Apple watch will stop crime is hilarious!

Keep the posts coming.

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I imagine you would need to have the passbook watch app open to initiate payments, it wouldn't be broadcasting the payment data all the time.

So wait... you must now touch the watch, enter a pin to unlock the watch & access the passbook app then pay?
Yup, that's more convenient than reaching for my wallet.

 

[randymac09]

So you enter your PIN and can make payments. Then every night you get home and take it off to charge and the next day you have to re enter the PIN. Sounds like just one more POS to remember every morning while I'm getting ready for work. No thanks.

EDIT: Apparently needfx realized the same thing I did.

So when you check your bank account on your phone you don't reenter a password? Or when you park your car you are angered by the fact that you have to press the unlock button on your fob when you return? Or when you leave your house you don't lock it because you can't be bothered to pull out your keys and unlock it when you get home?


I am sure the exhausting task of putting in a pin will be nothing more than a 4 digit code that you do while sipping your morning coffee. If that is too much for you to handle, I don't think you deserve a job paying enough for you to afford an Apple Watch.

 

[gadgetguy03]

Is there a mechanism in place to prevent people from touching the watch with a sensor? For example, if you're standing in a crowd, someone standing next to you could potentially touch a sensor against the watch to initiate a payment.

It's harder to do this with the iPhone 6 when it's in your pocket because it requires Touch ID authorization, but the Apple Watch doesn't need this and it's easily accessible on your wrist.

It says on the Apple page that you have to double-press the button under the crown to initiate payments.