New PayPal mobile SDK lets iOS users pay within third-party apps
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
PayPal is updating its developer options today, launching a mobile SDK that will let app makers build in PayPal payment. Starting on iOS and expanding later to other platforms, users will be able to make purchases directly through apps, either by entering information through a PayPal form or by scanning a credit card through camera-based payment tool Card.io. In cases involving subscriptions or in-app goods, that could mean payments are subject to Apple’s 30 percent fee; in other cases — like apps selling physical goods — they would likely be exempt.
For web developers, PayPal has also created a simpler JavaScript button that can be added by copying five lines of code, and it’s launching new beta APIs based on more modern security and processing standards, as well as a central site for development resources. Even as PayPal still functions as an alternative to older credit card processing systems, the company seems to acknowledge that it’s no longer seen as a cutting-edge payment company against competitors like Square. CTO James Barrese says in his announcement that the new SDK is meant to revamp systems that “haven’t kept up” with innovation.
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