Eddy Cue took some time today to show off Apple Pay at Oracle Arena in Oakland and oversee the rollout of the payment system at the stadium. Cue showed up to the event wearing a stainless steel model of the Apple Watch and provided some more details on how Apple Pay will work with it.
The executive explained that transactions made using the wearable device won’t require Touch ID or PIN code authorization, as long as the watch is unlocked and near its paired iPhone. The phone unlocks the watch, so there’s no need to confirm your identity again. To trigger the Apple Pay transaction, you just needs to double tap the button on the side of the device.
Cue also reiterated the claim from the Apple Pay announcement that the service will work on the watch even if it’s paired with an iPhone 5, 5c, or 5s, none of which support NFC payments by themselves. Those devices will require users to type in a PIN code on the watch or phone to authenticate (or, presumably, use Touch ID on an iPhone 5s, though that wasn’t confirmed).
[tweet https://twitter.com/cue/status/574064401453424644 align=’center’]
Launch details for the Apple Watch will be announced next Monday at Apple’s “Spring Forward” event.
