PayPal Angling for Mobile Payment Partnership with Apple

PayPal wants to be a part of Apple's mobile payment system and is willing to work closely with the Cupertino company to bring the initiative to fruition, claims a report from Re/code.

paypal

Three payments industry executives tell Re/code that eBay-owned PayPal has been pitching Apple on helping the consumer electronics maker bring its long-rumored payments initiative to fruition. These people, who have spoken to contacts at both Apple and PayPal, say that PayPal is essentially willing to white label parts of its payment service to be used in an Apple mobile payments system — anything from fraud detection to back-end infrastructure, even possibly down to the processing of payments.

Re/code's sources claim Apple is capable of rolling out a mobile payment system without PayPal's help, but they could not rule out the possibility of some type of partnership between the two companies.

Apple is allegedly focusing on the iPhone for its mobile payment system, though details on how the phone will process payments is not known. A recent patent application hints at the use of NFC and Bluetooth, the latter of which is compatible with the company's iBeacon technology. Apple recently deployed iBeacons throughout its retail chain of stores, while retailers like American Eagle and Safeway are experimenting with the technology in limited trials.

Today's report echoes an earlier report from the Wall Street Journal that said Eddie Cue was meeting with industry executives to "to discuss Apple's interest in handling payments for physical goods and services on its devices." Tim Cook also confirmed during Apple's recent earnings conference call that the mobile payment area was "one of the thoughts behind Touch ID" in the iPhone 5s.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
Apple Fitness Plus hero

Apple Announces New Fitness+ Workout Programs, Strava Challenge, and More

Friday January 2, 2026 6:43 am PST by
Apple today announced a number of updates to Apple Fitness+ and activity with the Apple Watch. The key announcements include: New Year limited-edition award: Users can win the award by closing all three Activity Rings for seven days in a row in January. "Quit Quitting" Strava challenge: Available in Strava throughout January, users who log 12 workouts anytime in the month will win an ...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...

Top Rated Comments

notjustjay Avatar
156 months ago
Dear Apple:

No.

Thank you,

-All of us
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tasset Avatar
156 months ago
Of all the loathesome, anti-consumer companies I am happy to have divorced myself from it is Paypal. I have faith that despite Paypal's desperate pleas and years of experience, Apple does not need one more middleman between the consumer and retailer. TouchID is a beautiful thing and needs to be as far removed from slime like Paypal as possible.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
luckydcxx Avatar
156 months ago
please don't have a 3rd party involved with payments. just bill it to the credit card that i have on my iTunes account.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
budselectjr Avatar
156 months ago
I want nothing to do with Paypal.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chupa Chupa Avatar
156 months ago
Excellent way for Apple to demolish it's reputation of superior customer service. I know it's a cliche, but seriously, Steve Jobs would never consider doing business with Paypal after his experience w/ Motorola. We'll see if his protege Cook understands the stakes too.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macgabe Avatar
156 months ago
I really hope Apple don't team up with Paypal. Every few years they freeze my account, (and everybody else I know who lives here who has one), for no reason whatsoever - supposedly "security". Then make you jump through impossible hoops to get it unblocked. Like sending non-existent unlock codes. Mine has several hundred dollars in it. Been trying to unlock it for over a year already. Can't even find a phone number to call them. They've basically stolen my money.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)