Apple's forthcoming iOS 8 software will allow users to fill in online payment forms by using the camera to scan credit card details.
The new feature, first spotted by 9to5Mac, gives iPhone and iPad owners the opportunity to "Scan Credit Card" details, when the numerical keyboard pops up on shopping sites.
Users can then place their plastic within a frame and, thanks to a little optical character recognition, the camera will do the rest, filling in the details automatically.
The idea is to shave a few seconds off making an online purchase and, in some cases, will save folks squinting at that faded expiration date.
PayPal gets touchy too
Apple has been somewhat reluctant to throw itself into the mobile payments sphere up until this point.
It is yet to add an NFC chip to any of its iOS devices, choosing instead for the web-based Passbook service which hasn't been widely adopted outside of a few retailers, venues and airlines.
This move boosts the online shopping experience rather than in the in-store one, as does the news that PayPal is among those third-party services adopting the Touch ID fingerprint sensor technology in iOS 8.
- Our shiny, updated review of iOS 8
Via The Verge
