As we discussed earlier this month , iOS 12.3 expands the reach of Express Transit, allowing users to pay for public transit just by tapping their iPhone or Watch, no Face ID or Touch ID authentication required. This feature was only available for the Portland metro … until now. Later this week, the New York City subway is adding Apple Pay with Express Transit for select lines ( via TechCrunch ).
Travelers will be able to skip buying tickets and just walk up to a turnstile and tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to pay and go. Express Transit enables users to complete Apple Pay transactions with even fewer steps, trading some security for a lot of convenience. For example, a normal Apple Pay transaction on an iPhone X, XR, or XS requires the owner to double-click the side button to show the Apple Pay interface, look at the phone and wait for Face ID to authenticate, and then hold the iPhone near the merchant’s contactless reader to actually make the transaction take place. If you elect to select a card to use with Express Transit, all of that rigmarole goes away. You don’t even need to double-click. Simply tap the phone to the contactless terminal at the Portland Metro or the NYC subway, and you’re done.
For Apple Watch, Express Transit means the user does not need to double-click the side button to begin the Apple Pay experience. Again, just hold the watch near the reader — that’s […]
