Mobile bitcoin wallet provider BitPay has announced a new version of its eponymous app that introduces biometric security.
In addition to other features including UI improvements and support for Portuguese, BitPay version 3.1 now features fingerprint-based app locking, along with a new PIN code feature. Announcing the improvement in a blog post, the company called it “a much-requested security and privacy feature for wallets on shared devices.”
It’s a measure that emulates similar security approaches on the leading mobile payment platforms specializing in traditional currencies, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Apple pioneered fingerprint-based authentication with its Touch ID system, and while Samsung Pay has supported fingerprint authentication as well, it also now offers iris-based authentication through Samsung’s new Galaxy S8 and S8+ smartphones.
For a cryptocurrency like bitcoin, such security seems all the more important given the purely digital nature of the funds, so many BitPay users will likely appreciate the new biometric lock feature.
Follow Us