14 DAY TRIAL // A feature that isn’t even described on the marketing pages of iOS 8, Safari will soon allow online shoppers to scan their credit cards using the iPhone’s camera and have the browser fill out purchase forms automatically.
Apple is delivering its final blow to password managers like 1Password with the addition of a new character recognition technology in mobile Safari, which allows online shoppers to scan their credit card number when prompted to enter this information.
As the screenshot above shows, whenever faced with a purchase form that asks for your name and credit card number, Safari will include an option to “scan credit card” at the top of the virtual keyboard. Scanning a card works much like snapping a photo. Once iOS recognizes the characters on the card, it automatically fills the necessary fields with the appropriate information. Customers still have the ability to punch in the numbers manually if they wish.
Apple has been rumored to make an entry in mobile payments, and this is just one of the ways it is doing that. Other features to help with the initiative reportedly include NFC (Near Field Communication) in the iPhone 6 and the existing Passbook app introduced in iOS 7.