PayPal Unveils New Developer Tools to ‘Streamline’ Mobile Payments (March 12, 2013)
March 12, 2013
PayPal has announced the release of new development tools that will enable third-party developers to streamline in-app payments, the company says. The new features include a mobile software development kit (SDK), JavaScript PayPal buttons that can be simply integrated into Websites, and new APIs for payments processing and settlement.
In 2009, PayPal was the first financial company to open up its payments APIs to developers at large, according to the company. “However, our tools haven’t kept up with the bleeding edge of innovation that the industry expects of us,” said PayPal Chief Technology Officer James Barrese in a post on the company’s blog. “Developers should have the freedom to focus on innovating for their customers, not spending time worrying about handling the complex task of payments.”
With PayPal’s new mobile SDK, customers can make payments without ever having to leave a developer’s app—and they can pay via new methods, such as the PayPal button, or scanning a credit card. Additionally, a new developer Website will become the central location for all developer tools and resources. The company said it will continue to release new APIs and capabilities through 2013.
Meanwhile, in the brick-and-mortar arena, PayPal’s steady push into in-store payments is the subject of a recent lawsuit brought by mobile money vendor PayOne against Home Depot over the retailer’s use of PayPal’s POS checkout technology. That system gives shoppers the option to pay by entering a mobile phone number and PIN—a capability PayOne alleges is an infringement on multiple patents. The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, seeks unspecified damages and an injunction preventing Home Depot from using the PayPal POS system. “PayPal stands behind its products and will defend Home Depot and its customers who use PayPal’s in-store checkout,” said a company spokesperson. PayPal has similar brick-and-mortar payment relationships with more than two dozen retailers, as well as an in-store payment pact with Discover, set to take effect during the second quarter of this year.
