Paypal

How to make Cydia purchases with PayPal’s 2-Factor Authentication

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

Now that Amazon Payments is no longer an option for purchases in Cydia, users are forced to use PayPal, at least for the time being. Saurik has noted that he plans on offering an alternative to Cydia, but until that day comes, users are forced to use PayPal.

The problem with PayPal, is that you cannot make a payment via Cydia if you have 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) enabled on your PayPal account. You'll simply receive an error message stating that you need to add your security key to the end of the password in order to login. This, unfortunately, doesn't work, leaving users who haven't set up the initial auth with PayPal unable to purchase Cydia tweaks.

This issue is due to the mobile PayPal interface presented while inside Cydia. If you can bring your authorization outside of Cydia and into mobile safari, you can invoke the desktop interface and login to PayPal that way. Thankfully, a new jailbreak tweak makes this easy.

Amazon removed as a Cydia payment option

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated May 7, 2018

If you've tried to make a purchase on Cydia lately, you may have noticed one big difference with the available payment options. Amazon is no longer available as a means to make payment, leaving only PayPal as an option.

For me, this is really unfortunate, because Amazon allowed you to authorize a set number of dollars in advance, making it easy to make multiple Cydia purchases over a period of months without necessitating a reauth. I've never been a fan of PayPal and its business practices, but I also hate how cumbersome it can be to simply log in to PayPal.

As of today, we're down to a single option for Cydia purchases, but that could be changing soon.

PayPal finally adds Touch ID protection to iPhone payment app

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 27, 2015

PayPal's official iPhone app in the App Store has at last received support for Touch ID authentication, nearly two years following Apple's debut of fingerprint scanning with the iPhone 5s's fall 2013 introduction.

As a daily PayPal user, it was annoying that the mobile app would ask me to provide my PayPal password on each run. Now that Touch ID has come to the rescue, this option, once enabled in settings, lets me authorize app access easily and securely with my fingerprint.

This is what Touch ID was created for, to protect sensitive personal information like online banking, PayPal transactions and so forth. I wish PayPal supported Touch ID much sooner but it's better late than never, I guess.

Survey: Apple Pay surpasses PayPal in mobile payments

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 2, 2018

Apple Pay is picking up steam and has hit an important milestone: the service is outperforming PayPal in mobile payments, according to a new 451 Research survey shared with iDownloadBlog on Tuesday. It's been gaining momentum in the mobile payments space since becoming available six months ago, primarily at the expense of PayPal.

The March study, conducted by 451 Research’s ChangeWave service, consisted of 4,168 respondents primarily based in North America, and looked at planned use of mobile payment applications and the issue of security.

Respondents interested in buying an Apple Watch are twice as likely (54 percent) as all other smartphone owners to say they’ll use mobile payment apps (29 percent said 'Very Likely' and 25 percent said 'Somewhat Likely').

And overall consumer interest in Samsung's mobile payments service (which is launching this summer) sits at a meager eight percent of respondents who are 'Very Likely' or 'Somewhat Likely' to use Samsung Pay in the future.

US/UK Online Apple Store now accepting PayPal

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 12, 2014

For the first time since its inception, the Online Apple Store is now accepting PayPal as a payment method in both the United States and United Kingdom, Re/code said Friday.

The change is newsworthy in light of PayPal's reluctance to join Apple's mobile payment solution, Apple Pay, and refusal to update its app with Touch ID authentication.

PayPal mobile payments app now available for the Pebble smartwatch

Cody Lee ∙ November 19, 2014

PayPal has announced that its popular mobile payments app is now available for the Pebble smartwatch. In a blog post, first spotted by VentureBeat, the company said that owners can now pay for goods and services at select locations using their Pebble, linked to their PayPal account.

Users can make PayPal payments using one of two methods: by checking into a store using the PayPal app, or by providing the store with an auto-generated payment code. Both ways require that the particular location support PayPal payments, and the latter requires special POS hardware.

eBay taking 20% off iTunes Gift Cards

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 29, 2014

If you've been on the lookout for the latest deals on iTunes Gift Cards, head over to PayPal’s Digital Gifts eBay store as it's currently offering 20 percent off iTunes Gift Cards in several denominations. The $25, $50 and $100 cards are now available with a twenty percent discount so you'll end up paying $20, $40 and $80, respectively.

That's a nice 20 percent saving right off the bat on anything you purchase on Apple's content stores. iTunes Gift Cards can be used to buy Mac and iOS apps, electronic books, movies, TV shows, music and other digital items carried on Apple's content stores.

You can also apply your iTunes credit toward the purchase of iCloud storage upgrades and use it to buy stuff in apps via In-App Purchases.

PayPal’s deal with Samsung ruined its chances of being an Apple Pay partner

Cody Lee ∙ September 30, 2014

Talks between Apple and PayPal regarding Apple Pay partnership soured following PayPal's deal with Samsung, reports Bank Innovation. The outlet says that the two sides began negotiations early on in Apple Pay's development, but when PayPal partnered with Samsung for Galaxy S5 payments, Apple backed out.

According to the report, PayPal’s now-former president David Marcus was categorically against the Samsung deal, knowing that it would jeopardize PayPal’s relationship with Apple. But apparently eBay CEO John Donahoe didn't agree with the executive, and essentially forced the company into the partnership.

Square and PayPal said to be working with Apple on mobile payments

Cody Lee ∙ September 9, 2014

In a last-minute scoop, Bank Innovation reports that it has learned that both Square and PayPal have been working with Apple on its mobile payment solution. Sources tell the site that both companies have been aware of Apple's so-called 'iWallet' payments initiative for a while now, and are updating their services to support it.

PayPal updated with loyalty card support, faster logins and more

Cody Lee ∙ July 15, 2014

PayPal pushed out an update to its iOS client last night, bringing the app to version 5.5. The update brings about the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, but it also adds a big new feature: support for loyalty cards.

This means PayPal users will be able to carry virtual versions of their favorite loyalty cards—such as Starbucks, CVS, and several other retailers—within the app, essentially making it a one-stop shop for payments and checkins...

Today only: PayPal offering $10 iTunes Gift card for $5

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 2, 2016

Last December, PayPal started selling iTunes gift cards and other digital vouchers through its new Digital Gifts Store.

It's perhaps the most convenient and hassle-free option to quickly top up your iTunes credit via PayPal, provided you're in the United States.

The problem is, every now and then other retailers discount iTunes vouchers.

Typically, 20 percent off is the best deal you can find and 30 percent or more off is pretty rare, but we've never seen a discount of 50 percent or more on iTunes Gift cards.

Good today only and while supplies last, PayPal is now offering a $10 iTunes Gift card for just five bucks...

PayPal integrating Touch ID into its iOS app

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 5, 2014

A year ago, PayPal CISO Michael Barrett spelled doom for existing verification methods based on passwords and expressed hope that the then unreleased iPhone 5s would kill the password once and for all. As it turned out, Apple limited the handset's fingerprint scanner to iTunes purchases and user authentication on the Lock screen.

But with the iOS 8 SDK now official, Apple has opened up Touch ID to developers and PayPal is first out of the gate with the official confirmation that it is working on integrating Touch ID authentication into its mobile apps...