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Comment by taeric | Hacker News Reader

NFC is NFC. Tap to pay with the physical cards is what convinced me to finally start using the same thing on my phone. If I had a watch... I'd probably still use the phone? I'm not entirely clear on why or how Dick Tracy inverted, yet again.

Note that I have no problem with others liking the watch. I just don't see what makes it so much more convenient than a phone. Curious what will pull me over.

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Doesn’t the phone have to be unlocked? The watch authenticates one time when you put it on (and unauthenticates when you take it off), so you can securely pay for things via a double click of a button then tap, vs having to unlock the phone with your face first or enter a pin or whatever. If someone steals your watch, they can’t steal your money unless they some how can cut off your wrist without triggering an unauthentication.

Doesn’t need to be unlocked for public transport transactions, just tap the locked phone (watch also works without further interaction). https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT212171

Ya, the same for Apple Key (I can unlock my car with my phone, but needs to be unlocked before I start my car with it).

For general payments, yes, but Apple allow-list known public transport networks to charge cards without auth. I would guess this involves auditing the crypto, being fairly sure they aren't going to mess it up, having a very limited payment amount (Transport for London for example "charges" £0.10 when you tap in/out, and then bills you the correct balance at the end of the day).

My paranoia is such that I'm sure I would require my watch also have some form of "be unlocked." And since this is largely, "be unfolded and have seen my fingerprint recently," feels like a non issue?

Phones aren’t secure enough, even if it’s seen your face or fingerprint recently. Actually, Apple offered a way to use your watch to make your phone easier to unlock, as long as your watch is nearby and has been authenticated itself. The whole “on your wrist” authentication experience can be used for the phone also, I guess.

Pulling out my phone while in motion greatly increases the likelihood I will drop it, or that it will be stolen out of my hand (especially by a thief going the other way).

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