PhonePe today announced the launch of biometric authentication for UPI payments, enabling a faster and more seamless ‘one-touch’ payment experience for its users. This new feature allows users to authorize transactions using their smartphone’s native security, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, eliminating the need to manually enter a UPI PIN for transactions. With this launch, PhonePe becomes one of the first major payments players to bring this capability to market at scale.
This feature is designed to elevate both the security and reliability of digital payments by addressing common friction points in the user’s payment journey. By leveraging device-level biometric verification, this feature ensures that users can transact securely even in crowded public spaces, effectively eliminating the risk of ‘shoulder-surfing’ or PIN exposure. Beyond security, the integration significantly improves transaction success rates by reducing failures often caused by forgotten or incorrectly entered UPI PINs. To ensure a consistent experience, the feature includes a seamless fallback mechanism that allows users to instantly switch back to using their standard UPI PIN if biometric authentication is hindered by factors like poor lighting or sensor issues.
In line with current regulatory guidelines, this ‘one-touch’ approach leverages device-level biometric verification as a secure two-factor authentication layer for UPI transactions up to ₹5,000. Transactions exceeding this limit will continue to require UPI PIN authentication to ensure maximum security. Consumers will be able to utilize biometric authentication across every day use cases such as peer to peer money transfers, scanning a QR to make payments in-store or online payments and even to check their bank balance.
Speaking on the launch, Deep Agrawal, Head of Payments at PhonePe, said, “At PhonePe, our goal has always been to make digital payments as intuitive and accessible as possible for every Indian. By integrating biometric authentication, we are taking a significant step toward a truly frictionless payment experience. This feature not only saves time but adds a hardware-grade layer of security that protects users in their everyday environments. We believe that by eliminating common friction points, we are making digital payments more seamless and secure for everyone.”
How to Enable Biometric Payments: Users can set up the feature in a few simple steps:
● Open the PhonePe app.
● Go to Profile.
● Tap on Manage Payments.
● Tap on the Biometric Pay Icon.
● Enable Biometric Authentication for UPI Payments for respective Bank accounts.
● Confirm using your UPI PIN and Biometric for a one-time setup.
The feature is currently available for Android users, supporting both fingerprint and facial recognition capabilities, with iOS functionality expected to launch shortly.