HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Feb 24: PhonePe has rolled out biometric authentication for UPI payments, enabling users to authorise transactions using fingerprint or facial recognition instead of manually entering a UPI PIN for payments up to ₹5,000.
With this launch, PhonePe becomes one of the first major digital payments platforms to introduce device-level biometric authentication for UPI transactions at scale.
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The new feature is aimed at delivering a faster, seamless ‘one-touch’ payment experience while enhancing transaction security.
The biometric system leverages a smartphone’s native security features, allowing users to complete payments through fingerprint or face authentication.
The feature is designed to reduce common friction points in digital payments, including failed transactions due to forgotten or incorrectly entered UPI PINs.
In addition to improving convenience, the feature strengthens security by reducing risks such as “shoulder-surfing” or PIN exposure, particularly in crowded public environments.
PhonePe has also integrated a fallback mechanism that enables users to switch back to the standard UPI PIN in case biometric authentication fails due to poor lighting or sensor issues.
In accordance with regulatory guidelines, biometric authentication will be applicable for UPI transactions up to ₹5,000.
Payments exceeding this limit will continue to require UPI PIN authentication to maintain enhanced security.
The biometric payment option can be used across various everyday use cases, including peer-to-peer transfers, QR code payments at retail stores, online transactions, and checking bank balances.
Deep Agrawal, Head of Payments at PhonePe, said the integration of biometric authentication marks a major step toward making digital payments more intuitive and accessible.
He stated that the feature not only saves time but also adds a hardware-level security layer that strengthens user protection in everyday environments.
To enable biometric payments, users need to open the PhonePe app, navigate to Profile, tap on Manage Payments, select the Biometric Pay icon, and enable biometric authentication for their respective bank accounts.
A one-time confirmation using UPI PIN and biometric verification is required to activate the feature.
The functionality is currently available for Android users, supporting both fingerprint and facial recognition, while iOS support is expected to be launched soon.
