Indian payments company PhonePe has rolled out biometric authentication for UPI payments, allowing users to approve eligible transactions using their smartphone’s fingerprint or facial recognition.
In a statement, the company said the update is intended to support a “one-touch” payment experience by removing the need to manually enter a UPI PIN in certain cases.
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With the launch, PhonePe said it is “one of the first major payments players to bring this capability to market at scale”.
The biometric authentication feature is currently available for Android users and supports both fingerprint and facial recognition. The company said iOS support is expected to launch shortly.
Under current regulatory guidelines, the biometric option applies to UPI transactions up to Rs5,000 ($55).
PhonePe said transactions above this threshold will continue to require UPI PIN authentication.
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By GlobalDataThe feature uses device-level biometric verification as a two-factor authentication layer. PhonePe said this approach can reduce the risk of PIN exposure in public environments and address payment issues linked to forgotten or incorrectly entered UPI PINs.
The biometric authentication can be used across routine UPI activities. These include peer-to-peer money transfers, QR-based in-store payments, online payments, and bank balance checks.
PhonePe Payments head Deep Agrawal 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.”
PhonePe launched its digital payments app in 2016. The company claimed it had 650 million registered users and a payments acceptance network across more than 47 million merchants, as of 30 September 2025.
Last month, PhonePe received regulatory clearance for its proposed initial public offering (IPO). The company’s offerings include consumer payments, merchant payments, lending and insurance distribution services, and new platforms.
