As expected, Samsung has today announced a partnership with China's second-largest online marketplace, Alibaba, which permits new or existing Alipay customers to pay for goods using their account from within the Samsung Pay application in the region. Using the service couldn't be easier. All you have to do is swipe up from the lock screen or home screen to toggle Samsung Pay, select Alipay from the payment options menu, then scan the QR code positioned on the checkout terminal in a merchant's bricks-and-mortar store.
Here's what Injong Rhee, head of R&D for software services at Samsung's mobile division, had to say about the deal:
We are excited to be working with Alipay to expand Samsung Pay services in China. The reception of Samsung Pay since its launch has been extremely positive and the service has already seen tremendous success in terms of availability and adoption by consumers. We ultimately want to make Samsung Pay available to as many consumers as possible around the globe, so that everyone can have the opportunity to enjoy the simplicity, safety and convenience of this mobile payment solution.
The functionality is available for use on the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy A5 (2016), Galaxy A7 (2016), Galaxy A9 (2016) and the Galaxy A9 Pro. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 Active appear to be missing from the list.
