PayPal challenges Apple Pay with an app for the Pebble smartwatch

PayPal’s mobile payments app is now available for the Pebble smartwatch, the company announced in a blog post today.

Pebble users can now check in to stores via the PayPal app and pay with an auto-generated payment code wherever PayPal is already accepted — no phone necessary. Users can pay one of two ways, either via the payment code mentioned above or, for certain retailers, by checking into a store on the PayPal app. Once checked in, PayPal’s app will automatically communicate with a merchant’s point of sale. In addition to making payments, Pebble users will also be able to receive notifications from the app.

PayPal’s integration with Pebble is clearly an opportunity for the payments company to rival Apple’s own Apple Pay service.

PayPal is increasingly pushing its platform to get access to the burgeoning mobile payments market. In addition to Pebble, the PayPal app is also available for the latest Android Wear devices as well as Samsung’s Gear 2, Gear S, and Gear Fit.

Today’s announcement comes just a week after PayPal parent company eBay revealed that its new smart dressing room for Rebecca Minkoff will exclusively offer PayPal as its form of mobile payment.