POP Introduces Fingerprint and Face ID Authentication for UPI, Enhancing Payment Security
Bengaluru, June 17, 2026:
POP, India’s fast-growing UPI payments app tailored for Gen Z users, has announced the introduction of biometric authentication to make payments safer. This update replaces the traditional 6-digit UPI PIN with fingerprint or Face ID verification for transactions up to Rs 5,000. The feature is fully available on Android devices and is being phased in on iOS.
The launch was driven by data showing that approximately one in every hundred payments on POP’s platform failed at the authentication stage. As UPI adoption has matured, authentication has emerged as one of the most critical friction points in the payment experience and a major source of consumer dissatisfaction. Most payment failures today do not occur because users change their minds or merchants reject payments, but because users struggle with the final authorization step of mistyping PINs, selecting the wrong bank account, or abandoning transactions under time pressure. POP’s biometric authentication is designed to eliminate this friction by replacing PIN entry with a simple fingerprint or Face ID verification.
Biometric authentication removes these failure points, as users scan a QR code and see their device's biometric prompt instead of a PIN keypad. Payments can be made with a single touch, merging PIN recall, typing, and approval into one quick gesture. This process covers more than 9/10 use cases for POP transactions at or below Rs 5,000, the NPCI threshold for biometric UPI authentication. Practically, biometric verification now applies to nearly all POP payments.
Transactions exceeding Rs 5,000 continue to require the UPI PIN.
Since the feature’s launch, about 10,000 users have already enabled biometric authentication on at least one linked instrument. POP states that early adoption has been organic, driven by users discovering and activating the feature independently.
"India addressed digital payments infrastructure long ago, with real-time settlement, interoperability, and merchant acceptance, the successes of UPI. The remaining challenge is the user experience. The UPI PIN, once essential, now causes friction, thus accounting for one in a hundred payment failures due to PIN errors rather than fraud or connectivity issues. Biometric authentication, like fingerprint unlocking your phone, is faster and more secure than knowledge-based methods, and should unify payment authorization with phone unlocking," said Bhargav Errangi, Founder of POP.
POP emphasizes that biometric authentication does not weaken the payment process; it enhances it. The biometric data is processed entirely on the device within the operating system's secure enclave and is never transmitted to POP's servers. Unlike a PIN, which can be shoulder-surfed at a busy checkout, a fingerprint cannot. The UPI PIN remains available as a fallback at all times, so users are never locked out if biometric authentication isn’t available.
This feature supports Scan and Pay, peer-to-peer and peer-to-merchant transfers, and balance checks across all linked bank accounts. Users enable it through POP's Scan and Pay flow or the Everything UPI section with a single consent and biometric enrollment. Once set up, eligible transactions automatically default to biometric verification.
POP describes this launch as a foundational update rather than just a cosmetic change. The biometric authentication layer integrated into the payment flow is designed to support future features, such as biometric-gated mandates and consent flows for UPI Lite auto top-ups, which would not be feasible without it.
About POP
Founded by Bhargav Errangi in 2023, POP is a Bengaluru-based fintech and commerce platform.
POP is building India's Smart Spending Culture, turning everyday UPI payments into value through POPcoins, a live currency redeemable across a curated D2C commerce ecosystem that young India actually loves. Built for earning, intentional spenders aged 22-35, POP sits at the intersection of payments, commerce, and identity. UPI changed how India pays. POP is changing what paying unlocks.