February 2014
The U.S. engineered and supported PKard for iPad / iPhone iOS, Android tablets / smartphones and Mac OS X are compatible with the following smart card reader hardware.
Apple iPad & iPhone iOS
Apple has strict standards for third party hardware, the MFI program. Generic USB readers will not work with iPad or iPhone.
1) Thursby PKard® Reader
End user license bundled at no additional cost
2) Identiv iAuthenticate®
End user license bundled at no additional cost
- 30-pin plug-in readers for iPad or iPhone
3) Precise Biometrics Tactivo®
Historically, end user licenses were bundled in the PKard Reader app at no additional cost. Legacy readers were defined in a list of bundled serial numbers provided by Precise Biometrics.
New Tactivo readers are supported in the $79.99 PKard Pro app.
A single in-app purchases covers all apps in the secure app ecosystem and multiple devices for the Apple user ID. Currently Apple limits that to 10 devices, the exact same limit Google sets for Google Play.
- iPad or iPhone fingerprint swipe readers
4) General Apple MFi readers
- Technically, we can offer licensing for any commercially available, Apple MFi and U.S. Government certified reader as part of a custom organizational build.
Android tablets & smartphones
Almost all Android phones support micro USB and host mode, either directly, or via a manufacturer's adapter to a proprietary port. The location of the ports is not standardized across manufacturers, sometimes it is on the side, the bottom, forward or backwards facing.
1) Thursby PKard® Reader
- You can purchase a Thursby Android tablet and smartphone plug-in micro USB reader directly from us.
2) Industry standard micro USB readers
- We support USB based readers that appear as a CCID device, but your Android device must support USB host mode. We do not offer hardware technical support or guarantees for third party readers.
Apple Mac OS X
1) Industry standard USB readers
A wide range of USB readers will work. Listed in alphabetical order are the top three we have found to be reliable and affordable. These are recommendations only. We do not offer hardware technical support or guarantees for third party readers.
