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Pix Biometria Guide (iOS SDK-Only Integration)

Upcoming Release

This documentation covers features from our upcoming release. While the core functionality and workflow described here will remain unchanged, you may notice some refinements before the final release.

With Belvo's Pix Biometria, collecting payments from users becomes seamless, removing the need for users to navigate to their financial institution to approve each individual payment request.

This guide demonstrates integration using the Belvo iOS SDK convenience methods. The SDK handles backend communication, OAuth flows, and FIDO registration internally, providing a streamlined integration path.

The first step in enabling biometric payment collection is to enroll the user’s device with their institution. During enrollment, key data about the device and the user's public key credentials is securely registered with their institution, ensuring that future payments can be confirmed using biometric authentication alone.

Once enrollment is complete, you can start requesting payments directly from the user’s device.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

  1. Generated your Belvo Payments API Keys
  2. Set up Webhooks to receive payment and enrollment status updates
  3. Generated an SDK Access Token (see below)
  4. Installed the Belvo iOS SDK

SDK Access Token

SDK Authentication

The Biometric Pix SDK requires an access token to authenticate API requests. Generate this token from your backend server and pass it to the SDK during initialization.

Generate an SDK access token from your backend:

POST https://api.belvo.com/payments/api/widget-token/
Authorization: Basic <base64_encoded_secret_id:secret_password>
Content-Type: application/json
{
  "access": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...",
  "refresh": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
}
Token Best Practices

Never hardcode tokens in your app. Always generate them server-side and implement secure storage and refresh logic.

SDK Installation

Minimum Requirements:

  • iOS 15.0 or higher
  • Swift 5.0 or higher

Installation via Swift Package Manager:

  1. In Xcode, select FileAdd Packages...
  2. Enter: https://github.com/belvo-finance-opensource/biometric-pix-ios-sdk
  3. Select version requirements and click Add Package
  4. Choose BiometricPixSDK product and click Add Package

App Configuration

Add entitlements to your .entitlements file:

<key>com.apple.developer.associated-domains</key>
<array>
  <string>webcredentials:belvo.com</string>
</array>

Add location usage description to Info.plist:

<key>NSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app uses location for security and fraud prevention purposes.</string>

Share your Team ID and Bundle Identifier with Belvo:

Format: TEAM_ID.BUNDLE_ID
Example: ABCDEFGHIJ.com.yourcompany.appname

SDK Initialization

Initialize the SDK once in your app, typically in your view model or service layer:

import BiometricPixSDK

class BiometricPixService {
    private let sdk: BiometricPixSDK
    
    init(accessToken: String) {
        self.sdk = BiometricPixSDK(accessToken: accessToken)
    }
    
    deinit {
        sdk.cleanup()
    }
}
Resource Management

Always call cleanup() when you're done with the SDK (e.g., in deinit or when logging out) to properly release resources.

Enrollment Flow (7 Steps)

The enrollment process registers a user's device with their institution for biometric payments.

UserYourAppBiometricPixSDKBelvoAPIInstitutionCall 1: getPaymentInstitutions()Call 2: requestPermission()Call 3: createEnrollment()Redirect to InstitutionCall 4: completeEnrollmentAfterRedirection()Call 5: getFidoRegistrationOptions()Call 6: startRegistration()Call 7: confirmEnrollment()Initiates enrollment1getPaymentInstitutions()2Fetch institutions3Institution list4[Institution]5Display institution picker6Selects institution7requestPermission()8Request location permission9Grants permission10Permission granted11createEnrollment(cpf, institution, accountTenure, callbackUrl)12Collect risk signals internally13POST /enrollments/14Enrollment created (redirect_url)15Enrollment object16Redirect to institution (redirect_url)17Approve enrollment in institution app18OAuth callback (code, state, id_token)19completeEnrollmentAfterRedirection(callbackUrl)20POST /enrollments/complete-redirection/21Enrollment updated22Enrollment object23getFidoRegistrationOptions(enrollmentId)24Poll for FIDO options (auto-retry)25FIDO registration options26FidoRegistrationOptions27startRegistration(fidoOptions, callback)28Request biometric (Face ID/Touch ID)29Provides biometric30Credential via callback31confirmEnrollment(enrollmentId, credential)32POST /enrollments/{id}/confirm/33Register FIDO credential34Registration confirmed35Enrollment SUCCEEDED36Success (Boolean)37Show success screen38UserYourAppBiometricPixSDKBelvoAPIInstitution

Step 1: Get Payment Institutions

Fetch the list of institutions that support biometric payments:

import BiometricPixSDK

class EnrollmentViewModel: ObservableObject {
    private let sdk: BiometricPixSDK
    @Published var institutions: [Institution] = []
    @Published var selectedInstitution: Institution?
    
    init(sdk: BiometricPixSDK) {
        self.sdk = sdk
    }
    
    func loadInstitutions() {
        do {
            institutions = try sdk.getPaymentInstitutions()
        } catch {
            // Handle error (network, authentication, etc.)
            print("Failed to load institutions: \(error)")
        }
    }
}

Display institutions to user:

struct InstitutionPickerView: View {
    @ObservedObject var viewModel: EnrollmentViewModel
    
    var body: some View {
        List(viewModel.institutions) { institution in
            Button(action: { 
                viewModel.selectedInstitution = institution 
            }) {
                HStack {
                    AsyncImage(url: URL(string: institution.iconLogo))
                        .frame(width: 40, height: 40)
                    Text(institution.displayName)
                }
            }
        }
        .onAppear {
            viewModel.loadInstitutions()
        }
    }
}

Step 2: Request Permissions

Request location permissions required for risk assessment:

func requestPermissions() {
    sdk.requestPermission { granted in
        DispatchQueue.main.async {
            if let permissionGranted = granted as? Bool, permissionGranted {
                // Permissions granted, proceed to enrollment
                self.startEnrollment()
            } else {
                // Handle permission denial
                self.showPermissionDeniedAlert()
            }
        }
    }
}

Step 3: Create Enrollment

Create the enrollment with the following method call (the SDK handles risk signal collection internally):

func startEnrollment() {
    guard let institution = selectedInstitution else { return }
    
    do {
        let enrollment = try sdk.createEnrollment(
            cpf: userCPF,                           // User's CPF
            institution: institution.id,             // Selected institution ID
            accountTenure: customerCreatedDate,      // "YYYY-MM-DD" format
            callbackUrl: "https://myapp.com/callback"
        )
        
        // Save enrollment ID and device ID for later
        self.enrollmentId = enrollment.id
        self.deviceId = enrollment.details.riskSignals.deviceId
        
        // Redirect user to institution
        if let redirectUrl = enrollment.details.redirectUrl {
            self.openInstitutionApp(url: redirectUrl)
        }
        
    } catch {
        // Handle error
        print("Enrollment creation failed: \(error)")
    }
}
Account Tenure Format

The accountTenure parameter should be the date when the user was created as a Belvo Customer, in YYYY-MM-DD format. Extract this from the Customer's created_at timestamp (first 10 characters).

Step 4: Redirect to Institution

Open the institution's app using the redirect_url:

func openInstitutionApp(url: String) {
    guard let url = URL(string: url) else { return }
    
    if UIApplication.shared.canOpenURL(url) {
        UIApplication.shared.open(url)
    }
}

The institution will redirect back to your callbackUrl with OAuth parameters.

Step 5: Complete Enrollment After Redirection

Handle the OAuth callback in your app and complete the enrollment:

// In your SceneDelegate or App delegate
func scene(_ scene: UIScene, openURLContexts URLContexts: Set<UIOpenURLContext>) {
    guard let url = URLContexts.first?.url else { return }
    
    // Pass the full callback URL to the SDK
    handleEnrollmentCallback(url: url)
}

func handleEnrollmentCallback(url: URL) {
    do {
        let enrollment = try sdk.completeEnrollmentAfterRedirection(
            callbackUrl: url.absoluteString  // SDK parses parameters automatically
        )
        
        // Check if successful
        if enrollment.status == "PENDING" {
            // Success - proceed to FIDO registration
            self.getFidoOptions(enrollmentId: enrollment.id)
        } else if enrollment.status == "FAILED" {
            // Handle failure
            self.showEnrollmentError(
                code: enrollment.statusReasonCode,
                message: enrollment.statusReasonMessage
            )
        }
        
    } catch {
        print("Failed to complete enrollment: \(error)")
    }
}
Alternative: Manual Parameters

If you prefer to parse the callback URL yourself, you can pass parameters individually:

let enrollment = try sdk.completeEnrollmentAfterRedirection(
    state: stateParam,
    code: codeParam,
    idToken: idTokenParam
)

Step 6: Get FIDO Registration Options

Retrieve the FIDO options needed for biometric registration. The SDK automatically polls for up to 5 minutes:

func getFidoOptions(enrollmentId: String) {
    // SDK polls automatically every 1 second for up to 5 minutes
    if let fidoOptions = sdk.getFidoRegistrationOptions(enrollmentId: enrollmentId) {
        // FIDO options received, proceed to biometric registration
        self.startBiometricRegistration(fidoOptions: fidoOptions)
    } else {
        // Polling timed out (5 minutes passed)
        self.showTimeoutError()
    }
}
Automatic Polling

The getFidoRegistrationOptions() method handles all polling logic automatically. It checks every 1 second for up to 5 minutes, so you don't need to implement any retry logic.

Step 7: Register Biometric and Confirm

Prompt the user for biometric data and confirm the enrollment:

class EnrollmentViewModel: NSObject, ObservableObject {
    private let sdk: BiometricPixSDK
    private var enrollmentId: String?
    
    func startBiometricRegistration(fidoOptions: FidoRegistrationOptions) {
        do {
            try sdk.startRegistration(
                fidoResponseString: fidoOptions.toJsonString(),
                callback: self
            )
        } catch {
            print("Failed to start registration: \(error)")
        }
    }
}

// Implement FIDO callback
extension EnrollmentViewModel: FidoRegistrationCallback {
    func onSuccess(credential: PublicKeyCredential, response: AuthenticatorAttestationResponse) {
        // SDK handles payload creation automatically
        guard let enrollmentId = self.enrollmentId else { return }
        
        let success = sdk.confirmEnrollment(
            enrollmentId: enrollmentId,
            credential: credential,
            response: response
        )
        
        if success {
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
                self.showEnrollmentSuccess()
            }
        } else {
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
                self.showEnrollmentError()
            }
        }
    }
    
    func onError(error: String) {
        DispatchQueue.main.async {
            self.showBiometricError(message: error)
        }
    }
}
View Model Lifecycle

When using view models with callbacks in SwiftUI, declare them as @ObservedObject or @StateObject to prevent them from being destroyed during view re-renders:

struct EnrollmentView: View {
    @StateObject private var viewModel: EnrollmentViewModel
}
Enrollment Complete!

The device is now enrolled and ready for biometric payments.

Payment Flow (4 Steps)

Once enrolled, initiating payments requires four method calls (as you can see in the sequence diagram below):

UserYourAppBiometricPixSDKBelvoAPIInstitutionCall 1: listEnrollments()Call 2: createPaymentIntent()Call 3: startSigning() + collectRiskSignals()Call 4: authorizePaymentIntent()Initiates payment1listEnrollments(deviceId)2GET /enrollments/?device_id=...3[Enrollment]4Enrollment list5Display enrollment picker6Selects enrollment7createPaymentIntent(payload)8POST /payment-intents/9PaymentIntent (with FIDO options)10PaymentIntent object11startSigning(fidoOptions, callback)12Request biometric (Face ID/Touch ID)13Provides biometric14Assertion via callback15collectRiskSignals(accountTenure)16RiskSignals17authorizePaymentIntent(paymentIntentId, payload)18POST /payment-intents/{id}/authorize/19Process payment20Payment confirmed21Payment SUCCEEDED22Authorization success (Boolean)23Show payment confirmation24UserYourAppBiometricPixSDKBelvoAPIInstitution

Step 1: List Enrollments

Fetch all enrollments for the current device and let the user select one:

class PaymentViewModel: ObservableObject {
    private let sdk: BiometricPixSDK
    @Published var enrollments: [Enrollment] = []
    @Published var selectedEnrollment: Enrollment?
    
    func loadEnrollments(deviceId: String) {
        do {
            enrollments = try sdk.listEnrollments(deviceId: deviceId)
        } catch {
            print("Failed to load enrollments: \(error)")
        }
    }
}

Display enrollments to user:

struct EnrollmentSelectionView: View {
    @ObservedObject var viewModel: PaymentViewModel
    
    var body: some View {
        List(viewModel.enrollments) { enrollment in
            Button(action: { 
                viewModel.selectedEnrollment = enrollment 
            }) {
                HStack {
                    if let institution = enrollment.institution {
                        AsyncImage(url: URL(string: institution.iconLogo))
                            .frame(width: 40, height: 40)
                        VStack(alignment: .leading) {
                            Text(institution.displayName)
                            Text("Status: \(enrollment.status)")
                                .font(.caption)
                                .foregroundColor(.gray)
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        .onAppear {
            viewModel.loadEnrollments(deviceId: savedDeviceId)
        }
    }
}

Step 2: Create Payment Intent

Create a payment intent with all payment details:

func createPayment(amount: Double, enrollmentId: String, beneficiaryAccountId: String) {
    let payload = CreatePaymentIntentPayload(
        amount: amount,
        customer: Customer(identifier: userCPF),  // User's CPF
        description: "Payment for services",
        statementDescription: "ACME Corp Purchase",
        allowedPaymentMethodTypes: ["open_finance_biometric_pix"],
        paymentMethodDetails: PaymentMethodDetails(
            openFinanceBiometricPix: OpenFinanceBiometricPixPaymentMethodDetails(
                beneficiaryBankAccount: beneficiaryAccountId,
                enrollment: enrollmentId
            )
        ),
        confirm: true
    )
    
    do {
        let paymentIntent = try sdk.createPaymentIntent(payload: payload)
        
        // Save payment intent ID
        self.paymentIntentId = paymentIntent.id
        
        // Extract FIDO options for next step
        if let fidoOptions = paymentIntent.paymentMethodInformation?.openFinanceBiometricPix?.fidoOptions {
            self.promptForBiometric(fidoOptions: fidoOptions)
        }
        
    } catch {
        print("Failed to create payment intent: \(error)")
    }
}

Step 3: Collect Biometric and Risk Signals

Prompt for biometric authentication and collect risk signals:

class PaymentViewModel: NSObject, ObservableObject {
    private let sdk: BiometricPixSDK
    private var paymentIntentId: String?
    private var riskSignals: RiskSignals?
    private var assertionResponse: AssertionResponse?
    
    func promptForBiometric(fidoOptions: FidoOptions) {
        // Convert FIDO options to JSON string
        let fidoJsonString = fidoOptions.toJsonString()
        
        do {
            try sdk.startSigning(
                fidoResponseString: fidoJsonString,
                fallbackCredential: nil,  // Optional: provide if you have one
                callback: self
            )
        } catch {
            print("Failed to start signing: \(error)")
        }
    }
    
    func collectRiskSignals() {
        do {
            self.riskSignals = try sdk.collectRiskSignals(
                accountTenure: customerCreatedDate  // "YYYY-MM-DD"
            )
            
            // Once we have both assertion and risk signals, authorize payment
            if assertionResponse != nil && riskSignals != nil {
                self.authorizePayment()
            }
        } catch {
            print("Failed to collect risk signals: \(error)")
        }
    }
}

// Implement FIDO authentication callback
extension PaymentViewModel: FidoAuthenticationCallback {
    func onSuccess(response: AssertionResponse) {
        // Store assertion response
        self.assertionResponse = response
        
        // Collect risk signals
        self.collectRiskSignals()
    }
    
    func onError(error: String) {
        DispatchQueue.main.async {
            self.showPaymentError(message: error)
        }
    }
}

Step 4: Authorize Payment

Authorize the payment with the collected data:

func authorizePayment() {
    guard let paymentIntentId = self.paymentIntentId,
          let riskSignals = self.riskSignals,
          let assertion = self.assertionResponse else {
        return
    }
    
    let payload = AuthorizePaymentIntentPayload(
        platform: "ios",
        riskSignals: riskSignals,
        assertion: assertion
    )
    
    let success = sdk.authorizePaymentIntent(
        paymentIntentId: paymentIntentId,
        payload: payload
    )
    
    DispatchQueue.main.async {
        if success {
            self.showPaymentSuccess()
        } else {
            self.showPaymentError(message: "Authorization failed")
        }
    }
}
Payment Flow Complete!

The payment is now authorized and processing. You need to monitor webhook events to track its final status.

Error Handling

All SDK methods that perform network operations can throw exceptions. Make sure to handle them appropriately:

do {
    let institutions = try sdk.getPaymentInstitutions()
    // Success
} catch let error as BiometricPixSDKError {
    switch error {
    case .networkError(let message):
        // Handle network issues
        print("Network error: \(message)")
    case .authenticationError:
        // Handle invalid or expired token
        print("Authentication failed - token may be expired")
    case .invalidParameters(let message):
        // Handle invalid input
        print("Invalid parameters: \(message)")
    case .unknown(let message):
        // Handle unknown errors
        print("Error: \(message)")
    }
} catch {
    print("Unexpected error: \(error)")
}

Webhooks

While the SDK handles most of the workflow, you should still listen for webhook notifications to handle async updates:

  • Enrollment status changes: ENROLLMENTS webhook type
  • Payment status changes: PAYMENT_INTENTS webhook type

For complete webhook documentation, see Payments Webhooks (Brazil).

SDK Method Reference

Initialization

BiometricPixSDK(accessToken: String)

  • Creates a new SDK instance with the provided access token
  • Should be initialized once and reused throughout your app
  • Access token obtained from /payments/api/widget-token/ endpoint

cleanup()

  • Releases SDK resources
  • Call in deinit or when user logs out

Enrollment Methods

getPaymentInstitutions() throws -> [Institution]

  • Fetches all institutions supporting biometric payments
  • Returns array of Institution objects with id, displayName, iconLogo, etc.
  • Throws on network or authentication errors

createEnrollment(cpf: String, institution: String, accountTenure: String, callbackUrl: String) throws -> Enrollment

  • Creates enrollment and collects risk signals automatically
  • cpf: User's CPF number
  • institution: Institution ID from getPaymentInstitutions()
  • accountTenure: Customer creation date in "YYYY-MM-DD" format
  • callbackUrl: Deep link for OAuth callback (must be registered in applinks)
  • Returns Enrollment object with id, redirect_url, device_id

completeEnrollmentAfterRedirection(callbackUrl: String) throws -> Enrollment

  • Completes enrollment after institution OAuth callback
  • Parses OAuth parameters automatically from full callback URL
  • Alternative: completeEnrollmentAfterRedirection(state: String, code: String, idToken: String)

getFidoRegistrationOptions(enrollmentId: String) -> FidoRegistrationOptions?

  • Polls for FIDO options (automatic retry: 1 second interval, 5 minute timeout)
  • Returns FidoRegistrationOptions when ready
  • Returns nil if polling times out

startRegistration(fidoResponseString: String, callback: FidoRegistrationCallback) throws

  • Initiates biometric registration flow (Face ID/Touch ID)
  • fidoResponseString: JSON string from FidoRegistrationOptions.toJsonString()
  • callback: Delegate to receive success/error callbacks

confirmEnrollment(enrollmentId: String, credential: PublicKeyCredential, response: AuthenticatorAttestationResponse) -> Bool

  • Confirms enrollment with FIDO credential
  • Returns true on success, false on failure

Payment Methods

listEnrollments(deviceId: String) throws -> [Enrollment]

  • Fetches all enrollments for a device
  • Returns array of Enrollment objects with enriched institution data
  • Filter for status == "SUCCEEDED" to show only active enrollments

createPaymentIntent(payload: CreatePaymentIntentPayload) throws -> PaymentIntent

  • Creates a payment intent
  • Returns PaymentIntent with id and paymentMethodInformation.openFinanceBiometricPix.fidoOptions

startSigning(fidoResponseString: String, fallbackCredential: String?, callback: FidoAuthenticationCallback) throws

  • Initiates biometric authentication for payment
  • fallbackCredential: Optional credential for retry scenarios
  • callback: Delegate to receive assertion response

collectRiskSignals(accountTenure: String) throws -> RiskSignals

  • Collects device fingerprinting and security signals
  • accountTenure: Customer creation date in "YYYY-MM-DD" format
  • Returns RiskSignals object for authorization payload

authorizePaymentIntent(paymentIntentId: String, payload: AuthorizePaymentIntentPayload) -> Bool

  • Authorizes payment with biometric assertion and risk signals
  • Returns true on success, false on failure