Amazon has announced plans to discontinue the Amazon One palm-recognition payment system, with all palm readers set to be removed from physical locations by June 3, 2026.

The decision to phase out Amazon One and cease palm recognition payments is attributed to reduced customer interest.

As stated on Amazon’s website and confirmed in an email statement, the company intends to gradually withdraw Amazon One devices from stores. In some cases, this withdrawal might occur earlier than the June deadline as per a spokesperson’s comment. This move is aligned with the limited customer adoption observed by the company.

It was also mentioned that all customer data associated with the service will be deleted. At present, no further details regarding the transition are available from Amazon.

Reevaluation of Biometric Solutions

Launched in 2020, Amazon One allowed enrolled customers to make payments or check-in by scanning their palms after registering a payment method. Initially deployed at only two Amazon Go locations in Seattle, the technology was later expanded to Whole Foods Market and third-party venues such as Panera Bread.

While Amazon One often worked alongside Amazon’s cashierless Just Walk Out technology, which uses cameras and sensors to automatically charge shoppers upon leaving a store, the company discontinued its use in some of its Amazon Fresh locations in 2024. Nevertheless, the Just Walk Out technology continues to be adopted at larger scales.

This decision comes after Amazon closed all Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, a total of 72 locations nationwide. Moving forward, Amazon plans to focus on its Whole Foods Market strategy in the US and enhance efficient online grocery delivery services.

Discontinuing Amazon One underlines the challenges in scaling biometric payment systems, despite contactless payments and digital wallets gaining popularity and checkout-free retail models advancing.