Commonwealth Bank has stepped up to the mobile payments plate, unveiling its Kaching iPhone app, which is expected to debut shortly on Apple's online Appstore. The application will allow CBA customers using Kaching to make payments directly to another Kaching user via a mobile phone or email, to a Facebook friend.Besides the free app, customers are being offered the opportunity to register for a special cover for the iPhone that will feature an embedded near-field communications chip allowing contactless payments of up to A$100 to be made by holding the phone near to one of the 42,000 devices that already accept PayPass payments.The CBA acknowledged yesterday that it had yet to submit the app to Apple for approval. However, CBA's chief information officer, Michael Harte, said the bank had worked closely with Apple in the lead up to the launch and expected certification within a few days.There may, however, be a longer wait for the cover, which the CBA was obliged to release when Apple failed to include an NFC chip in the recently released iPhone 4S. CBA was coy yesterday about how many of the covers had been ordered, or how much they would cost. A spokesman said they would likely retail for $30-40 and be available in a couple of months.The bank has also committed to developing an Android Kaching - in weeks rather than months, according to Harte.At present, 30 per cent of log-ins to CBA's Netbank online banking service come from mobile phones, and, of those, 91 per cent are from iPhones or Android smartphones, with the iPhone currently dominating.CBA isn't the first bank to launch a mobile-to-mobile payments service - that was pioneered in Australia by ANZ, which launched the goMoney iPhone app in August 2010. It has racked up more than 425,000 active users.Like goMoney, Kaching allows mobile phone users to log-on by using a four-digit pin. Users can also see their bank balance in the Kaching app, even before they have logged in, although this function can be disabled.Once in the app, they can make a payment to another Kaching user via their mobile or transfer money via email, or to a Facebook friend. People with the NFC cover can also choose which of their accounts or cards can have NFC capability.For security purposes, the app is designed so the NFC capability only works for the first 60 seconds Kaching is activated. After this it is automatically disabled, although it can be switched on again by the user. CBA is providing the same reimbursement guarantee regarding unauthorised NFC payments from Kaching that it offers on the five million PayPass cards it has issued.According to David Lindberg, executive general manager of credit cards, payments and retail strategy, a "tipping point" has now been reached for mobile payments in Australia.CBA's chief marketing and online officer, Andrew Lark, said that more than 1.9 million other CommBank apps have already been downloaded, and that in August alone the bank handled 60 million mobile log-ins to Netbank.Lindberg said: