Apple Officially Unveils ‘Tap to Pay’ Turning iPhones Into Payment Terminals
Late last month, Bloomberg reported that Apple was stepping up the fight against payment gateway Square by turning iPhones into portable payment terminals that won’t require intermediary devices.
Now, Apple has officially unveiled the new feature ‘Tap to Pay’, which will work on any phone from the iPhone XS onwards. It will enable users to “seamlessly and securely accept Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets through a simple tap to their iPhone.”
According to PCMag, iOS developers will be able to integrate the feature into their apps, with Stripe being the first to jump on board.
Credit and debit cards issued by American Express, Discover, Mastercard, and Visa will work with the new system as long as contactless payment has been activated.
As always, transactions will be encrypted using the company’s Secure Element, ensuring your personal details don’t get hacked or stolen. Apple will also not be keeping track of purchases made using the system.
With Apple Pay being accepted at over 90% of US retailers, the rollout of this new service should be a quick one nationwide.
Be on the lookout for the upcoming iOS software update that will consist of the software developer kits (SDKs) needed to leverage the feature in future apps.
