Square launches Tap-to-Pay on iPhone in the UK

By introducing the technology, Square intends to simplify how new sellers and established businesses conduct in-person commerce. Any merchants with a compatible iPhone can accept contactless payments by opening the Square POS, Square for Retail, or Square Appointments app, conducting a sale, and presenting their device to the buyer. Shoppers then complete the payment by tapping a contactless payment method, including contactless credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or other digital wallets, directly onto the seller’s iPhone. The solution also allows PIN entry, which includes additional accessibility options.

Moreover, Tap-to-Pay on iPhone leverages the built-in features of the iPhone to maintain the security of businesses’ and customers’ data, with Apple not storing any card numbers on the device or servers when a payment is processed. Enabled by Square’s software, the technology provides sellers with a flexible, mobile solution that can be adapted to any environment while also meeting consumers’ preferences for contactless payments. By merging Apple’s contactless payment technology with Square’s software, the company intends to create a convenient and simple checkout experience.

Tap-to-Pay on iPhone represents a valuable part of Square’s ecosystem, with the company making it available to its sellers in the US in September 2022. Since its launch, sellers have received the ability to securely conduct business with no additional hardware. Some of the benefits the company mentioned include mobile professionals being able to accept contactless payments onsite at their project location, retailers increasing efficiency through line busting and the convenience of helping shoppers complete purchases wherever they are in-store, and beauty professionals accelerating their operations by enabling customers to pay for their services from their chair.

According to Square’s officials, by introducing Tap-to-Pay on iPhone to the UK, the company intends to minimise some of the difficulties to entry for new businesses and to allow existing sellers to develop additional methods to sell by using their iPhone and Square’s software.

To support sellers in saving time and effort, Square provides purpose-built software to operate restaurant, retail, and professional services processes, versatile ecommerce tools, Embedded Financial services and banking products, BNPL functionality through Afterpay, staff management, and payroll capabilities. In recent months, the company advanced its development strategy through multiple product and service launches, including the introduction of ten new generative AI tools that were intended to support businesses of all sizes. With the generative AI features, sellers could automate operations, speed up workflows, and minimise time. Square integrated the tools into its business software, with the company aiming to provide sellers with assistance in managing multifaceted demands.

Furthermore, at the end of September 2023, Square launched Tap-to-Pay on Android for sellers across Canada. Through this, the company’s sellers could securely accept credit card contactless payments directly from a compatible Android device, with no additional cost and requirement for extra hardware. By introducing Tap-to-Pay, Square intended to simplify conducting in-person commerce for new sellers and established businesses, including offering the ability to larger or more complex enterprises to take payments away from their counter, or on the move.

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