Accept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone
About Tap to Pay on iPhone
Accept contactless payments anywhere on the go with just your iPhone – no card reader needed. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can securely accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay and payment cards with NFC (Near Field Communication) chips wherever you are. From your Square app, simply enter an amount to charge, and have your customer tap their device or card to complete the transaction.
Before you begin
Tap to Pay on iPhone is currently available with Square Point of Sale, Square Retail POS, Square Appointments POS and Square Invoices. Check out device compatibility to view compatible devices.
Tap to Pay on iPhone has a per-transaction limit of €25,000 for mobile wallets (like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay) and physical contactless cards.
If you use a phone case that holds physical cards, we recommend removing them from your phone case to prevent accidentally charging your own card while Tap to Pay on iPhone is enabled. You can also disable NFC in your iPhone device settings when you aren’t processing Tap to Pay payments.
You’ll need an iPhone XS or later, and the phone must be running iOS 16.4 or later, to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay is not currently available on iPad.
Set up Tap to Pay on iPhone
If you haven’t already, set a passcode for your iPhone by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. To use tap to Pay on iPhone, your device requires a device passcode.
You can enable Tap to Pay on iPhone at any time through your compatible Square app.
- Sign in to your Square Point of Sale app and tap ≡ More > Settings > Account.
- Select Tap to Pay and toggle Tap to Pay on.
- Verify the correct Apple ID is shown. If not, select Use a different Apple ID.
- Tap Agree & continue to turn Tap to Pay on iPhone on.
Once the account owner enables Tap to Pay, the banner at the top of the screen will read ✓ Tap to Pay, and all team members under the same account with an eligible device will automatically be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone.
To prepare your iPhone to use Tap to Pay:
- Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 16.4 or higher. To check if your software is up to date, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- If you haven’t already, set a passcode for your iPhone by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a device passcode.
- If you’re not already signed in to your iPhone, go to Settings > Sign in to your iPhone. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see your name at the top of the Settings screen.
Accept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone
For the best results when taking a Tap to Pay payment, the card or NFC device should be placed on the front of your iPhone near the Hold Here to Pay icon.
Note: For transactions greater than €50, the customer will be prompted to enter their PIN to complete the transaction. You can enable the PIN entry accessibility mode for customers who need it by tapping Accessibility options on the PIN screen. The Accessible PIN entry mode will read out the instructions over the iPhone speaker to the customer. Reference instructions in text are also provided on-screen for you.
- When you’re ready to check out, tap Charge.
- Select Tap to Pay and have your customer hold their card or NFC device to the front of your iPhone. You’ll hear an audible beep once the payment is accepted, signifying a successful transaction.
- When you’re ready to accept a payment for an invoice, go to Invoices and select an invoice.
- Tap Add payment to choose the amount to charge, then tap Next.
- Select Tap to Pay and hold the card or NFC device to the front of your iPhone. You’ll hear an audible beep once the payment is accepted, signifying a successful transaction.
Security practices for Tap to Pay on iPhone
To ensure payments are processed securely:
Never hand your mobile device over to your customer. Have the customer hold out their card or NFC device, or hand it to you, to tap on your iPhone.
As your customer is tapping their card or NFC device, watch for the screen to show the transaction as Approved. This will be accompanied by an audible beep and vibration to confirm that the payment has been accepted.
Review your Transactions to check if a Tap to Pay payment was accepted successfully. Tap to Pay transactions are registered as a Card payment and have the card type and last four digits of the card number displayed.
You can remove unused payment types by navigating to ≡ More > Settings > Checkout > Payment.
Troubleshoot Tap to Pay on iPhone
Some physical cards may experience more difficulty registering for payment when being tapped on your iPhone. When this occurs, try tapping the card on the back of your iPhone (behind the ‘Hold Here to Pay’ icon) or repositioning the chip on your card over the icon.
You may see a ‘Something’s wrong’ error message. This generic error message will show for a few reasons, including:
You’re logged in using a device code.
Your employee doesn’t have the correct permission settings.
Your internet connection is unstable.
You’ve returned to the Square app after backgrounding the app or switching to another application.
You’ve dismissed or backgrounded the Square app during the Apple ID linking step.
If your internet connection is stable and you’re logged in as the account owner or a team member with the correct permission settings, force-close and reopen your Square app. Make sure you complete the linking of your Apple ID without dismissing or backgrounding the app.