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If you’ve upgraded to newer Apple device, such as an iPhone or iPad — or another phone without a headphone jack — you’re probably wondering if you can keep relying on Square to accept credit card payments. (Or if you need to keep an old phone with a headphone jack just to keep processing payments.)
Rest assured, iPhone users can absolutely keep selling with Square. Square sellers have options and we’re here to keep supporting you. Here’s the lowdown on how to continue taking card payments with Square and your iPhone:
Square for iPad and iPhone: Use the Reader for contactless and chip
Square’s Reader for contactless and chip connects by Bluetooth LE so you don’t have to worry about not having a headset jack or messing around with adapters.
Many sellers feel that the new reader is much easier to use because you just dip the card instead of swiping. And most customers now carry a card with a chip in it. In fact, 84 percent of cards used in Square hardware currently have chips.
So if you have the new reader, that’s the reader you’ll be using most of the time. This is good news because chip cards and contactless payments are far more secure than magstripe cards.
What’s more, since the Liability Shift came into effect in October 2015, businesses that swipe chip cards instead of dipping them can be liable for any fraudulent activity. Contactless payments, also known as NFC (near field communication) payments like Apple Pay are the most secure type of payment, and are extremely fast to process. In fact, based on our findings from a recent survey, most consumers who use NFC say it’s their ideal payment method.
If you sell on the go, our partner OtterBox is offering a new uniVERSE case for iPhone. The case lets you attach Square Reader for contactless and chip to the back of your phone. When you’re done selling, just slide the reader off the case and you’ve got a durable case for the rest of your day.
Use Square Reader for magstripe (with Lightning Connector)
To swipe cards with your iPhone, use Square Reader for magstripe (with Lightning connector). The new reader plugs directly into the Lightning port on your device for easy and accurate swipes — no need for an adapter. Square Reader will also work with any iPad or iPhone that has a Lightning port and runs iOS 10.0.2 or later.
Get a Square Reader for magstripe (with Lightning connector) – your first one is on us, and only $10 after that.
Use your iPhone adapter
You can also take payments using your Square Reader for magstripe and the Lightning-to-audiojack adapter included with your iPhone. The Apple Lightning adapter plugs into the phone’s charging port.
Some sellers have found the connection to be a little unreliable when taking payments with the provided adapter. We recommend using the Square Reader for magstripe (with Lightning connector) or Square Reader for contactless and chip so you never worry have to about whether or not you can take a payment.
However you choose to sell — and whether your phone has a headphone jack or not — Square’s got you covered.
