Following several rumours, Apple has officially announced a new ‘Tap to Pay‘ iPhone feature that turns the tech giant’s smartphone into a contactless payment terminal.
Unfortunately for Canadians, Apple says that the feature — which works with contactless credit cards, debit cards and other digital wallets — will only launch in the United States.
In an uncharacteristic move, Tap to Pay involves Apple working with third-party companies and opening up its platform to app developers and other payment apps. For example, the tech giant says that Stripe is the first payment service to offer Tap to Pay on the iPhone through a new Shopify app.
This means that rather than a new feature or app that natively runs within iOS, Apple is opening up the iPhone’s Near Field Communications (NFC) chip to third-party platforms that offer apps that support Tap to Pay. Payments are made with supported apps without needing additional hardware from a company like Square. In its press release, Apple says that all customer payment data is protected and encrypted with Tap to Pay.
“In collaboration with payment platforms, app developers, and payment networks, we’re making it easier than ever for businesses of all sizes — from solopreneurs to large retailers — to seamlessly accept contactless payments and continue to grow their business,” said Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.
Earlier reports indicated that Apple utilized Montreal-based Mobeewave’s smartphone-based credit card technology to create the feature following its acquisition of the startup back in 2020.
Tap to Pay is set to launch in the U.S. later this year.
It’s unclear if or when Tap to Pay will make its way to Canada. Apple has a history of bringing its payment technology to Canada, though often several months/years after its U.S. release. For example, Apple Pay came to Canada in November 2015 in a limited capacity after launching in the U.S. in 2014. That said, Apple’s credit card, Apple Card, has not made its way here.
MobileSyrup has reached out to Apple for more information.
Image credit: Apple
Source: Apple
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
