Apple Announces 'Tap to Pay' Feature Allowing iPhones to Accept Contactless Payments Without Additional Hardware

[dwaite]

All you need is dynamic QR code, and it works on all devices with a screen.

All you need is cash, it works everywhere usually by legal mandate.

 

[jaytv111]

All you need is cash, it works everywhere usually by legal mandate.

I tried tapping cash to the person's iPhone, didn't work.

 

[UBS28]

Apple better not bring it to the Netherlands, else Dutch dating apps will start complaining.

 

[alexandr]

Unfortunately, it took Covid to make that happen, so I'm a bit jaded about the whole thing now. Still, some adoption is better than none, right?

Well, yes and no... For instance NYC's MTA started implementing contactless terminals before covid. And I'm sure there are dozens similar examples. But the U.S. is certainly behind many other countries in this. And yes — some is better than none) People see how convenient it is and strive. I mean I still manage to surprise some people when I pay with my AW. And I look like a complete dork, when I try to pay with my other watch

 

[alexandr]

True. I have 12 cards, 2 debit and 10 credits (mostly because they offered money for opening an account lol). There's 8 contactless cards, and 4 without contactless. So that's 2/3rds, probably can get 3 out of the 4 upgraded to contactless, only one without a contactless version? The Apple Card. Ironic? Maybe, but they really really want you to use Apple Pay and the physical card is a backup, so that makes some sense.

Well, Apple Pay does give you 2% vs. 1% when using the card. Also at least ten people have dropped my physical Apple Card — it makes a nice sound

 

[AppleFan735]

Blame the country....not Apple. Don't you think Apple would benefit more if these were released to more countries?

Apple sucks at scaling their services world wide. Apple is not a Services company and never has been. Look at how **** Apple Maps are outside US. A complete disaster. Translate app is another automatic uninstall that will never be on the level of Google Translate.

 

[Abazigal]

Too bad this couldn't be extended back to the 6S and 7. They too have NFC capability already (including write abilities through apps), so I'd imagine its possible. But, I understand the business decision to cut product support at year five when this goes live later this year. Maybe this is a likely indicator iOS 16 won't be making it to those devices.

I believe Apple added support for NFC reader mode working in the background for the XS onwards. For example, I am able to trigger shortcuts on my iPhone 13 using nfc tags without the shortcuts app being open. Can’t do the same with my older 8+.

So this is likely more a technical limitation.

 

[iPrabhu]

Woo hoo! The fact it's starting from iPhone XS is even better.

True. And no surprise there, because iPhone XS supports the NFC tag triggers from the get go.

 

[robinp]

Just because the tech is available doesn't mean the gatekeepers will allow it to be used.
I'm still waiting on my utterly useless New Zealand bank "Kiwibank" to support Apple pay on any of its cards.
Contactless payment support isn't everywhere here either because, according to a few shop keepers I've spoken to about it who did offer it, the banks charge a extra to offer contactless payment to customers.
Which is just nuts right?
Apple Pay is one of the most secure payment methods there is but these banks, for their own reasons, stifle tech progress.
If you had to pay more money for a contactless terminal but now you just just pull out your iPhone or use an iPad then someones business model has been threatened.

Contactless is everywhere here in the uk. I basically don’t use my cards at all anymore. Rarely take them out with me. Phone, watch and keys. That’s it.

There are no gate keeper issues. The issue here is that apple hasn’t put the work in to launch this here.

 

[robinp]

Of course - do you think Apple wants it limited to the US? Part of it is that the US is probably the largest market for DAU of debit and credit cards. The other part is that there are regulatory hurdles to clear in other markets where other processors are likely to put up some degree of a fight (looking at Australia as an example).

This assumes that this process is a sequential one and that an organisation of apples scale can’t deliver in multiple markets in paralllel. Which it obviously can. Tackling regulatory approvals in multiple countries can and should have been done in parallel. It’s weird they do these things one at a time.

 

[Seoras]

Contactless is everywhere here in the uk. I basically don’t use my cards at all anymore. Rarely take them out with me. Phone, watch and keys. That’s it.

There are no gate keeper issues. The issue here is that apple hasn’t put the work in to launch this here.

Yeah, I know it is. I'm from Glasgow. Got all my UK cards on Apple Pay.
When I return home for visits all I ever use is my watch to pay for everything.
Just yesterday I paid for some stuff here in NZ using my UK debut card as my mother had given me £s for the family for xmas. Reminded me how sh*t it is I can't use my NZ cards with Apple Pay.

Would be nice though if GiffGaff supported e-sims so I can have both NZ & UK numbers on my iPhone 13 Pro.
Vodafone NZ has been highly resistant to supporting e-sim.
I suspect they, and many other carriers like GiffGaff, view it as yet another tech advancement that undermines their business models.

 

[whatgift]

Android's had this feature for about a year now through Visa's Tap To Phone.

Wait. Did you think this was an original Apple idea? ?

The question is, how many merchants offer it, or consumers know about it? Apple is never the first to come up with these things, but they are frequently the first to make them mainstream.

 

[ErikGrim]

Yeah, still waiting for Apple Cash anywhere but the US now four years and counting…

 

[sullixan]

Do you best to keep all things physical. License, Cash, Medical Records, (birth certificate, SS#, doctor's notes), Bank Records....the next plannedemic will be an EMP. Once government decides that you are no longer essential, they will simply cut off everything connected to the cloud.

 

[0924487]

All you need is cash, it works everywhere usually by legal mandate.

Not always, for example, in China, most people haven't used physical cash or credit cards for many years. It's all digital now. Even the pmrostitudes or the street beggars take AliPay, etc., exclusively. In other regions, it's just a matter of time. That cuts down money laundering, tax evasion and corruptions too.

 

[lederermc]

I wonder how this will work with the IRS reporting rules.

Shouldn't it be like using any credit card.

 

[urnotl33t]

Will this idea be extended to allow non-businesses to exchange money? So I could pay, say, my brother half of a bill using just our phones?

When that happens, and is compatible with many phones, cash will truly be dead.

Apple Pay Cash already exists for that tho. Do it via iMessage. Granted, that's a debit only transaction, but... it's cash, after all.

 

[robinp]

Yeah, I know it is. I'm from Glasgow. Got all my UK cards on Apple Pay.
When I return home for visits all I ever use is my watch to pay for everything.
Just yesterday I paid for some stuff here in NZ using my UK debut card as my mother had given me £s for the family for xmas. Reminded me how sh*t it is I can't use my NZ cards with Apple Pay.

Would be nice though if GiffGaff supported e-sims so I can have both NZ & UK numbers on my iPhone 13 Pro.
Vodafone NZ has been highly resistant to supporting e-sim.
I suspect they, and many other carriers like GiffGaff, view it as yet another tech advancement that undermines their business models.

Yeah, all the networks here seem resistant to esims. Not actually aware of any.

 

[robinp]

Hate us cuz you ain’t us ?

No hate. No desire to be American either.

 

[robinp]

The minute they release an iPad with NFC enabled this will work on it. Not a single iPad has NFC enabled yet, and they can't enable it in current iPads with a software update because they don't have NFC antennas.

The rumours of an iPad with a glass apple logo on the back make more sense now.

 

[Havoc035]

The minute they release an iPad with NFC enabled this will work on it. Not a single iPad has NFC enabled yet, and they can't enable it in current iPads with a software update because they don't have NFC antennas.

Indeed. Giving the next iPads NFC now starts to make sense.

 

[svish]

Great. Happy to know that XS from 2018 is also supported. But launching only in the US initially. Hoping to see the feature expand to other regions also.

 

[Karma*Police]

There are millions of businesses that a full POS is overkill and brings a level of complexity that is unnecessary. You will see companies like intuit and godaddy integrate their payment platforms to this. The reason this has the potential to dislodge Square and others is the cost of entry has been drastically lowered.

I think you missed the part where I said a POS can be had for less than the price of an iPhone so clearly the iPhone does not offer a lower cost of entry.

For serious businesses, a POS is not overkill; it’s a necessity. And increasingly, POS systems are more about software. Square is beefing up its software. Toast is growing very rapidly because of their software. The tap to pay feature can easily be integrated into their software if Apple releases an API. These companies are in no danger.

I’m curious, what kind of business do you run and how will this iPhone solution provide a superior solution to a POS?

 

[aajeevlin]

Along with so many other vendors such as PayPal, Zelle, Square.

Can I send money like say Venmo to friends via Apple Pay? Do you need a Apple CC to accpe that or just an icloud account? I feel that it's not as widely used?

Just played around it a bit, it looks like I need to add a debit card to add money into Apple Cash? Seems weird, Venmo I can just pull directly from bank account. Maybe I'm missing something.

 

[bookofxero]

This assumes that this process is a sequential one and that an organisation of apples scale can’t deliver in multiple markets in paralllel. Which it obviously can. Tackling regulatory approvals in multiple countries can and should have been done in parallel. It’s weird they do these things one at a time.

Not sequential, but asynchronous. The alternative would be to hold off on the technology, racking up lost opportunity costs while a straggler regulatory authority drags its feet.