Accept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone

With Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can accept all types of in-person, contactless payments right on your iPhone, no extra hardware needed. Transactions that require PIN entry will automatically prompt a PIN entry screen when using Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay on iPhone comes included with every Shopify plan and transactions are subject to your in-person credit card rates from Shopify Payments.

The Tap to Pay on iPhone feature falls under the Stripe Terminal End User Terms.

Requirements for using Tap to Pay on iPhone

To use Tap to Pay on iPhone, you need to meet the following requirements:

  • Your store needs to be based in Australia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, or the United States.
  • Your store currency must match the local currency of your store's locations.
  • You need to have Shopify Payments activated as your store's payment provider.
  • You need to have the Point of Sale sales channel installed in your Shopify admin.
  • You need to have the Shopify POS app installed on your iPhone.
  • You need to have an internet connection.
  • You need to have an iPhone XS or newer running the latest iOS version. Tap to Pay on iPhone is limited to iPhone products only and is not available on iPad.
  • You need to meet all of the Device requirements for Shopify POS hardware for iPhone.

Activate Tap to Pay on iPhone for Shopify POS

You must have the Manage payment settings permission to activate Tap to Pay on iPhone for your store.

The first time you set up Tap to Pay on iPhone, you need to accept Apple's terms of service with your Apple ID. The Apple ID must belong to you or your business. The Apple ID can be changed later.

After you complete this first activation, Tap to Pay on iPhone is available to pair on any iPhone logged into Shopify POS under your store's account, at any of your locations.

Steps:

  1. From the Shopify POS, tap > Settings > Set up hardware.
  2. Select Tap to Pay on iPhone, and then tap Next.
  3. Verify the Apple ID and select your Apple ID:
    1. Tap Continue with This Apple ID to use your current Apple ID or tap Use a Different Apple ID to select a different Apple ID.
    2. Accept Apple's terms of service.
  4. Tap Done.

Tap to Pay on iPhone is activated for your store and your iPhone is ready to accept payments.

Pair Tap to Pay on iPhone on additional devices

After you activate Tap to Pay on iPhone, additional iPhones logged into your Shopify POS account can pair with Tap to Pay on iPhone to accept payments without having to enter an Apple ID or accept terms of service.

Steps:

  1. From Shopify POS, tap > Settings > Set up hardware.
  2. Select Tap to Pay on iPhone, and then tap Next.
  3. Tap Done.

Accept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone

You can accept many types of contactless payment methods with Tap to Pay on iPhone. For swipe or PIN payments, you need to have an additional card reader paired. Make sure you choose the correct card reader for your customer's payment method at checkout. Use Tap to Pay on iPhone for contactless payment and your card reader for payments that require contact.

You can accept many types of contactless payment methods with Tap to Pay on iPhone. Transactions that require PIN entry will automatically prompt a PIN entry screen when using Tap to Pay on iPhone. When that screen displays, Tap to Pay on iPhone will prevent apps in the background from reading sensors that could give away any part of the PIN. When a payment is processed, Tap to Pay on iPhone is designed to prevent all photo, video, screenshot and screen-recording features on the iPhone from capturing a card number or PIN information.

For non-contactless payments that require swipe or chip-insert, you will need to have an additional card reader paired. Make sure you choose the correct card reader for your customer's payment method at checkout.

Steps:

  1. From the Cart screen, tap Checkout.
  2. From the Select payment option screen, tap Tap to Pay on iPhone.
  3. The Tap to Pay on iPhone interface displays indicating where your customer should hold their contactless credit/debit card or their mobile wallet on their smartphone or smartwatch.
  4. Ask the customer to hold their contactless card horizontally or device at the top of the iPhone, over the contactless symbol. Transactions that require PIN entry will automatically prompt a PIN entry screen. Wait until the Done animation indicates the payment has been completed, and the transaction is being processed.
  5. Select whether to provide the customer with a receipt, and then tap Done to return to the Shopify POS products screen.

Unpair Tap to Pay on iPhone from your POS devices

To remove Tap to Pay on iPhone as an available card reader at checkout, you can unpair it. Unpairing Tap to Pay on iPhone doesn't deactivate it for the store.

Steps:

  1. From Shopify POS, tap > Settings
  2. Tap Manage connected hardware.
  3. Tap Tap to Pay on iPhone.
  4. Tap Forget device.

Disconnect Tap to Pay on iPhone or change your Apple ID

If you want to disconnect Tap to Pay on iPhone or change the Apple ID associated with your store, then you can refer to the Tap to Pay on iPhone frequently asked questions.

Changes made to the Apple Business Register can take up to 15 minutes to take effect. If you disconnect your store, then you can still process transactions if Tap to Pay on iPhone was previously paired. However, after a store is disconnected, only staff with the Manage payment settings permission can pair and connect to Tap to Pay on iPhone.

Troubleshoot Tap to Pay on iPhone

If Tap to Pay on iPhone isn't working, then try the following troubleshooting steps:

  • Verify that you meet the requirements to use Tap to Pay on iPhone.
  • Verify that Tap to Pay on iPhone is activated for the store.
  • Verify that you have an internet connection. Shopify POS needs to connect to the internet through Wi-Fi or your device's cellular data to process payments. If you can't connect to the internet, then you need to use a different payment type while you're offline.
  • Check your firewall settings.
  • Make sure that your device has Bluetooth activated and that Shopify POS has the necessary permissions to access the device's Bluetooth.
  • Make sure that your device has location services turned on and that the Shopify POS app has the necessary permissions to access your device's location.
  • To connect to Tap to Pay on iPhone, Shopify Payments test mode needs to be turned off.
  • In the Shopify POS hardware settings, make sure that Tap to Pay on iPhone is listed as a connected device. If it isn't connected, then pair Tap to Pay on iPhone to your device.

If an iPhone device has had unauthorized modifications, then you might not be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone.

If a message displays that Tap to Pay on iPhone is unavailable until a given time, then you must wait until it's available to use the feature. If the error persists after that date and time, then you need to restore your iPhone to the factory settings.

If Tap to Pay on iPhone is still not working, then from your Shopify POS app, send a report to Shopify Support by tapping ≡ > Support > Report a bug. Support will contact you after the report has been submitted.

Supported card brands

Tap to Pay on iPhone can only accept contactless payments from the following card brands:

  • VISA
  • MasterCard
  • Amex
  • Interac (Canada only)
  • Diners Club (United States only)
  • eftpos AU (Australia only)
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