What you need to know
- The second developer beta of iOS 15.4 includes reference to Apple's new "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature.
- The feature is expected to launch for businesses in the spring.
Apple isn't waiting to get "Tap to Pay on iPhone" in front of developers.
The latest developer beta of iOS gives us our first glimpse of Apple's new "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature.
Spotted by MacRumors the second developer beta of iOS 15.4 includes reference to the new feature in the code of the beta release. Of course, the feature is not released yet so users with the iOS 15.4 beta installed will be unable to use it just yet.
Tap to Pay on iPhone is enabled in the latest beta, but it does require third-party providers to add support, so it is not yet available for use. There are no outward-facing signs of it that are visible to end users, but there's a new "PaymentReceived" sound file and images that show off the Tap to Pay interface.
The feature, which Apple announced earlier today, will allow business owners to accept payments from customers with just their iPhone - no other hardware required.
Apple today announced plans to introduce Tap to Pay on iPhone. The new capability will empower millions of merchants across the US, from small businesses to large retailers, to use their iPhone to seamlessly and securely accept Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets through a simple tap to their iPhone — no additional hardware or payment terminal needed. Tap to Pay on iPhone will be available for payment platforms and app developers to integrate into their iOS apps and offer as a payment option to their business customers. Stripe will be the first payment platform to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone to their business customers, including the Shopify Point of Sale app this spring.
The inclusion of "Tap to Pay on iPhone" in the iOS 15.4 beta most likely means that both iOS 15.4 will support the feature and that it will be publicly rolled out in the spring as that is when "Tap to Pay" is expected to launch.
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