About Tap to PayBefore you beginSet up Tap to Pay on iPhoneAccept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhoneTroubleshoot Tap to Pay on iPhoneRelated articles
Who is this article for?
Sellers and team members with the take payments permission enabled. Set permissions in Square Dashboard.
About Tap to Pay
Accept contactless payments anywhere on-the-go with just your iPhone — no card reader needed. With Tap to Pay on iPhone, you can securely accept Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and payment cards with NFC (Near Field Communication) chips wherever you are. From your Square app, simply enter an amount to charge, and have your customer tap their device or card to complete the transaction.
Before you begin
Tap to Pay on iPhone is currently available with Square Point of Sale, Square Retail POS, Square Appointments POS, and Square Invoices. Check out device compatibility to view compatible devices.
Tap to Pay on iPhone has a per-transaction limit for contactless payments of $50,000, and a per-transaction limit for physical contactless cards of $10,000.
If you use a phone case that holds physical cards, we recommend removing them from your phone case to prevent accidentally charging your own card while Tap to Pay on iPhone is enabled. You can also disable NFC in your iPhone device settings when you aren’t processing Tap to Pay payments.
You'll need an iPhone XS or newer, and the phone must be running iOS 15.5 or later, to use Tap to Pay on iPhone. Tap to Pay is not currently available on iPad.
You will not be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone if you log in to your Square Point of Sale or Square Appointments app using a Device Code. Tap to Pay on iPhone is available with Square for Retail if you use a Device Code to log in.
Set up Tap to Pay on iPhone
If you haven’t already, set a passcode for your iPhone by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. To use tap to Pay on iPhone, your device requires a device passcode.
Enable Tap to Pay on iPhone
You can enable Tap to Pay on iPhone at any time through your compatible Square app.
- Sign in to your Square Point of Sale app and tap ≡ More > Settings > Account.
- Select Tap to Pay and toggle on Tap to Pay.
- Verify the correct Apple ID is shown. If not, select Use a Different Apple ID.
- Tap Agree & Continue to turn on Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Once the account owner enables Tap to Pay, the banner at the top of the screen will read ✓ Tap to Pay, and all team members under the same account with an eligible device will automatically be able to use Tap to Pay on iPhone.
Manage iPhone settings for Tap to Pay on iPhone
To prepare your iPhone to use Tap to Pay:
- Make sure your iPhone is running iOS 15.5 or higher. To check if your software is up to date, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- If you haven’t already, set a passcode for your iPhone by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode. Tap to Pay on iPhone requires a device passcode.
- If you’re not already signed in to your iPhone, go to Settings > Sign in to your iPhone. If you’re already signed in, you’ll see your name at the top of the Settings screen.
Disable Tap to Pay on iPhone
You can disable Tap to Pay at any time in the compatible Square apps by navigating to ≡ More > Settings > Hardware > Tap to Pay and toggling off Tap to Pay.
Accept payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone
For the best results when taking a Tap to Pay payment, the card or NFC device should be placed on the back of your iPhone toward the center.
Square Point of Sale, Square Retail POS, and Square Appointment POS apps
- When you’re ready to check out, tap Charge.
- Select Tap to Pay and have your customer hold their card or NFC device to the back of your iPhone. You’ll hear an audible beep once the payment is accepted, signifying a successful transaction.
Square Invoices app
- When you’re ready to accept a payment for an invoice, go to Invoices and select an invoice.
- Tap Add payment to choose the amount to charge, then tap Next.
- Select Tap to Pay and have your customer hold their card or NFC device to the back of your iPhone. You’ll hear an audible beep once the payment is accepted, signifying a successful transaction.
Troubleshoot Tap to Pay on iPhone
You may be seeing a “Something’s wrong” error message. This generic error message will show for a few reasons, including:
You're logged in using a Device Code.
Your employee doesn’t have the correct permission settings.
Your internet connection is unstable.
You've returned to the Square app after backgrounding the app or switching to another application.
You've dismissed or backgrounded the Square app during the Apple ID linking step.
If your internet connection is stable and you're logged in as the account owner or a team member with the correct permission settings, force close and reopen your Square app. Make sure to complete the linking of your Apple ID without dismissing or backgrounding the app.
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