Apple in February unveiled a new "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature that will allow compatible iPhones to accept payments via Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets, with no additional hardware required.
Apple began testing the feature at its Apple Park Visitor Center earlier this month, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has tweeted that the feature will begin rolling out to Apple Stores across the United States starting today, allowing customers to try it out. The feature might not be available at every Apple Store immediately.
Apple said the feature would launch in the U.S. later this year, but the company has yet to share a specific launch timeframe. The feature will allow small businesses and merchants to accept contactless payments through supported iOS apps using an iPhone XS or newer. At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their own iPhone or Apple Watch, contactless credit or debit card, or other digital wallet near the merchant's iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology.
Currently, merchants that accept contactless payments on an iPhone must rely on additional hardware like the Square Reader, which comes in various models that work wirelessly or connect to an iPhone's Lightning connector or headphone jack.
Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall.
At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface.
The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas.
Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial
The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
Friday August 29, 2025 4:54 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple and Samsung have reportedly issued cease-and-desist notices to Xiaomi in India for an ad campaign that directly compares the rivals' devices to Xiaomi's products. The two companies have threatened the Chinese vendor with legal action, calling the ads "disparaging."
Ads have appeared in local print media and on social media that take pot shots at the competitors' premium offerings. One...
Apple is preparing to release iOS 18.7 for compatible iPhone models, according to evidence of the update in the MacRumors visitor logs.
We expect iOS 18.7 to be released in September, alongside iOS 26. The update will likely include fixes for security vulnerabilities, but little else.
iOS 18.7 will be one of the final updates ever released for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR,...
Following the announcement of Apple's upcoming "Awe dropping" event, on this week's episode of The MacRumors Show we talk through all of the new accessories rumored to debut alongside the iPhone 17 lineup.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
We take a closer look at Apple's invite for "Awe dropping;" the design could hint at the iPhone 17's new thermal system with ...
So square devices and similar are now dead? Reminds me of when Google Maps/directions was released free. That basically killed the dedicated GPS device market. Prior to google, map companies were charging $20-$30 a month for their directions app
I thought I read a while back it would require a third party like Square to enable the payment acceptance to work. I dont think its exactly direct payment but instead uses the NFC service via an app to accept on the phone. It would eliminate external hardware but not necessarily a company like Square who would still be there to process. Maybe I am mistaken?
Five minutes later EU bureaucrats now demanding Apple open this to everyone.
This is a great technology. I see people at garage sales and farmers market using square. This is another good option.
Nah, they’ll demand that Apple get rid of it because it’s “anti-competitive.” Even though Apple makes no money from it and it’s beneficial for consumers.
So square devices and similar are now dead? Reminds me of when Google Maps/directions was released free. That basically killed the dedicated GPS device market. Prior to google, map companies were charging $20-$30 a month for their directions app
I'm just excited for this to roll out to the third party payment services, and then later (a year later maybe to avoid all the hungry Eurocrats) open it up to using Apple Pay peer-to-peer without needing a third party app. Just baked into iOS 17 or something.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.