Apple Tap to Pay comes to iPhone in Australia, boon for businesses

Businesses of all sizes now have another convenient option for accepting contactless payments, with Apple bringing its Tap to Pay iPhone feature to Australia.

Previously, you likely would have seen smaller merchants use secondary devices to accept card-based and digital payments. This is where the likes of Square have been popular in recent years, with cheap hardware options enabling payments on the go. Such devices have become synonymous with modern cafes and artists selling merch at market pop-up stalls.

Now, as long as you have an iPhone capable of running iOS 16.4, you no longer need additional hardware to accept contactless payments. For Apple users running a business, it promises to be a helpful addition.

How does Apple Tap to Pay work?

Announced earlier in the year and now available in Australia, Apple Tap to Pay requires a couple of things to work. Firstly, you need to have an iPhone 8 or later, as older models can’t run the necessary iOS 16.4 update. Next, you need to download either the Westpac EFTPOS Air iOS app or the Tyro BYO app. If you don’t have accounts with either institution, other payment platforms are coming in the next few months. These include ANZ Worldline Payment Solutions, Stripe, Till Payments, and Zeller. Developers can also integrate Tap to Pay provided they meet the technical requirements of the technology.

After setting up your preferred payment platform on your phone, you can then take transactions using near-field communication (NFC) technology. This means contactless payments from Apple Pay, credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets. PIN entry is also supported for larger payments.

Privacy is a core element of Apple Tap to Pay, with several features protecting customers’ details. For one, payment data remains private and secure thanks to the same technology behind Apple Pay. Backed by encryption, Apple doesn’t get any information about the purchased items or who purchased them. It’s built this way to serve both businesses and customers, according to Jennifer Bailey, Apple’s vice president of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

“The convenience of Tap to Pay on iPhone empowers Australian businesses to offer easy, secure, and private contactless payment experiences to their customers, and help them run and grow their business,” Bailey said.

It’s a handy addition to small business owners and community groups within the iPhone ecosystem. Alongside competing technologies like Square, it’s good to have competition so that businesses and consumers get the best possible service. Plus, it’s easy to forget or misplace a secondary payment device, so having everything you need to conduct business on your phone is highly convenient.

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