Merchants in South Africa can now accept Tap to Pay payments through the Yoco App on iPhone XS models or later. The launch marks the first time Apple has enabled the technology locally, opening the iPhone ecosystem to software-based payment acceptance previously dominated by Android devices.
The feature enables merchants to accept in-person contactless payments, including contactless credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, and other digital wallets, without additional hardware or a payment terminal.
“At checkout, the merchant will simply prompt the customer to hold their contactless payment method near the merchant’s iPhone, and the payment will be securely completed using NFC technology,” says Yoco. “Tap to Pay on iPhone also supports PIN entry, which includes accessibility options.
“Apple’s Tap to Pay on iPhone technology uses the built-in security and privacy features of iPhone to help protect customer data. Apple doesn’t store card numbers or transaction information on the device or on Apple servers, so businesses can rest assured that their data stays theirs.”
Encrypted card numbers are temporarily stored on iPhone only for transactions made in Store and Forward mode.
Lungisa Matshoba, Yoco co-founder and co-CEO, says: “At Yoco, we proudly build products designed to lower the barriers for independent businesses to thrive. We do this by removing friction and giving business owners greater control over how they sell. This collaboration with Apple to bring Tap to Pay on iPhone to the Yoco app, is a great way to further fuel entrepreneurship in South Africa.”
Merchants using an iPhone XS or later, running the latest version of iOS, can start accepting contactless payments with Tap to Pay on iPhone.
* For more information, visit the Yoco website here.