Apple Expanding Tap to Pay on iPhone Across Retail Stores [Report]

Apple is reducing its reliance on dedicated payment terminals by expanding the use of Tap to Pay on iPhone across its retail stores.



More retail employees will be able to process transactions directly on their company-issued iPhones. According to Mark Gurman, Apple plans to reduce the number of dedicated Bluetooth credit card readers used in its stores over the coming days and weeks.


Apple began transitioning away from its customized point-of-sale devices, known internally as Isaacs, several years ago. Many retail employees were equipped with iPhone 14 devices capable of accepting contactless payments. However, the specialized readers remained in use because the iPhone 14 system occasionally struggled to process transactions made with metal credit cards, such as the American Express Platinum Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve.

The iPhone 16 handles those premium metal cards much more reliably, allowing Apple to reduce its reliance on the specialized payment attachments by distributing more of the newer devices to store employees.

As more employees receive iPhone 16 devices, customers will increasingly be able to pay by tapping a physical card or digital wallet directly against an employee's iPhone, reducing the need for separate payment hardware.