Will Square and Other Mobile Payments Work for the iPhone 7?

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Will Square and Other Mobile Payments Work on the iPhone 7?

While Apple might call their elimination of the iPhone headphone jack on the forthcoming iPhone 7 a move of “courage,” it’s left many Americans irritated over their music attachments becoming obsolete.

One market that has been greatly overlooked are business owners that depend on headphone jacks for mobile processing. Swipers from companies such as PayPal and Square will be unable to work on iPhone models exceeding the 6.

So how can business owners adapt to this new field? Here are some new tips on how to get your mobile card processing up and running if you purchase the new iPhone 7.

The iPhone 7 Lightning Port Adapter

According to Apple, each iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will come with:

A Lightning to 3.5 mm Heaphone Jack Adapter
A Lightning to USB cable
A 5W USB adapter
And EarPods with lightning connector

Many business owners are using mobile credit card processing to make transactions right now. Square for iPhone is a very popular option for many vendors so that transactions are quicker and easier for customers. Cash only is slowly fading out, and with the release of the iPhone 7, it seems like it might be obsolete soon.

If your business uses Square, don’t worry. It’s been confirmed by Square’s spokeswoman Semonti Stephens that Square’s magnetic stripe card reader is compatible with the Lightning headphone jack adapter.

This means your business can continue to keep using the mobile card reader with the new iPhone 7, as long as you have the lightning port adapter. You won’t need to buy anything else to support it.

However, charging and using the Square card reader, or any other accessory requiring a port, at the same time will be difficult. Since the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus come with only one port, Apple solved the problem by creating an iPhone adapter for the new iPhone 7. Belkin Business, known for creating innovative technology, has partnered with Apple to release the adapter that will allow users to use more than one port. The Lightning Audio + Charge Rockstar is a $40 adapter that will be released on October 10th so users will be able to plug in multiple accessories for the iPhone.

Square iPad Point-of-Sale Stand

For those who would like an alternative to mobile, Square created an iPad point-of-sale Stand that businesses can easily and quickly install within minutes. The Square iPad POS Stand is compatible with the 4th generation iPad and iPad Air, as well as other tablet devices. To use, simply connect your iPad, download Square Register, and plug in the hardware. The POS Stand is $99 and connects to the Square Contactless and Chip Reader.

To find out what devices are compatible with the stand, Square has a device compatibility checker on their website to help you figure it out.

Square Contactless + Chip Reader

Square’s contactless chip reader can read mobile device forms of payment, accepts chip cards and Apple Pay, and also comes with a magstripe reader too, so swiping credit cards is still an option.

Pros to adopting this technology are:

Faster transaction time
Near Field Communication (NFC) payments accepted
Wireless connection to iOS and Android services
Accepts chip cards
Small and battery powered

A major benefit to accepting chip cards is to ensure as a business owner, you’re not liable for any counterfeit cards that come through your business. Chip readers are gradually being adopted by most banks, and about 70% of consumers now have a Europay, Mastercard, and Visa, or EMV, chip card. It’s a way for businesses to have more secure transactions between customers.

The contactless feature of the chip reader also allows customers to use Apple Pay. Apple Pay is a way for customers to pay using only their iPhone. It’s compatible with the iPhone 6/6S and any iPhone versions after that. To use Apple Pay, the user needs to go into the Wallet app on the iPhone and set up their credit or debit card. After doing that, the user merely needs to hold the phone up to a contactless card reader to make a transaction. The Apple Watch is also compatible with Apple Pay. It’s the newest way for vendors to accept payments and is slowly becoming a popular way to purchase from online businesses. With so many options to choose from, it’s hard to know which form of payment will benefit your business most. If you’d like help deciding which feature to adapt, feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to help you learn more about mobile processing of credit cards for your business.