But Apple wants to change the rules and is preparing a twist that is sure to please many freelancers and store owners. Just by having an iPhone in our hands, we will be able to charge customers without getting into complications, something that can change our way of understanding purchases, giving one more use of mobileIn case I didn’t already have enough.
We will only need the iOS update
Who has released the news? Bloomberg, the medium that has revealed the movement that is being prepared in iOS 15 and that above all it would benefit small businesses. Since 2020 they have been working on this novelty in silence, together with the Canadian startup called Mobeewave, allowing NFC to not only send information, but also receive and recognize it.
The integration would be done through Apple Pay, so it would leave Android phones out of the game, since there would be no way to start it up on them. However, for now it is not very clear if an agreement with the banks of all the countries where Apple has a presence would be necessary or if this will depend on the businesses.
Looking ahead to the iOS 15.4 beta update, it is expected that we will be able to see the beginning of all the tools that are being developed around the world of mobile payments and collections. This would leave us with a tough rival for Square, who offers more solutions for small stores that need to charge cards easily.
The Android alternative existed
Before Apple began working on this development, the same startup got down to work to develop, together with Samsung, the technology that would allow stores to charge with their mobile phones. Unfortunately, things did not end up going well and the project, which was only presented in the United States, did not go any further. An app was even made available on Google Play and the Galaxy Store, but was later removed without a trace. With that app called Samsung-POS, payments of up to 100 dollars were accepted in a matter of seconds, using the WiFi network or mobile data to send the information received and approved by Visa, Mastercard and Interac.
A dream that could be reborn after the idea of Apple, although in the hands of Google to extend it to all Android mobiles through Google Pay or else, they would be left behind their competitor. For now it seems a long way off in Spain, both for the iPhone and for Android, but this first step is very important and makes us think of a future where the mobile will continue to be key, long before the Metaverse is part of us.