Overview
- Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman told subscribers that Apple will allocate more iPhone 16 units to retail employees to broaden use of Tap to Pay on iPhone, a claim carried by MacRumors and other outlets and not independently confirmed.
- Apple's Tap to Pay uses the iPhone's NFC chip to accept contactless payments without a separate point‑of‑sale device, so moving staff to iPhone 16 would let stores process payments directly on employee phones.
- Apple found that iPhone 14 units sometimes struggled with certain metal cards, such as American Express Platinum and Chase Sapphire Reserve, creating reliability issues at checkout.
- iOS 27 will add a 'Tap to Share' feature that builds on Tap to Pay, signaling simultaneous software and hardware steps to streamline in‑store contactless transactions.
- Tap to Pay was first rolled out in 2022 to let merchants accept contactless cards and mobile wallets on an iPhone, and expanding in‑store use could cut the need for Bluetooth card readers and specialized terminals used by staff.