Apple expands Tap to Pay on iPhone to users in the United Arab Emirates

2 weeks ago 4

A few weeks after launching Tap to Pay on iPhone in New Zealand, Apple on Tuesday announced another expansion of the feature. As of today, merchants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can accept contactless payments directly on their iPhones, without the need for additional hardware.

Tap to Pay on iPhone now available in the UAE

As announced by Apple, Tap to Pay on iPhone is now available to users in the United Arab Emirates. Adyen, Magnati, and Network International are the first payment platforms in the UAE to offer Tap to Pay on iPhone. These partnerships facilitate easy integration for app developers and merchants, making it easier for the industry to adopt the feature.

The announcement comes a month after Apple launched Vision Pro in the UAE.

Tap to Pay on iPhone enables businesses to accept contactless payments using their iPhone and a partner-enabled iOS app. The feature works with iPhone XS or later models running the latest iOS version. At checkout, merchants simply prompt customers to hold their contactless credit or debit card, iPhone, Apple Watch, or other digital wallet near the merchant’s iPhone to complete the transaction.

Just like any Apple Pay transaction, Tap to Pay is securely processed using NFC technology, and there’s no requirement for extra hardware to facilitate contactless payments. In countries where the feature is available, developers can use an API available in iOS 15.4 and later to implement Tap to Pay support.

Tap to Pay on iPhone supports contactless credit and debit cards from leading payment networks, including American Express, Mastercard, and Visa.

The feature first debuted in the US in 2022, and expanded internationally to the UK, France, Taiwan, Australia, the Netherlands, Brazil, Ukraine, Japan, Canada, Italy and more.