How to Set Up Tap to Pay on iPhone for Your Small Business (Step-by-Step)

Tap to Pay on iPhone launched in the US in 2022, and by 2026 it's the default way most small businesses accept in-person card payments. If you're still buying $50 Bluetooth readers or renting a countertop terminal at $30/month, you're paying for hardware you don't actually need.

This guide walks through the actual setup, end to end. Not theory, not marketing, what you'll do, what you'll need, what can go wrong, and how to fix it.

What you need before you start

Don't skip this section. Most setup problems trace back to one of these requirements not being met, and you'll save yourself a frustrating hour by checking them all upfront.

• Supported iPhone: iPhone XS or later. That includes XS, XR, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and SE (2nd gen or later). iPhone X, 8, and earlier won't work.
• iOS 16.4 or newer. Settings → General → Software Update. Most phones are on iOS 26 by now, but check it.
• A registered US business. Sole proprietor, LLC, S-corp, C-corp, or 501(c)(3), all fine. The business has to be based in the US.
• A US business bank account in your business's name (or your personal name if you're a sole proprietor without a DBA).
• An Apple ID with two-factor authentication enabled. Apple requires this for Tap to Pay, it's the security gate. Settings → [your name] → Sign-In & Security → Two-Factor Authentication.
• An internet connection. Cellular or Wi-Fi. Tap to Pay needs to phone home to authorize the transaction; the NFC read itself is offline but the approval isn't.
• Your EIN (or SSN for sole props), bank routing and account numbers, business address, and a photo of your driver's license. You'll upload these during application.

Android and Android tablet requirements

CoreMobile also runs on Android phones and Android tablets. The requirements are similar but tied to Android's NFC stack instead of Apple's:

• Android phone or tablet with NFC hardware. Not every Android device has NFC, especially on the tablet side. On phones, NFC is standard on mid-range and flagship models. For tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S series typically includes NFC; most budget tablets do not. Check your model's spec sheet before relying on it.
• Android 9 or newer. Settings → About phone (or About tablet) → Android version. Most active devices are on Android 15 by now.
• A Google account signed in on the device.
• Location services on. Same reason as iPhone, the app uses location to confirm you're in a supported country and to flag suspicious activity.
• NFC toggle turned on. Android has a system-level NFC switch in Settings → Connected devices (or Settings → Connections, depending on the manufacturer). If NFC is off, the app can't read a tap.

iPhone model compatibility, at a glance

Android device support

When in doubt, look up your specific model on the manufacturer's site and search for "NFC" in the spec sheet. If it isn't listed, the device doesn't have it.

Step 1: Apply on the CoreMobile website

Several apps support Tap to Pay, Square and Stripe are the most well-known. This guide focuses on CoreMobile because it uses interchange-plus pricing, has no monthly contract, and has US-based support that picks up the phone. With CoreMobile, the setup flow starts on the web, you apply on the website, get approved, then download the app. Here's what each step looks like.

Head to corecommerce.com/coremobile and click Get CoreMobile or Book a Demo. If you'd rather have a person walk you through it, use the Talk to Sales button to book a 15-minute call instead. Either way, the application captures the same set of info.

Have these ready before you start the application:

• EIN (or SSN if sole proprietor). The IRS confirmation letter has it.
• Business legal name exactly as it appears on your IRS docs and bank account. "Smith Plumbing LLC" is not the same as "Smith Plumbing, LLC", match it character for character.
• DBA (doing-business-as name), if you have one. This is what shows on your customer's credit card statement.
• Business address. A real one. PO boxes get flagged.
• Bank routing number (9 digits) and account number (varies). Don't use a deposit slip number, those are sometimes different from the account number.
• Owner's date of birth and last 4 of SSN. Used for identity verification.
• Photo of government-issued ID (driver's license or passport). Front and back of a license. Make sure all four corners are visible and there's no glare.
• Estimated monthly volume and average transaction size. Estimate; don't lowball, don't overstate.

Fill the application out in one sitting if you can. Half-finished applications get harder to track and you may end up restarting.

Step 2: Wait for approval

Applications are reviewed by an underwriter. Higher-risk businesses or incomplete applications can take longer.

What slows approval down:

• Mismatched names. Your bank account name has to match (or closely match) your business legal name.
• Unreadable ID photo. Glare, cropping, or a finger over the date of birth, re-upload.
• Higher-risk MCC codes. If your business is in a category considered higher risk (some types of digital services, ticket resale, etc.), an underwriter will manually review.
• Tax ID mismatches. If the EIN you submitted doesn't match the legal name on file with the IRS, it'll bounce.
• Volume estimates that don't match the business profile. A new freelancer estimating $200,000/month will get a closer look.

You'll get an email when your merchant account is live. The email includes your login credentials and the App Store / Google Play links for the CoreMobile app.

Step 3: Download the CoreMobile app

Once you're approved, install the app on the device you'll be taking payments on:

• iPhone: App Store (iPhone XS or later, iOS 16.4+).
• Android phone: Google Play (Android 9+ with NFC).
• Android tablet: Google Play (Android 9+ with NFC, most Samsung Galaxy Tab S series tablets qualify).

If you have a small team, every employee can install the app on their own device. There's no per-device hardware cost because the device itself is the terminal.

Step 4: Sign in to the app

Open CoreMobile and sign in using the credentials sent in your approval email. The first sign-in may ask you to set a new password and verify the device by SMS or email, this is standard, just follow the prompts.

Step 5: Enable Tap to Pay on first launch

The first time you tap "Accept payment" or "New Sale," the app walks you through one-time activation. On iPhone, that means iOS Tap to Pay activation. On Android, it's the system NFC and Google account checks. Here's what each platform asks for:

On iPhone:

• "Allow CoreMobile to use location?", Required. Apple uses location to confirm you're in a country where Tap to Pay is supported and to flag suspicious activity. Tap Allow While Using App.
• "Sign in to Apple ID with two-factor." If your Apple ID isn't already 2FA-enabled, activation will fail. Go to Settings, turn it on, come back.
• Apple Tap to Pay terms. Apple displays its own terms of service. Read or scroll, tap Agree.
• "Set up Tap to Pay on iPhone." iOS downloads and configures the secure NFC kernel for your account. Takes 10 to 30 seconds. Don't close the app.

On Android phone or tablet:

• NFC permission and toggle check. The app confirms NFC is turned on in system Settings. If it's off, you'll be taken to the toggle to turn it on, then back to the app.
• "Allow CoreMobile to access your location?", Required. Same reason as on iPhone. Choose "While using the app."
• Google account verification. The app confirms there's a signed-in Google account on the device.
• Activation handshake. Takes a few seconds to provision the device for contactless reads.

Once that's done, you're ready to take your first payment. Most of this is automatic at this point, it's a lot of prompts but very little decision-making.

Step 6: Process your first transaction

Test with a small amount to yourself before you do it with a customer in front of you. $1 on your own card is fine.

1. Open the app and tap "New Sale."
2. Enter the amount. Add tip, tax, or notes if needed.
3. Tap "Charge" or "Tap to Pay."
4. Hand the device to the customer (or hold it out). They tap their contactless card or phone near the NFC antenna, the top back of an iPhone, and typically the center back on most Android phones and tablets.
5. You'll hear a beep and see a green checkmark in 2 to 3 seconds. Done.
6. The app will offer to send a receipt by email or SMS, or skip it. Customer's choice.

If the tap doesn't register, it's almost always because the customer is tapping the screen instead of the back of the device, or holding the card too far away. The NFC range is about 4 centimeters, the card has to be within an inch and a half.

What's included with CoreMobile

CoreMobile runs on iPhone, Android phones, and Android tablets. It's a flat $15/month subscription, with no setup fees and no cancellation fees. Most small business accounts are approved after a quick review, and you get US-based support that picks up the phone. Full pricing and what's included is on the pricing page.

The bottom line

Setting up Tap to Pay for your small business is a 15-minute exercise, plus a day or two of approval waiting. The hardware question is solved, your iPhone, Android phone, or Android tablet is the terminal. Apply on the CoreMobile website, get your paperwork together before you start, fill the application out cleanly, enable two-factor on your Apple ID (or sign in to your Google account on Android), and you'll be taking your first contactless payment by this time tomorrow.