Square has added a feature to its Square Cash app that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to make payments to any nearby Cash customer.
Customers can discover people in close proximity and tap their name or photo to make a payment, opting to restrict this to know contacts or open it up to any user in the same area.
“Customers can now choose to make themselves visible to anyone in the same space as them, or just to friends,” the company explained. “The app can detect other Cash customers within 250 feet of the sender or recipient — making payments quick and convenient. The app update for iOS 8 also includes the ability to swipe a push notification to approve and reject a payment request.”
The same technology has already been implemented for Square Order. The app “lets you place an order in just a few taps from anywhere (like, as you’re rushing to your car), and pick it up whenever you’re ready,” the company added. “With first-of-its-kind arrival prediction technology, Square Order can tell when you’re close and alert the coffee shop to set your order in motion.
“When you arrive, it’ll be fresh, hot, and ready on the counter. No need to pay or tap — that’s already been taken care of in the app. Just pick it up and be on your way.”
Whitepapers
Related reading
5 ways blockchain can change the cross-border payments landscape
Cross-border payments is a changing sector of the industry, driven by customers demanding little to no friction and encountering multiple steps, intermediaries ... read more
The SME technology revolution | video
The UK is home to 5.4m micro SMEs that have fewer than nine employees, according to the House of Commons library. They ... read more
JP Morgan blockchain network showcases banks’ DLT progress
JP Morgan’s expansion of its blockchain-based interbank payments project signals that major banks are stealing a march on disruptors and startups by ... read more
Security a priority for EU’s INATBA blockchain taskforce
The European Commission’s new blockchain initiative, the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications (INATBA), should focus on quashing extant security concerns around ... read more
