iphone 12 unable to connect to Tap and Pay suddenly

[Records]

Hi guys,

I checked my square app today in preparation for a market I am selling at tomorrow - and found that I can't do Tap and Pay charges all of a sudden. I have been using the square app on this phone for this purpose (selling items at markets) for more than a year successfully, and now it's busted? Really frustrated.

Basically I enter an amount and press charge, and it goes to the next screen where after a pause I get an error message saying "We encountered an error when connecting to Tap and Pay. Select the button below to try again".  Then after pressing the button I get a red error message saying: "We're unable to connect Tap to Pay. Please restart Square Point of Sale or your iPhone."

I will mention that I am on iOS 16.7.2 - I don't update my iOS because I got sick of apple disable my iphones over time. As I mentioned the square app has worked fine for the last year and I haven't changed anything. 

Can anyone offer any advice other than update iOS?

Thanks in advance.
🙂

[Katie_SQ]

Hi @Records,

Thank you for reaching out. 

Based on the error messages you're seeing, there are a few things we can try to resolve this issue without updating your iOS:

Troubleshooting Steps

Force close and reopen the Square Point of Sale app

- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to show the App Switcher
- Swipe up on the Square app's preview to close it completely
- Reopen the app and try again

Uninstall and reinstall the app

- Press and hold the Square app icon until the menu appears
- Tap "Remove App" and confirm deletion
- Go to the App Store, search for your Square app and reinstall
- Sign back into your account using your email address and password, and try again

Check your Date & Time settings

- Go to your iPhone Settings > General > Date & Time
- Make sure "Set Automatically" is toggled ON
- Incorrect date/time settings can interfere with the Tap to Pay connection

Verify your internet connection

- Tap to Pay requires a stable internet connection
- Try switching between WiFi and cellular data to see if one provides a more stable connection
- It's important to note that offline payments are not supported with Tap to Pay on iPhone

Check if you're signed in with a device code

- If you're using a device code to sign in to Square Point of Sale, Tap to Pay won't work
- Sign in directly with your email address and password instead

Restart your iPhone

- Sometimes a full device restart can resolve connection issues
- Hold the power button and either volume button until the slide to power off appears
- Slide to power off, wait 30 seconds, then turn your device back on

While I understand you're reluctant to update iOS, it's worth noting that Apple's security updates (which are included in iOS updates) are important for payment processing security. For the most reliable Tap to Pay experience, we generally recommend using the latest iOS version compatible with your device.

If none of these solutions resolve your issue, you might want to consider having a backup payment option ready, such as a Square Reader if you have one available.

I hope one of these solutions works for you! Please let me know if there's anything else I can help with.