I am in the in the process of developing point of sale applications for restaurants for both iPhone and Android. I wanted to use Square to process all the credit card sales seamlessly with my apps, but Square Register API is not available for Android.
Would Square Connect allow my app to integrate in a way where the customer's food order can be taken inside my app, and then Square automatically be launched to allow the customer to pay (pre-populating the dollar amount), and then switch back to my app after the payment is completed? Based on everything I read, Square Register can do all that (only on iPhone), but Square Connect would not be able to do this. Am I correct? Does this mean my apps won't be able to integrate with Square the way I need them to, so I will have to choose a different credit card processor to work with that does have the API functionality I need for both iPhone and Android?
Thanks!
#Stephen Barlow's answer was correct at the time, but this is no longer the case. Square announced the Register SDK for Android on May 25, 2016. Here is the blog post:
https://corner.squareup.com/2016/05/introducing-squares-register-api-for-android.html
You are correct, the Register API is iOS-only. Square currently does not provide a way for an Android application to open the Square Register app to process a payment.
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Just wondering if someone can clear this up for me as its kind of a grey area and not sure what to do.
I have a website that is split into frontend and api and has a subscription service provided by stripe on the api. I am now making apps in ionic for both apple and google stores but Im unsure of how the payments will work on the platforms, ideally i would like to just stick to using stripe but Ive been reading about both stores and this is where I need guidance.
From what I have read it seems to be that I have to use google play billing and apples alternative. Do I have to use these for the apps going into their respective stores or can I continue to use stripe within the apps? As i see it its a multi platform saas. So why cant I just send the card info to my api for charging?(I know theres alot of security involved and its not as trivial as I make it out to be)
Ive been reading conflicting statements from multiple sites and Im just not sure which is correct and the docs on google play billing make no reference to this. Its a multiplatform service so can I just send on the card details to my api
But what I have found is that apple have this
3.1.3(b) Multiplatform Services: Apps that operate across multiple platforms may allow users to access content, subscriptions, or features they have acquired elsewhere, including consumable items in multi-platform games, provided those items are also available as in-app purchases within the app. You must not directly or indirectly target iOS users to use a purchasing method other than in-app purchase, and your general communications about other purchasing methods must not discourage use of in-app purchase.
Which to me states that I have to use Apple Pay and make no reference to my other payment methods for fear of being refused from the store.
I can't comment for Apple. For Google Play the best place to answer this sort of question is the Developer policy center. In the Monetization and Ads section it says
Developers offering products within another category of app downloaded on Google Play must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment, except for the following cases:
Payment is solely for physical products
Payment is for digital content that may be consumed outside of the app itself (e.g. songs that can be played on other music players).
You should read all of the linked page and decide what category the stuff you are selling falls into.
Is it possible to print a receipt to a square-supported receipt printer using the register API instead of the square app itself? And if not, how would I interface with some of these devices?
This is not possible directly via the Register API at this time, although - as you mention - you can use the Square app itself to connect to a receipt printer and print receipts. To interface directly from your app to a printer, you can look at provider such as Star Micronics which has Android and iOS SDKs (http://www.starmicronics.com/support/sdkdocumentation.aspx)
Yes. But the current supported printers are more than 12 times the cost of the Square Card Reader.
I'm developing an app that uses Square credit card processing API. In the Square web panel, after a charge I see things like "authcode" and receipt number in that interface, but I can't find where the API gives me back this data.
Also, when charging with the Square virtual terminal, I can pace a comment with the charge. When the API makes a charge that comment is set to "online transaction."
So can I have the software leave a comment with the API, and can I get the auto code and receipt numbers through the API?
Not all of the features available in Square Dashboard are available via the API at this time, though we are actively working on expanding the API capabilities, particularly around itemizations and receipts.
You can add external reference_id and note to a transaction if you want to associate some external metadata. Receipts can be retrieved with the older retrieve and list payments endpoints. See here: https://docs.connect.squareup.com/api/connect/v1/?q=receipt#datatype-payment
I have payoneer account and i'd like to receive payments from app into this account.
Payments are not for physical goods. They are more like app content-unblockers.
Let's focus on Android and Google Play distribution case.
I suppose, payoneer is not designed for processing quick small payments, right?
I need these:
App should be able to set price according to misc factors.
Payments should be instant without credit card entering - i guess it called "Payments from Google Wallet". E.g. if i (app user) have google account and i have payment method in Google Play, then i do not need to enter my credit card number again.
Payments should be possible independently of user location (country)
So, can I use, say, Braintree to process payments with those requirements?
Will it violate any kind of Google Play policies (the fact, that i'm processing payments not through Google)?
The same questions about iOS
For Android : You can use third party payment seamless/non-seamless as long as their sdk supports Android platform. Google doesn't stop you from choosing any payment service.
For iOS : : It's million dollar question. Always refer to latest app store review guidelines https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#purchasing-currencies
You can use third party payment gateway in iOS if you are selling physical goods/services outside of the app. For any in-app purchases you must use IAP.
For any in-app purchases if you use other purhasing mechanisms your app will be rejected.
Refer to section 3.1.1
If you want to unlock features or functionality within your app, (by way of example: subscriptions, in-game currencies, game levels, access to premium content, or unlocking a full version), you must use in-app purchase. Apps may not include buttons, external links, or other calls to action that direct customers to purchasing mechanisms other than IAP.
We are creating an iPad app for our restaurant so that customers can order from their table without a waiter. We would like to use Square so that the customer can swipe their credit card to make the payment. Is it possible to use the Square credit card reader to accept and process payments while keeping the order flow within our app (in other words can we accept payments via Square without using the Square POS app on the iPad)?
Thanks in advance.
It sounds like the Square Register API might be appropriate for your needs. It enables an iOS app to quickly switch to Square Register to process an in-person payment (then switch back to the original app).
Register API is available for iOS and Android. Any developer can use it: https://docs.connect.squareup.com/articles/register-api-overview/