Short answer: You can take contactless payments on an Android phone with no reader, if the phone meets Stripe's requirements. Customers tap a card, phone, or watch on the back of your phone, usually near the camera, and hold it there until the payment finishes.
What your phone needs
- Android 13 or newer.
- NFC, turned on in your device settings.
- A security update from the last 12 months.
- Developer options and USB/Wi-Fi debugging turned off.
- Hardware security that meets Stripe's requirements. Some phones don't have it, and a software update won't change that.
Tap to Pay on Android also isn't offered in every country. If your Stripe account's country isn't supported yet, the app doesn't show the option at all.
How to turn it on
- Open Payment for Stripe and tap Connect reader at the top of the keypad. (On a phone that can use Tap to Pay, that button may read Tap to Pay instead. Tap it.)
- Tap Tap to Pay on this phone. You can also open the menu and tap Enable Tap to Pay.
- Allow precise location when Android asks. Stripe needs it to take card payments in person.
- Wait while the app sets up. The first time can take a minute.
When it's ready, you'll see Tap to Pay enabled. From then on, the app reconnects to Tap to Pay on its own each time you open it.
Don't see Enable Tap to Pay in the menu?
The menu hides it on phones that can't run Tap to Pay, like a phone with no NFC or one Stripe has already turned down. Tap Connect reader, then Tap to Pay on this phone, and the app tells you why.
What if Tap to Pay isn't available?
Tap to Pay isn't available
This device has no NFC hardware, which Tap to Pay needs to read contactless cards. A card reader works on any device.
The message tells you why. Some reasons you can fix, like an old Android version, NFC turned off, or a missing security update. Others you can't, like a phone with no NFC hardware. For those, use a Stripe card reader instead, or enter the card details manually.
Every message, what causes it, and how to fix it: Troubleshooting Tap to Pay on Android.
Good to know
- Tap to Pay doesn't support offline payments. You need an internet connection.
- To switch to a reader later, open the menu, tap Card reader, and pick one.