Apple Pay Across All Web Browsers: New Opportunities for Merchants

Web Apple Pay won’t be stuck in the Safari bubble anymore! At the June 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple revealed plans to extend Apple Pay beyond Safari and the macOS ecosystem, starting with iOS 18. In other words, Apple Pay is taking another step to solidify its place in the world of payments. 

Beginning September 16, 2024, with the launch of iOS 18, iPhone users will finally be able to use Apple Pay in any desktop web browser—Chrome, Edge, Firefox, you name it—even on Windows PCs. Until now, Apple Pay was limited to Safari on Macs, so this long-awaited update brings the cross-platform payment experience users have been asking for.

Here’s why this update is such a big deal:

• Apple Pay handles roughly $6 trillion in payments annually, accounting for 5% of all global card transactions.
• Apple devices make up about 48% of the mobile devices in our merchant portfolio.
• Globally, only 18% of users choose Safari as their go-to desktop browser, and most iPhone users still prefer shopping on Chrome.

That’s why we at Solidgate are thrilled to be one of the first acquirers and payment orchestration platforms to roll out this feature for our merchants!

Let’s see how everything looks like.

Here’s what the new checkout flow looks like

When a customer selects Apple Pay on a non-Safari desktop browser, a QR code will appear on the screen. To complete the payment, the user scans the code with their iPhone (running iOS 18 or later) using the Camera app.

Once scanned, the user follows the familiar Apple Pay steps to finish the transaction.

This workaround exists because many browsers don’t—and likely won’t—natively support Apple Pay. While it adds a couple of extra steps compared to the traditional Apple Pay experience (grabbing your iPhone, opening the camera, scanning the QR code), the predominantly positive reaction from Apple users on the Internet suggests this won’t be that big of a deal for them.

You can test this functionality in any environment by visiting the Apple Pay Demo page.

Why Apple Pay everywhere = more paydays for online merchants

In our Apple Pay vs. PayPal post, we argue that if a significant portion of your customer base uses Apple devices, offering Apple Pay is a must, as it’s their go-to payment method. The same goes for web payments, bringing the following benefits:

First off, the checkout is much faster. Our data shows that, on average, Apple Pay’s median checkout time is around 22 seconds, compared to about 68 seconds for card payments— nearly three times faster! While the new web checkout flow will add some extra time to the original flow, Apple Pay still wins on speed. As a result, the user gets a much better experience.

Secondly, it decreases cart abandonment. With Apple Pay now rolling on all browsers, Apple users can pay with their preferred payment method without having to open Safari, reducing the number of hoops they need to jump through.

Next, it reaches a bigger audience. Apple Pay is now it’s tapping into a much larger crowd of iPhone users than before. Whether your customers are loyal Chrome users or hang out on Windows, you’re giving them the payment option they love—no matter what browser they’re on. 

Finally, less fraud and chargebacks. With Apple Pay’s built-in security features like tokenization and Face ID, you’re not just making payments faster—you’re making them a bit safer, too. Fewer chargebacks, less fraud, and a liability shift are wins for both your peace of mind and profit margins.

When will this technology become available to Solidgate merchants?

The rollout of this feature depends on the release of iOS 18, which is expected to launch on September 16, 2024. At Solidgate, we’re committed to delivering this functionality within a week of the release.