Apple is adding a new Tap to Share feature in iOS 27, giving merchants another way to handle quick in-person interactions with customers. The idea is simple: a merchant can tap an iPhone with a customer device over NFC, then complete both payment-related steps and customer data exchange in the same flow.
The feature should be especially useful for small businesses, market vendors, pop-up shops, and other sellers that don’t want to rely on extra checkout hardware for every transaction. Instead of asking customers to type details manually or move between several separate screens, Tap to Share is designed to keep more of the process inside one tap-based interaction.
According to IT Home, Tap to Share builds on Apple’s existing Tap to Pay on iPhone system. With Tap to Pay, a merchant can accept contactless payments directly on an iPhone without a separate card reader. A customer only needs to tap an iPhone, Apple Watch, contactless bank card, or another supported payment device against the merchant’s iPhone.
The payment experience is meant to feel similar to Apple Pay. It uses NFC technology for the tap interaction, and Apple positions the system as a secure way to handle contactless transactions without adding a dedicated point-of-sale terminal.
With iOS 27, Apple is expanding what can happen during that in-person tap. During a Tap to Pay on iPhone checkout, users can also complete several related actions at the same time, including:
- Submitting contact information for a membership signup
- Providing a shipping address
- Sharing an email address for a receipt
- Adding or sharing Apple Wallet passes
- Viewing a shopping cart
- Checking out with Apple Pay
That makes Tap to Share more than just a payment shortcut. For merchants, it could turn an iPhone into a lighter customer-intake and checkout tool. For shoppers, it may reduce the usual friction of giving a store the same basic details again and again.
There are some limits. Apple says the feature works only on iPhone 12 and later models. It also has not launched in the European Economic Area at this stage. The EEA includes all European Union member states, along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Apple has not explained why Tap to Share is being held back in that region, and it has not shared a public rollout timeline for the European Economic Area. For now, that means availability will depend heavily on market and device support.
For U.S. readers, the bigger takeaway is that Apple keeps pushing the iPhone deeper into small-business checkout workflows. Tap to Pay on iPhone already reduced the need for extra payment hardware. Tap to Share could make the same device handle more of the customer relationship around that payment, from receipts and memberships to Wallet passes and shipping details.
