Payment Terminals

Pay SoftPos

An introduction to Pay SoftPos

Edit "Pay SoftPos" on GitHub

Pay SoftPos allows a merchant to turn a commercial off-the-shelf mobile phone into a contactless payment terminal without requiring additional dedicated hardware. For merchants this offers mobile payment terminals at a different price point than existing mobile hardware terminals for EMV transactions.

It also allows merchants to utilize other mobile devices they already have and use, decreasing the number of devices to carry around and offering a standalone or more integrated experience.

The User Experience

The merchant installs the Pay SoftPos app on a mobile phone and presents the device and application to the payer. The payer taps the payment device and details of the EMV transaction are exchanged between the payment device and the Pay SoftPos app through the phone’s built-in NFC reader.

If a PIN is needed the application presents a PIN pad to the payer, who enters the PIN and confirms. Shortly after the outcome of the processing is presented.

Transactional Flow

The details from the transaction are sent to the backend, which in turn processes the information and relays it to a payment processor or acquirer, which eventually communicates with the payer’s card issuer.

Besides processing payments, the backend also manages the terminals and continuously attempts to attest that the Pay SoftPos application, or the platform it runs on, is eligible and not compromised.

Stand-Alone Or Integrated

The mobile application can run as a standalone application where the merchant enters an amount and completes a payment. It can also be integrated through APIs with another Android Point of Sales (POS) application on the same device or a POS system, that runs on a different platform and/or device, such as a Windows powered computer. The primary use case is typically to activate the app with a pre-entered amount.

This will require the AppSwitch SDK, which needs to be embedded in the Point of Sales (POS) app.

The features available are shown in the table below, and you can access the full set of APIs by contacting a sales representative.

For both standalone and integrated scenarios, it is only the Pay SoftPos app that is within the PCI-DSS certification scope. This makes it simpler for customers to complete the integration.

The Pay SoftPos app is delivered via Google Play Store. Mobile device management systems can orchestrate the installation on individual devices.

Feature Stand-Alone AppSwitch
Payment Yes Yes
Payment loyalty / change amount No Yes
Refund Yes, in app Yes
Cancellation Yes, in app Yes
Store card details for e-commerce No Yes
Configuration No Yes
Get transaction list Yes, in app Yes
Get store list No Yes
End of Day report Yes, in app Yes (data)
On device switching 1-way 2-way
Off device switching, external POS No No
Integration method URL link to app Embedded library in Android POS

Minimum Device Requirements

There are a handful of device requirements which must be fulfilled for Pay SoftPos to work. The device(s):

  • Must have minimum Android 10.0 for consumer devices and minimum Android 8.0 for enterprise devices.
  • Must have an Android Security patch date that does not exceed 12 months.
  • Must have built-in device hardware NFC (android.hardware.nfc).
  • Must have a 64 bit ARM v8 processor or greater.
  • Must have a stable internet connection.
  • Must be Google Mobile Services certified and enabled.
  • Must be a single screen device.

Proven Devices

An overview of tested/proven devices and a non-exhaustive list of unsupported devices.

Consumer Devices

Manufacturer Models
Google Pixel (3, 4, 5, 6, 6 Pro, 7a)
Motorola G31, G54
Nokia 6.2, G20
OnePlus 7T Pro, 8 Pro, 9 5G, Pro 5G, 10 Pro 5G
Samsung A15, A21s, A22 (+, 5G), A32 (+, 5G), A33 5G, A34, A35, A40, A51, A52 (+ 5G, s5G), A54, A71, S10 (+, e, 5G, Lite), S20 (+ 5G, +5G, FE, FE 5G, Ultra 5G), S21 (+, 5G, +5G, FE, FE 5G, Ultra 5G) S22 (+, 5G, Ultra), S23, Xcover (+ Pro, Field pro, 4S, 5, 5 Enterprise)
Sony Xperia 10V

Enterprise Devices

Manufacturer Models
Bluebird EF501
Elo M50C
Honeywell CT40
Imin* SWIFT 2 PRO
Point Mobile PM45, PM67, PM75, PM85
Sunmi* V2s, V2s plus, L2H, D3 mini, T3 Pro max, V3 MIX
Telpo M1
Unitech EA630, PA768
Urovo CT58, DT50
Zebra TC52, TC57, CC6000, EC55

*Also available in Imin and/or Sumni stores respectively

Unsupported Devices (Non-Exhaustive)

Devices not adhering to the full Softpay Mobile Device Policy and PCI/MPoC requirements are unsupported.

Manufacturer Models
Huawei All devices
Samsung Samsung Galaxy A-series is (with a few exceptions) not supported from A13 and below. Samsung Galaxy S-series is not supported from S9 and below.
Sunmi V2
Motorola G9 (Power, Plus)