Tap to Pay on Android lets you accept contactless cards and Google Pay right on your Android phone or tablet, from inside the Check Cherry app. No card reader, no dongle, no extra hardware. Set it up once and it becomes an option every time you collect a payment on a booking.
What You Need
- An Android 13 or later device with NFC turned on. Phones and tablets both work.
- A Google-certified device with the Play Store, an ARM processor, not rooted and with a locked bootloader.
- A security update from the last 12 months. This is the one that catches otherwise-fine devices that have skipped their updates.
- The latest version of the Check Cherry app for Android, installed from the Play Store.
- Check Cherry Payments connected on your account. Tap to Pay is available to US accounts.
- Permission to collect payments. The payments permission on your role is what opens the setup screen.
Step 1: Confirm Your Business Location
In the Check Cherry app, go to App Settings and tap Tap to Pay. The first step asks you to confirm the business address that in-person payments are reported under.
Step 2: Check This Device (Optional)
Confirming your location is the whole requirement on Android. There are no terms to accept, nothing to switch on for the account, and no admin-only step. Step 2 is a device check, and it exists because Android decides whether a device is eligible on the device itself, at the moment the app connects. Running the check while you're sitting at your desk beats discovering a problem with a client standing in front of you.
Step 3: Take a Payment
You'll see a processing screen, then a confirmation with the amount that was charged. From there you can go back to the booking, view the receipt, or open the invoice.
Where the card goes is the one thing worth practicing before an event. On an iPhone the client taps near the top of the screen. On Android it's the other side: the card goes flat against the back of the device, near the top, and stays still until the screen confirms. Green means paid.
- Contactless cards work. Chip-only cards don't, so send a payment link for those instead.
- Google Pay, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay all work. The client holds their phone or watch where the card would go.
- A PIN prompt on larger amounts is normal. Hand them the device and let them enter it.
Receipts
Enter your client's email address before you take the payment and a receipt is sent automatically when the charge succeeds. You can also send one afterward: from the confirmation screen tap View Receipt, then Share to send it by email, text, or any other app on your device.
Troubleshooting
"NFC Is Off"
NFC is the radio that reads the card, and it's turned off. Turn it on in your device settings, then try again. This is the one requirement you can fix in the moment, so it's worth checking before an event rather than during one.
"Screen Not Secure"
This one shows up mid-payment, when Tap to Pay goes to display the PIN pad and doesn't trust what else is on the screen. Stop any screen recording or screen sharing, close apps that draw over the screen, and turn off accessibility services and Developer options. Then try again. It's about a 20 second fix once you know what it means.
"Device Not Supported"
Tap to Pay needs a Google-certified Android device with NFC, running a security update from the last 12 months. Installing pending system updates is usually the fix. You'll also see this on devices running anything older than Android 13, and on the few processors Tap to Pay doesn't support, which no update will change.
"Device Not Secure"
The device can't be verified as secure, which usually means it's rooted or its bootloader is unlocked. Tap to Pay only runs on unmodified devices, so you'll need to use a different one.
The option doesn't appear at all
Check the requirements above. The most common causes are a device running something older than Android 13, a device with no NFC hardware, or an account that hasn't connected Check Cherry Payments.
The button says "Set up"
The booking's brand hasn't confirmed its business location yet. Tap the button and it takes you straight to the setup screen.
The payment was declined or timed out
You'll get a clear outcome screen with Try Again and Done. Try the tap again, ask for a different card, or fall back to entering the card manually or sending a payment link.
I need to refund the payment
Refund it the same way as any other card payment. See How do I refund a credit card payment?