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Payments
Finance automation
Get started
Payments
Finance automation
Platforms and marketplaces
Money management
Overview
About Stripe payments
Upgrade your integration
Payments analytics
Online payments
OverviewFind your use caseManaged Payments
Use Payment Links
Build a checkout page
Build an advanced integration
Build an in-app integration
Payment methods
Add payment methods
Manage payment methods
Faster checkout with Link
Payment interfaces
Payment Links
Checkout
Web Elements
In-app Elements
Payment scenarios
Custom payment flows
Flexible acquiring
Orchestration
In-person payments
Terminal
    Overview
    Accept in-person payments
    Integration design
    Select your reader
    Design an integration
    Quickstart
    Example applications
    Testing
    Terminal setup
    Set up your integration
    Connect to a reader
    Accepting a payment
    Collect card payments
    Additional payment methods
    Accept offline payments
    Mail order and telephone order payments
    Regional considerations
    During checkout
    Collect tips
    Collect and save payment details for future use
    Flexible authorizations
    After checkout
    Refund transactions
    Provide receipts
    Customize checkout
    Cart display
    Collect on-screen inputs
    Collect swiped data
    Collect tapped data for NFC instruments
    Apps on devices
    Manage readers
    Order, return, replace readers
    Register readers
    Manage locations and zones
    Configure readers
    Encryption
    References
    API references
    Mobile readers
    Smart readers
    SDK migration guide
    Deployment checklist
    Stripe Terminal reader product sheets
Other Stripe products
Financial Connections
Crypto
Climate
HomePaymentsTerminal

Set up your integration

Set up a Stripe Terminal SDK or server-driven integration to accept in-person payments.

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SDK Reference

If you’re looking for a more detailed reference with all available methods, objects, and errors, consult our full SDK reference.

Getting started with the iOS SDK requires four steps:

  1. Install the SDK in your app.
  2. Configure your app.
  3. Set up the connection token endpoint in your app and backend.
  4. Initialize the SDK in your app.

Install the SDK
Client-side

The Stripe Terminal iOS SDK is compatible with apps that:

  • Support iOS 13 and above
  • Are installed with CocoaPods, Swift Package Manager, or by manually integrating the framework
  1. If you haven’t already done so, install a recent version of CocoaPods.

  2. If you don’t have an existing Podfile, run the following command to create one:

    Command Line
    pod init
  3. Add this line to your Podfile:

    Podfile
    pod 'StripeTerminal', '~> 4.0'
  4. Run the following command:

    Command Line
    pod install
  5. From now on, use the .xcworkspace file to open your project in Xcode, instead of the .xcodeproj file.

Note

For details on the latest SDK release and past versions, see the Releases page on GitHub. To receive notifications when a new release is published, watch releases for the repository or subscribe to the Github Releases RSS feed.

For information on migrating from previous versions of the iOS SDK, see the Stripe Terminal SDK Migration Guide.

Configure your app
Client-side

To prepare your app to work with the Stripe Terminal SDK, make a few changes to your Info.plist file in Xcode.

  1. Enable location services with the following key-value pair.

    Privacy – Location When In Use Usage Description
    KeyNSLocationWhenInUseUsageDescription
    ValueLocation access is required to accept payments.

    To reduce fraud risks associated with payments, and to minimize disputes, Stripe must know where payments occur. If the SDK can’t determine the location of the iOS device, payments are disabled until location access is restored.

  2. Make sure that your app runs in the background and remains connected to Bluetooth readers.

    Required background modes for Bluetooth readers
    KeyUIBackgroundModes
    Valuebluetooth-central (Uses Bluetooth LE accessories)

    Setting the bluetooth-central background mode lets the reader remain in standby mode when your app is running in the background, or when the iOS device is locked. Without this value, standby fails. When your app is running in the background, the reader can turn off automatically to conserve power.

  3. Allow your app to display a Bluetooth permission dialog. The app store requires including this, even if your app doesn’t support connecting to Bluetooth readers.

    Privacy - Bluetooth Always Usage Description
    KeyNSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription
    ValueThis app uses Bluetooth to connect to supported card readers.

    iOS 13 introduced more specific permissions concerning an app’s use of Bluetooth peripherals. Apps that link with Core Bluetooth must include this key in their Info.plist file to prevent the app from crashing on its first launch.

  4. Pass app validation checks when you submit it to the App Store. As of SDK version 3.4.0, this permission requirement is removed.

    Privacy – Bluetooth Peripheral Usage Description
    KeyNSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription
    ValueConnecting to supported card readers requires Bluetooth access.

    This is an example—you can rephrase the prompt for user permission in your app.

Save your app’s Info.plist. Now it’s configured correctly and ready for use with the Stripe Terminal SDK.

Set up the ConnectionToken endpoint
Server-side
Client-side

Server-side

To connect to a reader, your backend needs to give the SDK permission to use the reader with your Stripe account, by providing it with the secret from a ConnectionToken. Your backend needs to only create connection tokens for clients that it trusts.

Command Line
curl
curl https://api.stripe.com/v1/terminal/connection_tokens \ -u
sk_test_BQokikJOvBiI2HlWgH4olfQ2
:
\ -X "POST"

Obtain the secret from the ConnectionToken on your server and pass it to the client side.

Ruby
post '/connection_token' do token = # ... Create or retrieve the ConnectionToken {secret: token.secret}.to_json end

Caution

The secret from the ConnectionToken lets you connect to any Stripe Terminal reader and take payments with your Stripe account. Be sure to authenticate the endpoint for creating connection tokens and protect it from cross-site request forgery (CSRF).

Client-side

To give the SDK access to this endpoint, implement the ConnectionTokenProvider protocol in your app, which defines a single function that requests a ConnectionToken from your backend.

APIClient.swift
Swift
import StripeTerminal // Example API client class for communicating with your backend class APIClient: ConnectionTokenProvider { // For simplicity, this example class is a singleton static let shared = APIClient() // Fetches a ConnectionToken from your backend func fetchConnectionToken(_ completion: @escaping ConnectionTokenCompletionBlock) { let config = URLSessionConfiguration.default let session = URLSession(configuration: config) guard let url = URL(string: "https://{{YOUR_BACKEND_URL}}/connection_token") else { fatalError("Invalid backend URL") } var request = URLRequest(url: url) request.httpMethod = "POST" let task = session.dataTask(with: request) { (data, response, error) in if let data = data { do { // Warning: casting using `as? [String: String]` looks simpler, but isn't safe: let json = try JSONSerialization.jsonObject(with: data, options: []) as? [String: Any] if let secret = json?["secret"] as? String { completion(secret, nil) } else { let error = NSError(domain: "com.stripe-terminal-ios.example", code: 2000, userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "Missing `secret` in ConnectionToken JSON response"]) completion(nil, error) } } catch { completion(nil, error) } } else { let error = NSError(domain: "com.stripe-terminal-ios.example", code: 1000, userInfo: [NSLocalizedDescriptionKey: "No data in response from ConnectionToken endpoint"]) completion(nil, error) } } task.resume() } }

This function is called whenever the SDK needs to authenticate with Stripe or the Reader. It’s also called when a new connection token is needed to connect to a reader (for example, when your app disconnects from a reader). If the SDK can’t retrieve a new connection token from your backend, connecting to a reader fails with the error from your server.

Caution

Do not cache or hardcode the connection token. The SDK manages the connection token’s lifecycle.

Certificate pinning

In most cases, you shouldn’t configure your application with certificate pinning. If your application does require it, see the certificate pinning docs.

Initialize the SDK
Client-side

The Terminal class made available by the Stripe Terminal SDK exposes a generic interface for discovering readers, connecting to a reader, and performing operations on the reader, such as displaying cart details, collecting payments, and saving cards for future use.

To get started, provide your ConnectionTokenProvider implemented in Step 3. You can only call setTokenProvider once in your app, and must call it before accessing Terminal.shared. We recommend calling setTokenProvider in your AppDelegate’s application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions method. Alternatively, you can use dispatch_once in Objective-C, or a static constructor in Swift.

AppDelegate.swift
Swift
import UIKit import StripeTerminal @UIApplicationMain class AppDelegate: UIResponder, UIApplicationDelegate { func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey : Any]? = nil) -> Bool { Terminal.setTokenProvider(APIClient.shared) // ... return true } // ... }

SDK updates

Stripe periodically releases updates which can include new functionality, bug fixes, and security updates. Update your SDK as soon as a new version is available. The currently available SDKs are:

  • Stripe Terminal Android SDK
  • Stripe Terminal iOS SDK
  • Stripe Terminal JavaScript SDK
  • Stripe Terminal React Native SDK

Next steps

  • Connect to a reader
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