Apple Pay Tap Gesture

Double-clicking and holding the side button of my phone to open Apple Pay, then tapping against the terminal, has become a gesture I do without thinking. The speed of it, maybe 3 seconds from pocket to payment, makes pulling out a wallet feel slow and clumsy by comparison. The haptic feedback when the payment goes through, a subtle buzz and a checkmark on screen, gives you confirmation without looking at a receipt or waiting for a cashier to hand you change. Every transaction should feel this frictionless because the less time I spend paying for things the more time I spend on whatever I came to do. That sound the terminal makes, a bright double chime, has become associated with completion in my mind the same way a cash register ring used to be.