Swiping Credit Cards on iPad, iPhone, iPod, and Android OS

MyPMS' MyCard system is built to accept any swiped data into the system and allow for credit cards to be swiped into the system and store the 'magnetic card' data so that a 'sweep rate' transaction occurs. On the iPad, iPhone, iPods using iOS ver 1-4 model the solution was to use keyboard input via the 'Apple camera connection' kit. That device would allow all types of inputs to the iOS, and worked for swiping cards into Safari when the 'focus' was on the name field in MyPMS or 'Add Credit card' via a Folio.

But iOS 5 changed that in 2012. Apple made use of the 'Apple camera connection' kit more limited.

There are many 'apps' that can be downloaded to accept card swipes (Square and PayPal are 2 popular examples), and these can work to accept credit cards and fund your bank account. However, these apps have to go through Apple's 'app store' process and won't work elegantly within MyPMS, as they can't post the event to the browser. Thus, using one of these devices is like using a 'terminal' at your desk - you can swipe and get authorizations for a card through Square or PayPal on an iPad, but then you will have to manually post the payment (or credit) event back to the Folio in MyPMS.

Apple's employees and developer network are aware of this 'hole' in the iOS5, and there is rumor to be a fix coming for these sort of integrations allowed back to the iOS. But until/unless we find the solution that will allow a keyboard input to accept data from a USB/connection kit rig into Safari (or any iOS/Android browser) the goals of swiping seamlessly into the browser on iOS5 iPad has been shut off.