Category: Tips

Today we use mobile devices, not only for sending messages or receiving calls but also for ordering products or services and paying for them. Statista report that by 2022, the transaction value of mobile payment apps will reach nearly $14 trillion, illustrating the fast-paced industry. Whether you want to build a booking, event, or even an e-commerce app to process transactions you will need a mobile app payment gateway. 

In this article, we will guide you through different payment gateway providers currently existing on the market, and explain how to integrate a payment gateway into your app via SDK. 

But first of all, let’s see how the mobile app payment gateway works.

HOW TO CHOOSE BEST PAYMENT GATEWAY FOR E-COMMERCE

How do mobile app payments work?

When you buy a new pair of sneakers or order pizza, either the app or website gives you the option to conduct an online payment via a built-in payment gateway. To achieve that, you need to fill in several fields with your cart information. Then, the mobile app payment processing goes like this: 

• You send your card information to the payment gateway
• The payment gateway sends the information to the bank that issued your card
• The bank sends the request to your payment system (MasterCard, VISA, etc.)
• The payment system analyses your reputation and analyzes the term of money transaction
• Your bank sends an authorization code that approves the payment system to complete the payment 
• Then, the code is sent to the payment gateway and, if the bank approves the transaction, money is sent to the seller’s bank account

[In-app payments process]

All these stages take only a few seconds if the Internet connection is good. Now you can imagine what is going on when you pay for your orders online. At the same time, you also see a clear picture of how important payment gateway security is. Every second, a massive amount of money and payment information go through payment gateways. To protect personal data from breaches, most payment systems use an HTTPS secure protocol, the IP address verification mechanisms, and even the request signature. 

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN APP?

To empower your app with payment gateways, you can choose among several options, explained below. 

In-app payment systems

There are two ways your app can conduct online payments, depending on the type of goods you are selling:

Use App Store Methods for virtual goods

If you want to sell subscriptions, additional features, or premium accounts, empower your app with specialized In-App Billing API for iOS and Android. Both Apple and Google take 30% from each transaction made within your mobile app and prohibit the use of any third-party payment gateways. By using In-App Billing API, you enable users to pay in-app with their AppStore or Google Play via Apple or Gmail accounts.  

9 ALTERNATIVE ANDROID APP STORES

Use the Payment Gateway for physical goods

When you are selling products and services outside the app, both Apple and Google recommend using third-party mobile payment gateway providers. You can integrate SDK as one of the existing in-app payment solutions to your app that will conduct all transactions with banks, secure customer data, and be responsible for payment transactions. 

Choosing A Mobile App Payment Solution Provider

Below we have gathered the top three most popular payment processors that provide SDK for mobile app integration. All of these providers take care of data and money transfers, saving you from unnecessary headaches. Now, let’s take a look at them in more detail. 

	PayPal	Braintree	Stripe
Payment methods	Developers can use the PayPal mobile SDK to process: Visa Mastercard  American Express  JCB  Maestro  Discover	Braintree accepts:  Visa Mastercard American Express  Apple Pay  Android Pay  MasterPass PayPal  Bitcoin	Stripe accepts:  Visa  Mastercard  American Express  JCB, Maestro Apple Pay  Android Pay  AliPay (a Chinese platform)
Transaction fees	Rate: pay a competitive rate of 2.9% + $0.30 per U.S.  Monthly fees: no fees or $30 in case PayPal Payments Pro package Currency conversion fees: varies from 0.4% to 3.3%.	Rate: 2.9% + 30 cents per successful charge. No fees for the first $50,000 processed Monthly fees: none Setup fees: none Currency conversion fee: 2%	Rate: 2.9% + 30 cents per successful charge Monthly fees: none Setup fees: none Currency conversion fee: 2%

If you need a simple yet effective solution, choose PayPal. At the same time, if you want to personalize the design of your payment gateway, so it matches your website or app identity, use Stripe or Braintree.

After choosing the most suitable payment gateway provider, let’s move to the next stage. 

Using SDK for integrating payment gateways in the app

Each payment provider has its own software development kit (SDK), as well as detailed documentation on integrating payment gateway in your mobile app. As we have said, the main benefit of using the SDK of an existing payment gateway is that they take control of the security and operations carried out during transactions. In this way, the use of payment gateway libraries rid you of buying a PCI certificate. 

While the integration details may vary depending on the platform and dev tools, the scheme remains the same. Thus, let us take Braintree as an example and see how to integrate this gateway into an iOS mobile app. 

PAYMENT GATEWAY COMPARISON: GUIDE TO E-COMMERCE PAYMENTS

Step 1. Set up the client to call your server

In this step, you set up your client to call your server. To achieve that, you need to: 

• Download and install the SDK of the Braintree payment gateway. You can find it on the link
• Add your credentials. Set up the client option to call your server to fetch the Braintree client tokens
• Set up your client. Follow the Braintree documentation to set up your client for iOS SDK
• Call your server to process the payment

Step 2. Set up your server to call the Braintree SDK

During this step, you set up your server to call the Braintree SDK to set up and execute the payment:

Initialize the Braintree SDK:

• Import the Braintree SDK module
• Set up a gateway using your Braintree access token
• Set up a URL to return a client token to the browser

HOW TO DEVELOP A SHOPPING APP LIKE WISH?

Set up the payment:

• Set up a URL to handle requests from the client
• Get the nonce from the request body
• Set up the parameters to execute the payment, including the nonce 
• Call the Braintree gateway to execute the payment
• Return a successful response to the client

If you are not a tech person and you need to integrate a payment gateway, we recommend hiring mobile app developers.

Final Thoughts

The payment gateway is essential for all commercial mobile apps. To empower your app with this feature, use the SDK of existing payment gateways, such as PayPal, Braintree, or Stripe. You can integrate the SDK on your own or hire a development team that will do all the integrations and settings for you. 

Everyone’s shifting mobile nowadays, getting things done on the go – communication, purchases, job, etc. Consequently, businesses adapt to this escalating life tempo to stay helpful and in this way highly demanded by more and more users out there.

The first expert we invited for a talk is our Business Analyst Max. And this guy knows for sure what features to include in your mobile app and optimize the overall cost of the venture. At the end of the day, a penny saved is a penny earned.

This is the reason why we’ve craved to hear first-hand information on the importance of an administration panel for mobile applications straight from Max.

LEARN ALSO: 5 Reasons Why Technical Documentation is Crucial for Your Mobile App

The formula of the interviews will look like this:

• a range of major disturbing questions on the topic to the expert;
• live examples to showcase discussed issues;
• helpful advice from the guru on how to manage a particular matter the best way.

So, let’s get started. And the first specialist we decided to get the opinion from is The App Solutions Business Analyst Max Yushchenko.

This is the person who explains in detail and then confirms in figures everything regarding appropriate mobile apps for different business fields, latest and most suitable features to include in your software, all opportunities, threats, and solutions to go profitable within the mobile app and your venture altogether.

Kate

Hello, Max. It’s nice to host you today. How do you feel about being a pioneering expert in our new project? After all, you know everything about the benefits of different features within a variety of mobile applications.

Max

Hey, Kate. Probably that is my major task as Business Analyst at The App Solutions – to lead entrepreneurs in their decision-making, define requirements, possible problems of the project and find the best possible solutions for them.

Kate

Getting to our topic, here is my first off question – Please explain, what Admin Panel is all about in the context of mobile applications?

Max

Well, originally it’s your management tool as the app’s owner. Depending on the capacity of your admin console, you can execute any control function – from setting up user permissions, keeping track of new sign ups and active users to managing content, checking browse stats, sending notifications, etc.

Kate

Are there some mobile apps, which don’t need an admin panel to perform fully?

Max

Of course, they exist. It’s still a minority of mobile apps (usually with simpler functionality), which don’t require any user and content-related operations and perform one or two steady jobs. Calculator, flashlight, or compass are the best examples of such apps.

MUST-READ: Everything You Need to Know About 5-Star App Development

Kate

But what is so vital about the admin panel? What is its’ role in the complete mobile application?

Max

First and foremost, when dealing with any type of content within the mobile app, there is no other way than adding and updating it through the admin panel.

E.g., CMS (Content Management System) is a good case of the admin panel for e-commerce or local business apps like Tripper Guru. This tool is an essential part of the mobile application, which allows different groups of users to add their content and this way interact with each other.

Without this segment most applications simply don’t exist, so you cannot call the admin panel just beneficial – it’s a significant and inevitable part of the entire system.

CHECK OUT TOO: Do You Need a Mobile E-commerce App for Your Business?

A tip from the expert

Kate

Thanks a lot, Max. It was as clear as it was brief. And for dessert, we’re expecting a sharp recommendation from you.

For those mobile app projects, which require an admin panel on board, what are the ways to optimize cost for building administration functionality?

Max

That’s a good question, thank you, Kate. And I have a couple of solutions for that.

One of them is using the above mentioned Content Management Systems as the admin panel for your mobile app. Why does it help to reduce the overall cost? Because it’s a pre-made solution and you don’t need to build it from the scratch. It’s a ready-to-go backend platform for your app. Easy and quick.

Of course, it doesn’t work for each and every application type. For some projects, on the contrary, it’s better to build a custom CMS. The choice is only a matter of the functionality required.

The other solution is a highly precise setting of the task to your development team. And it means the explanation of all the details and capacities you want to see in your admin panel. The exact scope of tasks for your developers will result in less time spent in discussions and trials, which reduces your budget for developers’ salaries.

I think these are the two best-aimed ways to correct your budget for an admin panel of the app, at the same time enhancing the quality of the concluding product.

Kate

It sounds really good, Max. Thanks for your time and an abundance of useful information. That was educative indeed 🙂

Max

Thanks for hosting me, Kate. It’s always a pleasure sharing my knowledge and experience for the sake of our clients’ prosperity.

Stay tuned for more exciting Expert Interviews soon, guys!

One of the early signals that Google might increase beyond exploration in all sorts of curious and surprising directions was the Google Maps that was released in 2005. The Google Maps project has grown over the years to carry satellite imagery, street views, millions of places of interest, turn-by-turn navigation, public transportation, traffic conditions, public transportation, and more.

Google has jam-packed a bundle of great features inside of Maps, but not all of them are easy to find. We will help you solve the mystery of Google Maps with these tricks and tips.

1. Route the easiest bike trails by Google Maps

If you enjoy cycling, Google Maps is a perfect tool for you. It will help choose safe or extreme paths showing steep hills or slopes. In such a way, you can avoid difficulties and troubles with planning a perfect route. If you bike to work, you can avoid not only traffic jams but search for a better way without any troubles.

These maps also count the total number of feet you have to climb. Unfortunately, this feature is currently only available on the desktop. Google Maps is working great on mobile phones, but you may also use it on your desktop.

2. Have lost or don’t know the exact location? Google Maps can make it easy

Google Maps can show the exact address and right directions. Sometimes, you have no possibility to explain to your friends the exact location. Don’t be afraid. You need to press down a little blue dot on the screen to drop a pin. Then just press on that pin and “share” your location spot via email or a message with your friends.

3. Find your way around without Wi-Fi

A lot of consumers complain that one of the major defects of Google Maps is the fact that you need to be online to use it. If you are going to take a trip to your neighborhood or nearby cities with no Wi-Fi, you can download a part of the map you need to be your guide.

You can also download and watch maps offline with a little planning: mark the three dots on the corner of the map, and click “Save the offline map.” That area will be saved as Your places category in the app.

4. “Star” your favorite places

Another great way to save locations that you love is by starring them. It will add a tourism location to your “Saved Places,” and create a yellow star on your map. You need only touch the needed address, and the star icon will be labeled as “Save.”

5. Google will prevent you from staying without gas and money

Google lists are helpful options for you when you are out of cash or gas by searching nearby gas stations or ATMs. So in some way Google Maps is your savior and trouble-solver. Also, you can easily direct yourself towards coffee shops, hospitals, libraries, Apple stores, post offices and cinemas, and museums.

6. Make sure you don’t miss the last train

If you are partying all evening and don’t want to bother with this problem, but, unfortunately, you need to get home on time. Google can check for you when the last train or bus leaves and will remind you not to miss the last one. Look for your destination address and tap the navigation icon. On the next page, you can choose a transportation mode.

Change into the train icon. You’ll see a list of different ways to travel. Select the one you need. A simple list of tips will tell you where to go, how many stops it will make, what buses or trains to catch, when to get off, etc. It is simple as 1,2,3!

7. Zoom in and out with just one finger

Pinch-to-zoom is one of the most spread actions of the touch screen era. You can simply double-tap to zoom in. Google has created an approach to Zoom in and out with just one finger click.

8. Google Maps knows where you are at all times

Google Maps remembers all the places you have visited in a timeline to make your location history easily accessible in a timeline view. Google Maps shows you a chronological list of visited places, how long have you been at a location, what transportation you have used. Also, you can set your information about locations.

9. Be your own traffic manager

This version is suitable only for desktops where you can watch real-time traffic data, allowing you to arrange your time and avoid traffic jams.

10. You can give nicknames to your favorite places

You should already have at least 2 favorite places: Home and Work or School, Or College. Google Maps enables you to create names and nicknames or even rename every location you want. This feature exists not only for entertaining but for making your searching tool more convenient.

11.Explore your area

Living in a big city is always a question of finding the right place to have a rest with your family or to have a romantic dinner with your girlfriend. Google Maps Make It Easy. After clicking An Explorer Bar, you will see tons of local favorites, avenues, attractions, top cafes, and restaurants.