by Dan Moren
Headphone jack-based Square reader works with Lightning adapter
Our good friend Caitlin McGarry at Macworld answers a question I’d had: what happens to Square’s credit card reader in a headphone-jack-less world?
I reached out to Square spokeswoman Semonti Stephens, who said the Lightning to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter (like the one Apple is including in the iPhone 7 box when it ships Sept. 16) will work with Square’s reader. But it’s unclear how many people will actually need to use an adapter. The Venn diagram of business owners that don’t support chip cards–which Square accepts with a separate, wireless card reader that doesn’t use the headphone jack–and iPhone 7 buyers is probably pretty small.
I’ve seen more and more places using Square’s contactless/chip card reader, though I have definitely still seen certain vendors–food trucks especially–using the older reader. Granted they’re also probably using older phones, so no problem there. Either way, it seems like the headphone jack version of the reader, iconic and groundbreaking as it was, is on its way out.