Why Android merchants need the Visa Tap to Ready app

Last updated: June 24, 2026

Quick answer

Yes.

  1. It hosts the NFC kernel, installs once, and runs in the background
  2. Android MPOC kernels support app-to-app only — there are no non-app-to-app MPOC-certified solutions

See Running Payments on Android — Step 1.

Solution

The Visa Tap to Ready app hosts the NFC kernel. It is installed once and runs in the background. This is a hard requirement — Android kernels support MPOC only through app-to-app architecture. No MPOC-certified non-app-to-app solutions exist; building an isolated Android solution requires separate MPOC certification.

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