Kitasando Coffee was one of the Japan debut sites for App Clips. I finally had time to check it out today. The overall experience was similar to the Starbucks app mobile order and pay. Regulars would use the full blown Coffee App but I wanted to see how fast the App Clip ‘point and pay’ experience would be.
My iPhone 11 NFC reader mode kicked in and launched the Coffee App Clip, I ordered and paid with Apple Pay, all just under a minute even with first timer ‘what do I do now’ pauses, then waited for the order to be filled. There was no ‘Sign in with Apple ID’ step, just point, order, pay, pickup. The video shows the whole process with the order wait time edited out.
App Clips does a very good job of utilizing NFC reader mode and loading time with 4G LTE was also good. I still have doubts about the experience in a marginal WiFi environment (the WiFi Assist factor) and hope to test different places as App Clips gain traction. Bottom line: if NFC with reader mode is this slick, why would anybody bother with QR or App Clip Codes?
UPDATE
iOS 14.3 beta has support for Apple designed App Clip Code scanning. Here is a quick screen recording of the scan process and animation. The App Clip Code is a photo of the ExxonMobile gas pump stickers that launched October 22. The App Clip does not load because the ExxonMobile App is not available in Japan.
You must be logged in to post a comment.