Square’s new Order app lets you skip the register altogether

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Square has been at the forefront of mobile payments for years now, thanks largely to the popularity of its white card reader that’s used by merchants everywhere.

Now the company is debuting a brand new app called Square Order, and it does away with the need for a cash register completely. The introduction of Square Order also means the death of Square Wallet, a failed experiment that Order hopes to correct.

Released in the App Store a few years ago, Square Wallet allowed a user to store their credit card info in the app and check in at a store or restaurant based on location proximity. Instead of having to swipe a card at checkout, you would just tell the person working the register to put it on your name.

It wasn’t a bad idea, but it never caught on.

“Square Wallet gave buyers a magical way to pay and our new Order app adds more utility to the buying experience,” said Square spokesperson Katie Baynes to Cult of Mac. “Now customers can not only discover nearby businesses and browse menus, but they can place an order and get notified when it’s ready for pick up, while the payment happens seamlessly in the background.”

Now that Square Wallet is off the App Store for good, Square Order is the company’s bet on the future of e-commerce. Since you can order and pay for everything in the app, it removes needing to stand in line at the register at all.

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You pick a nearby merchant that uses Square from within the app and order from the restaurant’s pickup menu. Once you order, a push notification will let you know when it’s ready to be picked up.

Merchants on the official Square Market have already been able to offer pickup options, but the Order app puts the feature in the palm of your hand while you’re out and about. If Square can market it effectively, Order is bound to be a hit.

Square Order is available for download in the App Store, but unfortunately it only works in San Francisco and New York City right now. More cities and merchants will be added as the service slowly rolls out.

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