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Get Paid by Using PayPal in Your Mobile App

Service-based businesses rejoice!

You now have the ability to collect payments for your services through a mobile app.

Sure this was already an option through tools like Square, but now you don’t have to work with a completely different platform that requires you to be in-person for swiping a card. PayPal has long been the processor of choice for freelancers, contractors and other service-oriented businesses, and now iBuildApp has integrated the tool into its own platform.

PayPal is obviously nothing new, but the new feature gives you the tools for collecting payments, setting prices, sending out messages and posting buttons on your mobile app.

We like it best because it gives users a reason to come back to your app more consistently, and it simply makes sense to consolidate your payment collection process into an already existent mobile app.

What Can You Do With the PayPal Payments Feature?

  • Accept payments for services
  • Collect multiple payments for different services and products
  • Use your existing PayPal account for collecting
  • Accept donations
  • Indicate specific amounts that clients must pay
  • Change the payment subject for when the payment goes through
  • Insert PayPal Buy Now buttons anywhere on your mobile app
  • Return users to a certain page after they’ve made a payment


How to Get Paid by Using PayPal in Your Mobile App

Step 1: Create a PayPal Account or Use Your Existing One

The first step is to go to the PayPal website. Many people will already have PayPal accounts configured. In this case, you don’t have to worry about this step at all. If you haven’t created a PayPal account in the past, go to the Signup button to walk through the whole process.

It’ll ask you for your personal information, along with what checking accounts you’d like to set up with the PayPal account. This is essential for moving money into your desired account, along with sending money to other people or businesses.

Upon setting up your PayPal account, move onto the next step for implementing the wide array of PayPal features on your mobile app.

Step 2: Add the PayPal Feature into Your Mobile App

Go to the PayPal Payments feature page. This gives you the option to add the feature to an existing mobile app. You can also go to the iBuildApp Manage panel within one of your apps to install a feature directly from there. In fact, most users find this to be the easiest route.

Activate the feature so that it shows up on your mobile app demo to the right. You can change around the color scheme and specify whether or not you’d like the PayPal feature to be visible on the app. However, the true functionality of the feature comes into play with the actual payments.

Step 3: Punch In the PayPal Email You Plan on Using

Each PayPal account requires you to link an email address to the account. This way, if someone wants to send you money they only need to type in that particular email address.

PayPal wigdet

This is one of the reasons PayPal is so simple. And we’ve used the same process for configuring your account on a mobile app.

One of the fields in the PayPal feature asks for your PayPal Email or Merchant ID. Take the email associated with your PayPal account and punch it into that field.

Step 4: Specify the Currency You Want to Use

Not everyone is using the same currency, so it’s wise to indicate what type of currency you would like to use with your PayPal app. This way, if someone pays you in a different currency, PayPal can convert it to your own currency.

Step 5: Set the Payment Subject and Return URL

The Payment subject shows up as a message when a payment goes through, and it also pops up towards the top of the app page. This is a good place to have a call to action or some sort of title to explain the page.

The return URL sends users to another page after they have completed a payment. We like this for directing people to a custom thank you page or even a receipt of some sort. The alternative is leaving the field blank and keeping users on the PayPal module.



Conclusion

That’s all there is to it. Now that you know how to get paid using PayPal in your mobile app, feel free to send out requests for payments to all of your clients. Heck, you can even post PayPal buttons in regular mobile app pages.

PayPal widget

If you have any questions about configuring PayPal on your app, leave us a comment in the section below.