> **Description:** Details about API and platform updates for December 2021, including new features, improvements, and important changes to Vipps services.

# Technical update Dec 2021

## Omikron tips

These solutions are extra relevant (again):

* Use *Vipps Logg inn* and the
  [Login API](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/login-api/README.md)
  to register visitors.
* [Use Userinfo to register visitors](#use-userinfo-to-register-visitors)
  as an easy-to-use step in a normal Vipps payment.
* ["Click and collect" recommendations](#click-and-collect-recommendations)
  to speed up the user experience for your customers.

## Vipps Hurtigkasse: Use the explicit flow

When users are prompted to select shipping address and shipping method, the
explicit flow is *strongly* recommended. The user then has to actively
select shipping address and shipping method.

The "old" flow does not prompt the user in the same way, and some users
do not notice that they select an incorrect/old/outdated address.

Using the explicit flow is simple: Just specify
`"useExplicitCheckoutFlow": true`
in
`POST:/ecomm/v2/payments`.

See
"Old and new Express flow" (URL no longer available)
for more details.

## Use the API Dashboard to find problems with your integration

*UPDATE from 2024-01-12: The API Dashboard is deprecated.*

The API Dashboard is available for both the production and test environments,
and is an easy way to see if you are using the APIs correctly.
Think of it as a "health check", that you can use to see if there are any
problems you need to investigate.

See it on the portal in the *Utvikler* section.
Here's an example for the eCom API's `/refund` endpoint:

## Important information for partners

There is quite a bit happening for Vipps partners.
Please see
[Vipps Partner pages](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/partner/README.md)
for (continuously) updated information.

## Reminders

### Use Userinfo to register visitors

For guest registration/tracking: Use *Userinfo* to ask for the user's details, such as:
phone number, name, email address, postal address, birthdate, national identity number and bank accounts.
The user must of course consent to sharing the information.

See
[Userinfo for eCom](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/ecom-api/vipps-ecom-api.md#profile-sharing)
and
[Userinfo for Recurring](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/recurring-api/recurring-api-guide.md#profile-sharing).

### "Click and collect" recommendations

For "click and collect" we recommend to use
[`staticShippingDetails`](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/ecom-api/vipps-ecom-api.md#shipping-and-static-shipping-details)
(to avoid the extra HTTP roundtrip where Vipps asks the merchant
for the shipping options and prices) and also to set the default
shipping method to "Click and collect".

This will significantly speed up the payment process for customers.

This is done in the
[`POST:​/ecomm​/v2​/payments`](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/redocusaurus/ecom-swagger-id.yaml)
call by including:

```json
"staticShippingDetails": [
  {
    "isDefault": "Y",
    "priority": 0,
    "shippingCost": 0,
    "shippingMethod": "Click and collect",
    "shippingMethodId": "click-and-collect"
  }
]
```

### The QR API

Make window shopping great again!

An [early version of the QR API](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/qr-api/README.md) is available.

The QR API lets merchants generate QR codes that can be used to pay
over the counter, without requiring the user to provide their telephone
number. Or you can create your own QR with a
[short URL](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/qr-api/api-guide/one-time-payment.md)
that we provide.

The QR code, when scanned and opened, will redirect the user to the Vipps
landing page, which on the phone will automatically trigger a switch to the
Vipps app where they can pay the merchant.

### The Order Management API

An early version of the
[Order Management API](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/order-management-api/README.md) is available.

The Order Management API allows merchants to attach order details to
existing Vipps transactions. This information is shown to the customer in the
app in their order history. This functionality is available for both recurring
and direct payments, but not for pass-through payments.

### The Recurring API now supports variable amounts

Recurring agreements with variable amount lets merchants charge users a different
amount each interval, based on the user's specified max amount.

More information can be found in the
[Recurring guide](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/recurring-api/recurring-api-guide.md#variable-amount-pricing).

### Vipps Login support for authentication/registration outside of browser/app (CIBA)

The Vipps Login service has been extended with Client Initiated Backchannel Authentication
(CIBA) flows to support use cases where authentication/registration does not start in a browser or an app.

This could typically be physical contexts like point of sales (POS) solutions, on the
phone in call center solutions, or devices/terminals like TV boxes. We currently support initiating logins based on the
users' phone number. We are also working on supporting the same flows with the user scanning the merchant's QR-code as a
starting point.

More information can be found in [our documentation](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/APIs/login-api/README.md).

## Technical updates archive

All the previous technical updates are in the
[Technical updates archive](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/technical-updates/README.md).

## Questions or comments?

We're always happy to help with code or other questions you might have!
Please create [GitHub issues or pull requests](https://github.com/vippsas)
for the relevant API,
or [contact us](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/docs/contact.md).

> **Full site overview:** For every page in this documentation, read [https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/llms.txt](https://developer.vippsmobilepay.com/llms.txt).