Ask HN: Credit Card reader similar to Square but with API

Have you had a look at the Square Commerce API? If Android is not a hard requirement, there is an iOS SDK:

https://connect.squareup.com/docs/api#commerce-api-overview

If I were to allow someone to swipe my card through one of these readers, or any similar reader, how do I know there isn't a software 'skimmer' bundled with whichever app they're using to process the payment?

For the same price, how do you know the phone using Square isn't using a skimmer? I've heard that Square doesn't encrypt the data...

That's why I wrote "or any similar reader".

amazon just released one today !

yep. You find it here: http://localregister.amazon.com/