While many fast food chains already offer mobile ways to order and/or pay for your food before you ever step foot in the restaurant, McDonald’s has yet to launch its own version of that kind of technology. But the company says it’s now finally getting ready to roll out a new mobile order-and-pay service, slated to arrive next year.

McDonald’s told Business Insider that the new technology will begin rolling out next year in the U.S. and international markets like Australia, Canada, France, and the UK. It’ll be available at 20,000 to 25,000 restaurants worldwide, by 2018, a spokeswoman said.

The appeal here is the same both for customers and the company: mobile ordering can cut wait times and ensure that customers’ orders are accurate.

Though it’s getting into the game now, some experts say McDonald’s has missed out by taking so long to launch mobile order-and-pay.

“This isn’t new technology, it’s something that should be fairly standard nowadays,” Neil Saunders, CEO of retail consulting firm Conlumino, told BI.

We first heard rumors that McDonald’s was testing an order/payment app back in 2014, but it’s unclear if the tech the chain tested then will be similar to the final product.

McDonald’s is finally catching up to other fast food chains in one big way [Business Insider]

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