You’ll Soon Be Able to Use Your IPhone for More Than Just Apple Pay
With the release of iOS 18.1 later this year, Apple will allow you to run third-party apps for contactless transactions instead of Apple Pay . Participating apps can support NFC features such as payments, ID badges, event tickets, car keys, hotel keys, enclosed vehicles, and rewards cards. This is the first time that third-party developers will be able to use NFC for more than just basic purposes. reading tags.
However, there are a few riders concerned with these new changes. Apple says developers will need to sign a commercial agreement, request access to the NFC and Secure Element (SE) APIs, and pay the fees required to access these features. The company says this is to ensure your iPhone’s security is not compromised and that only authorized developers who meet regulatory, security and privacy requirements can access these APIs.
Secure Element is a chip in your iPhone that is responsible for keeping sensitive data securely stored on the device. Once developers have access to it, as well as the iOS NFC API, they will be able to add tap-to-pay functionality to their apps. You can either use these apps directly or set the app as your default contactless app in settings. You can double-click the side button on your iPhone to make a payment using the Chase app, for example, or go to work using a digital business ID—as long as those developers pay Apple a fee.
Apple is initially making these APIs available to developers in the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. If you live outside of these regions, you’ll have to wait to try it. Additionally, the company says it will support NFC for government ID cards in the future.
This is the latest in a series of steps Apple has taken to open up its ecosystem following increased scrutiny from governments around the world. The European Union recently accused the company of violating the Digital Markets Act after forcing the company to open app stores, web browsers and NFC payments on iOS. The EU is also responsible for Apple’s transition to USB Type-C , starting with the iPhone 15 series .
While it’s usually considered good news whenever Apple opens up its ecosystem, this move could mean that Apple’s Wallet app is starting to become a little less important. If every developer forces you to use their app to access these features, the convenience of a “hub” like Apple Pay and Apple Wallet could be lost. Let’s see how developers react to this change in policy.