Apple today announced that developers will soon be able to offer NFC transactions in their own apps for the first time – something that is currently largely reserved for Apple Pay.
Starting with iOS 18.1 later this year, new APIs will enable developers to offer contactless in-app transactions separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. This opens up new possibilities for in-store payments, car keys, closed transit, corporate IDs, student IDs, house keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, and in the future, government IDs. The APIs use the Secure Enclave in iPhone, a certified chip that stores sensitive information directly on the device itself.
Users can either open an app that has these APIs directly or set it as their default contactless app in settings and then double-click the side button to initiate the transaction.
Developers must request NFC and Secure Enclave authorization, enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, and pay associated fees. Apple says this ensures that only authorized developers who meet certain regulatory and industry requirements and commit to Apple’s security and privacy standards can gain access to the APIs.
The NFC and Secure Enclave APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK and the US in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1, with additional regions to follow.
