iOS 18 on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Apple is expanding the reach of NFC on iPhone by opening the technology to third-party apps. Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer contactless transactions from their own apps independent of Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, the company announced today.
Apple’s new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs will enable developers to create apps for a wide variety of tasks and transactions. Some of the applications Apple cited include in-store payments, car keys, public transportation fares, corporate IDs, student IDs, house keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets. In the future, even government IDs will be supported.
Also: How to use Apple Pay in stores and online (and why you should)
With data protection and security in mind, the new NFC access uses the Secure Element, a certified chip in the device designed to store and protect sensitive data. The transactions themselves use Face ID or Touch ID for authentication and communicate with Apple servers.
On the user side, you can start the process in a few different ways. You can open the NFC-supported app directly and follow the necessary steps. Or you can set a specific app as your default contactless option and then simply double-click the side button to start the transaction, like you do with Apple Pay.
The NFC and SE APIs will be rolled out in an upcoming developer build of iOS 18.1 to developers in the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, with more locations to follow, Apple added. However, developers who want to participate will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple and pay associated fees.
Apple integrated NFC into the iPhone 10 years ago, but it was natively available only for services like Apple Pay. Developers who wanted to use the technology had to overcome several hurdles to make their apps compatible with it. Creating the necessary APIs will greatly simplify the process for developers and open the door for more apps to benefit iPhone users.
Also: All iPhone models that can be updated to Apple’s iOS 18 (and which cannot)
In a developer support page, Apple explains how the NFC and SE APIs work and how to enable specific use cases such as car keys, student IDs, and event tickets. The page also describes the steps to request access to the NFC and SE platform and integrate it into an app.
Apple’s iOS 18.1 is currently available as a developer beta and only for the Phone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Since iOS 18 is expected to launch in September, the 18.1 update could arrive as early as October. This means we should see apps supporting the new NFC feature before the end of the year.
