Apple announced on Wednesday that it will open up the iPhone’s NFC chip to third-party apps, just as it did earlier this year for developers located in the European Union. The new API will be available in a future iOS 18.1 beta, and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for iPhone apps. Read on as we detail what developers can do with the new NFC API for iPhone.
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There are many ways to interact with HomeKit. You can use the Home app on iOS or macOS, you can use Siri on a HomePod or Apple Watch, but another way is with NFC tags, and it’s surprisingly easy and can be done for less than $1 per NFC automation you want to build. Since learning how to use it, it’s been an ideal way to use HomeKit in a way that’s faster than using the Home app but more reliable than Siri. Let’s dive in on how it works and how to configure it.
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The Federal Ministry of the Interior has announced that it will be possible to scan German ID cards with an iPhone running iOS 13.
This follows earlier news that iPhones will be able to scan the NFC chips in Japanese ID cards and British passports …
iPhones running iOS 13 will be able to scan NFC chips in Japanese identity cards. This is as a result of Apple’s decision to allow broader access to the iPhone’s NFC chip by third-party apps.
The app will allow Japanese citizens to scan their own cards in order to store the information on their phones …
Last November, we explained how the UK government was working to convince Apple to open up the iPhone NFC chip to allow EU citizens to scan their passports post-Brexit. Now, the UK government says it has reached a deal with Apple to access the iPhone’s NFC technology.
The Information reports that Apple will be taking a big leap in iOS 12, giving some third-party developers full access to the NFC chip inside iPhones, first introduced with iPhone 6.
The report says Apple wants the iPhone to be used in many more contactless interactions beyond Apple Pay payments, like acting as a hotel door key or as a virtual transit card for easier transportation.
When Apple put an NFC chip into the iPhone 7 and later, it was initially limited to Apple Pay. iOS 11 opened up access to third-party developers, and YubiKey has just taken advantage of that to allow one of its hardware keys to login to iOS apps.
The YubiKey NEO is a USB key has so far been used mostly for Mac and PCs …
We learned back in June that iOS 11 would for the first time allow third-party developers to access the NFC chip for their own apps, for the first time extending its use beyond store reward and gift cards through Apple Pay.
Major League Baseball says that it has been trialling the first ever NFC tickets in Apple Wallet. A trial by Oakland Athletics lasted for six games, and was evidently deemed a success as 23 MLB teams will be using the technology next year …
Third-party app developers will for the first time get access to the NFC chip in the iPhone 7/Plus (and presumably this year’s iPhones) in iOS 11. To date, only Apple Pay has been allowed to use the near-field communications chip.
Apple’s WWDC keynote did give one hint that use of the chip was being extended beyond payment when it showed the Apple Watch syncing data with gym equipment, but a new developer document says that third-party apps will be able to use it too …
Jailbreak developer Elias Limneos has accomplished a feat with his jailbroken device that some are hoping will eventually be a standard feature on iPhones. He’s made it so that his jailbroken iPhone responds to NFC-enabled devices. Thus far, Limneos has tested his hack with NFC-enabled tags, but the proof of concept holds promise for jailbroken iPhone users.
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The Fitbit Blaze ‘fitness watch’
With the Apple Watch the most convenient way to use Apple Pay, Fitbit appears set to bring contactless payment tech to its fitness bands from next year.
After acquiring mobile payment company Coin earlier this month, Fitbit hinted to TNW that it would add NFC payment capabilities to one or more of its devices next year …
Swatch seems to have acknowledged the difficulty of competing with the Apple Watch, announcing today that it would be focusing its smartwatch efforts on its low-cost plastic models before making a move into its more expensive brands. The WSJ notes that the Swatch Group owns Omega, Longines and Tissot.
Swatch Group AG on Thursday said it would focus its smartwatch technology on its plastic Swatch brand in response to devices launched by Apple Inc. and others before considering installing it in its pricier brands […]
The Swatch Bellamy, a version of its eponymous plastic Swatch watch that uses near-field communication technology, sells for €80 ($88) to €100.
This is hardly a smartwatch at all, comprising a dumb watch with an NFC payment chip embedded beneath the dial. The company plans to make further low-end smartwatch launches in the U.S., Brazil and Switzerland.
“We are not talking about competing with Apple,” said the colorful Mr. Hayek, who was dressed in a plaid shirt and scarf, occasionally donned a pair of Swatch sunglasses and puffed on a big cigar during the news conference. “They are consumer-electronics people and we don’t want to get into that sector.”
Swatch hasn’t exactly set out to make friends with Apple. It’s believed that the company’s trademarking of ‘iSwatch’ prevented Apple using iWatch as the name for the Apple Watch, and the company last year trademarked ‘One More Thing.’
KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a good track record on what if not when, says that Apple’s new 4-inch iPhone will “resemble an upgraded iPhone 5s,” but will get some new internals. Externally, he suggests the main visible difference will be similar curved-edge glass to the iPhone 6/6s.
Beneath the hood, he says the phone – expected to be dubbed the iPhone 6c – will get an A9 processor and NFC chip to support Apple Pay. The camera will, however, be identical to that in the 5s. Kuo’s investment note also supports recent reports that the 6c will get a metal case, stating that it will be available in at least 2-3 colors.
Kuo expects the phone to hit in the first quarter of next year, but does think that it may generate relatively modest sales …
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Coin, the company behind the innovative electronic card that aimed to consolidate your wallet into a single card, has today announced the 2.0 version of its offering. The first iteration of Coin began shipping in April 2015 and anyone who owns the first generation of the product is eligible for a free upgrade to Coin 2.0. Coin 2.0 includes a variety of enhancements, most important of which comes with the addition of NFC.
Apple appears to be planning to enable its Apple Pay iPhone mobile payments service in the United Kingdom on July 14th, according to sources at multiple retailers. Apple has informed some Apple Retail employees in the U.K. that Apple Pay support will go live on that Tuesday, while an internal memos for supermarket Waitrose plus an additional retail partner indicate the same date…
Our look at the upcoming “iPhone 6S” continues today with a discussion of new internal components that are expected to be inside Apple’s latest smartphone. In addition to expected changes such as a Force Touch display, upgraded camera system, and new Qualcomm LTE chip for up to twice-as-fast data speeds, the next iPhone will likely include updated NFC hardware, fewer and more efficient chips, and new flash memory that may nonetheless remain at a 16GB minimum capacity.
Verifone will be among the first to enable its NFC terminals to support Apple Pay’s upcoming support for customer loyalty cards, the company announced today.
As part of its WWDC announcements on Monday, Apple said that it would soon enable loyalty cards in Apple Pay as it renames the iOS Passbook app “Wallet” to better reflect the addition of payment services since its launch. But before that happens, payment terminal manufacturers will have to flip the switch on support for loyalty cards through their NFC terminals. One of the first companies to do that will be Verifone, one of the leaders in making NFC terminals.
The company announced today that it will enable support for loyalty cards on its MX 915 and MX 925 terminals, allowing six national and global retailers to start accepting loyalty transitions and redeeming rewards through Apple Pay.
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Following its usual teardown of the Apple Watch, iFixit today released its first repair guides for Apple’s new device covering screen, NFC antenna, and battery replacements, as well as the process of safely replacing adhesives during repair.
When it comes to the NFC antenna, iFixit warns that it’s easy to damage the component when opening the Apple Watch for any repair, meaning replacement or repair might be necessary:
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We’ve already seen the Apple Watch get torn apart by iFixit, giving us an inside look at the Taptic Engine, Digital Crown, and (mostly) battery, and now ABI Research has gone a level further and opened up the custom designed S1 chip that is the brains of the Apple Watch…
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Apple is reportedly planning to launch Apple Pay in Canada, its first expansion of the payments service outside the U.S., this fall, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The company is reportedly in talks with banks for a launch as soon as November:
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Image via Future Supplier
Some new photos posted by Future Supplier claim to show the leaked rear casing to the rumored “iPhone 6C.” Recent reports have said that the device will sport a 4-inch screen like that of the iPhone 5, 5C, and 5S, allowing it to appeal to those who prefer smaller displays over the larger iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
While the veracity of these shots has not been confirmed, there are some interesting details to note that could give us some more clues about the design of the rumored device.
Apple Pay partner MasterCard used the PGA Tour kickoff in Phoenix earlier this year to promote Apple’s mobile payment service, and today MasterCard announced that Apple Pay will be accepted at the upcoming Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida. MasterCard says that almost all vendors at the golf event will accept Apple Pay and other contactless payment options for paying for merchandise and concessions.
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We learned last fall that Apple plans to bring Apple Pay to China by partnering with UnionPay. Code found within iOS pointed to Apple preparing its mobile payment service for China while MarketWatch reported Apple was working on a deal with the institution. Several months later, however, MarketWatch now reports that Apple is “struggling with its relationship with UnionPay,” adding that Apple has not yet established an agreement it hoped to reach by March.
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