Apple opens NFC access on iPhone to iOS developers, with conditions

Until now, the NFC platform on iOS was limited to Apple’s own Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Apple is finally opening up its NFC platform on iOS to third-party developers.

With the upcoming iOS 18.1 release, iOS developers can now allow users to perform NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their apps. This new capability for developers will enable new kinds of NFC scenarios on iPhone, including in-store payments, car keys, transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets. Apple has plans to support government IDs in the future.

The big catch here is that Apple is not opening up the NFC platform for all developers. Interested developers should enter into a commercial agreement with Apple and pay the associated fees. Apple has not revealed whether this fee is a one-time or per-transaction payment. To justify the fees, Apple highlighted the following on the announcement page:

“Apple has dedicated significant resources to design a solution that protects users’ security and privacy, leveraging a number of Apple’s proprietary hardware and software technologies when making a contactless transaction, including the Secure Enclave, biometric authentication, and Apple servers.”

If a developer implements the new NFC APIs to make a contactless transaction within the app, end-users can either open the app or set the app as their default contactless app in Settings and double-click the side button on the iPhone to initiate an NFC transaction.

The new NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. Users should be using an iPhone XS or later running iOS 18.1 or later to use these apps.

In order to qualify for access to NFC & SE Platform APIs, developers must meet the following requirements:

• Have a valid agreement with Apple for use of the NFC & SE Platform framework.
• Meet the eligibility criteria for the capability you want to use in your iOS app.
• Provide capabilities only to users based in the eligible markets.
• Follow the NFC & SE Platform requirements and experience guidelines below.
• Onboarded your organization into Apple Business Register (ABR) for NFC & SE Platform.
• Submit a request and be approved for access to the NFC & SE Platform Entitlement.

Last month, Apple announced that it would allow third-party wallet providers in the European Union access to the NFC input on iOS devices free of charge, without having to use Apple Pay or Apple Wallet.

The introduction of these new NFC APIs promises to unlock a range of new possibilities for both developers and users, paving the way for a more connected and convenient future.

Source: Apple, Depositphotos (image)