Apple Opening Up iPhone's NFC Chip to Third-Party Developers in iOS 18.1

Apple today announced that developers will soon be able to offer NFC transactions in their own apps for the first time – something that is mostly exclusive to Apple Pay at present.

Apple Tap to Pay on iPhone avail UK transaction
Starting with iOS 18.1 later this year, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions, separate from ‌Apple Pay‌ and Apple Wallet, using new APIs. This opens up new possibilities for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, as well as government IDs in the future. The APIs use the Secure Enclave inside the iPhone, a certified chip that stores sensitive information directly on the device itself.

Users will be able to use an app that features these APIs either by opening the app directly or setting it as their default contactless app in Settings to double-click the Side button and initiate the transaction.

Developers will need to request the NFC and Secure Enclave entitlement, enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, and pay the 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 U.S. in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1, with more regions to follow.

Tags: Apple Pay, NFC

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Top Rated Comments

yanksfan114 Avatar
8 months ago
As much as look forward to different use cases and increased competition over this change, I worry this will fragment Apple Wallet. I'll be so mad if, for example, Amex or LifeTime or any of my other passes don't work in the Wallet app or with Apple Pay anymore because they want me to go into their app to use them. Pros and cons to this but we'll see how it shakes out.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple$ Avatar
8 months ago
A win for consumers! Thank you, EU! (From North America)
I feel it would benefit all of us in the long run. Given it can expand payment options beyond what’s allowed in Apple Pay.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
8 months ago
Thank you EU

They are the only reason things like this keep happening

Credit where it's due
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ProbablyDylan Avatar
8 months ago
This is great news. Forget about P2P payments - this is big for transit, hotels, students and workers that need to "tap" in for building access.

This only makes iPhone more useful going forward.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
8 months ago

if Apple weren't that dictatorial about NFC, the EU would not be forced to issue such a regulation
Exactly why folks should blame Apple, not the EU (or any other governing body)

Apple's behavior is the root cause of all the regulatory intervention
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdatwood Avatar
8 months ago

A win for consumers! Thank you, EU! (From North America)
I feel it would benefit all of us in the long run. Given it can expand payment options beyond what’s allowed in Apple Pay.

Finally. There really wasn't much reason to lock it down, other than to grease Apple's hands through Apple Pay.

Consumers will ultimately decide which payment method wins out: the app offered by financial institutions or Apple Pay.
My concern is that banks will pull their cards from Apple Pay and now I'm opening 5 different apps in order to use tap to pay. IMO, that's not a win for consumers and is a big step backwards.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)