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Apple has announced the opening of the iPhone’s NFC chip to developers, a feature that has been limited since its introduction with the iPhone 6. Unlike Android users, who have long enjoyed a wide range of NFC capabilities such as using their phones as car keys, accessing community gates, and unlocking smart door locks, iPhone users have faced restrictions in these areas—until now.
Apple’s recent announcement on its official website reveals that developers will soon be able to use the iPhone’s NFC chip for secure, contactless data exchange within their apps with the introduction of new NFC and Secure Element (SE) APIs. This change means that iPhone users will finally be able to use their devices for in-store payments, car keys, public transportation passes, corporate ID cards, student ID cards, home and hotel keys, loyalty and rewards cards, event tickets, and potentially even identity documents in the future.
Initially, these NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with plans to expand to more regions over time. However, to integrate this new functionality into their apps, developers will need to sign a business agreement with Apple, apply for NFC and SE authorization, and pay the associated fees.
The rollout of these new APIs through the upcoming iOS 18.1 developer resources, the gap between iPhone and Android NFC capabilities is set to close.
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