Apple says it will allow third-party access to NFC chip in iPhones

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) said on Wednesday that it will allow third-party access to the NFC chip inside the iPhone, which allows for “tap and go” payments, starting with the next version of iOS.
“Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their own apps on iPhone, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet,” Apple said in a statement. “Using the new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions 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, with government IDs to be supported in the future.”
The NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S., with added locations to follow.
Last month, the European Commission accepted commitments by Apple to give access to the technology on iPhones, following months of back-and-forth between the company and regulators.
Apple shares were fractionally higher in midday trading on Wednesday.

Tags: AAPL