Developers who make apps for iPhones will be able to take advantage of Apple’s contactless transactions starting in the upcoming autumn version of iOS 18.1, the company announced on Aug. 14. That means apps can include custom in-person payments, corporate badges and other IDs, rewards cards, and more.
This new feature will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US
Contactless payments such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay have become common due to their ease of use, allowing people to simply tap their phone to make purchases. Similarly, near-field communication IDs can be used on college or corporate campuses to allow people to access buildings without a physical key or ID. Some of Apple’s examples for developers include corporate uses, such as “bank card issuers, car key manufacturers, and transit operators.”
The news comes after Apple previously announced it would open up the NFC chip to third-party apps in Europe, complying with the Digital Markets Act. In August, it was reported that Apple Intelligence could launch on EU Macs, bypassing DMA rules.
NFC is part of the Secure Element platform
How does this work?
Tap-to-transfer apps like Apple Pay use the Secure Element, an authenticated chip, to keep transactions secure by storing sensitive information. Developers will have access to the NFC and Secure Element APIs to add, store, and present contactless cards for NFC from inside their iOS apps.
Using NFC will allow developers to create an app that can be used as the phone’s default contactless app. Users will also be able to manually select the app. If necessary, an NFC app running in the foreground can prevent the system default contactless app from being activated.
Apple says the Secure Enclave, biometric authentication and Apple servers work together to provide security for contactless payments. The company also said that using NFC for government IDs for developers will be supported at an unspecified future date.
How do I use NFC and SE APIs?
Developers who want to build for NFC must enter into a commercial agreement with Apple. Once they do, they can request an NFC and SE entitlement, which gives them access to the API on iPhones running iOS 18.1 and later. There is a fee associated with the entitlement.
Apple has provided detailed guidance for requesting access to the NFC & SE platforms and for designing NFC apps on the iPhone.
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