Apple is Opening Up the iPhone's NFC Chip: What You Need to Know

[AppliedMicro]

Why don’t you wait until fees are announced so as not to fill this thread with unsubstantiated bs. Obvious? I don’t think so.

It is admittedly conjecture at this point - but inferred from mounting factual evidence about Apple's fees and conditions with regard to anything they're are to open up by legislation and regulatory action (such as the Core Technology Fee and their ridiculous external purchase "entitlements").

It's nothing else than yet another bad faith attempt at malicious compliance on Apple's part.

There is exactly zero evidence that Apple would introduce fee structure to allow viable competition to Apple Pay/Wallet. But lots of evidence that they're purposely designing their fees to make competition nonviable in other instances where they've been forced to allow access to third parties.

 

[davide_eu]

I'm mentally preparing myself for my grocery store (Kroger--which just recently began accepting Apple Pay) withdrawing from Apple Pay and creating an NFC app that can only be funded by debiting my bank account.

It would be great! Less "in-between" means more privacy!

 

[davide_eu]

Honestly this kind of sucks. Having a single wallet that has all cards in it is a big plus, making it very easy to switch what card you'll use each time (double click side button, swipe to change card). if card issuers start abandoning wallet and doing their own thing, you could have a single card as default, but to get to other cards you'd have to unlock the phone, open the app, and then you could pay.

Maybe they all jump to a non a$$le wallet! Maybe the Google wallet will be available on ios and you can sync your wallet between Android and non Android devices.

 

[CharlesShaw]

It would be great! Less "in-between" means more privacy!

Paying with cash would be the most private, but many of the items I buy have lower prices only if the customer scans the loyalty card barcode or enters the associated telephone number.

 

[davide_eu]

How things have been done on Android doesn't mean anything about how Apple is implementing them on iOS. Apple's proposed APIs don't allow multiple apps to "listen" for a tap and then route the tap to different apps. They only allow a single app to be designated as the default (Wallet OR something else, not both), and to use any NFC card functionality from an app that isn't the default requires the app to be running in the foreground.

If a non a$$le wallet/pay application will have moee restrictions, EU will fix this, no worries.

 

[davide_eu]

This is the one time I’m a bit concerned. I’m usually all for consumer freedom, but the wallet app works pretty well and I can just see shops and banks dropping Apple Pay in favour of their own terrible systems.

You will continue to use your wallet, as the store... But pls leave the freedom to other users!

 

[svish]

Good article. Glad to hear that access to NFC chip is now open.

 

[txscott]

The same thing will happen to contactless payment that happened to HomeKit. HomeKit is supported, but not widely, because every hardware vendor wants to collect the data from your home devices for themselves or be able to require you to subscribe to a service they own to use the hardware.

Likewise, every single major brand will require you to use their tap to pay app so that they can collect the data. Or, somebody like MC/Visa will create a tap to pay app, give retailers a small fee discount to use it or charge more for alternatives and thus a new monopoly will be created.

 

[icanhazmac]

Alternatively, they charge you extra for using your credit card. I like Cumberland Farms where they give you a discount for paying by their app which is linkec to your bank account.

You think this is a good thing? Any company requiring that is a hard pass for me, no discount is worth it. I was never impressed by CF before this news and less so now. Just for s**ts and giggles, how much of a discount are you getting to let CF hoover your personal data from your device? A brief search showed 10 cents off per gallon, so if gas is $4 that's like 2.5%, what will you do with all that extra cash? They in turn save the CC fees, hoover your data for resale and spam you with add-on offers whilst you pump gas. No thanks.

Now, lets say gas gets to $3 or under. Now CF is no longer making money on this little transaction, and they know this is possible, so where do the profits come from? The sale of your data and they hope increased sales via spam coupons. I really don't want my phone pinging away with coffee offers while I pump gas.

How is a world where our devices are overloaded with loyalty apps a good thing? Please be specific.

 

[Neodym]

Absolutely love this, iPhone will be one step closer to the everyday everything tool!

Yup! And as losing or breaking your iPhone will have increasingly serious and widespread implications, Apple can sell more devices as backup to each customer.

Maybe iOS 23 will offer live mirroring of devices, so your backup device can take over at any given point in time, without the need to setup a new device from a backup first.

 

[Ctrlos]

Why do you need to switch to a particular card in your wallet? If the NFC receiver is set up properly, it will select it automatically. Just double press the button, hold it against the receiver and it will pick the loyalty card.

Most loyalty cards in the UK use a barcode. I have to pick the right one for scanning each time.

 

[ijordano]

Can anyone clarify if this means TFL could use nfc for Oyster if they want to?

 

[Pimmp]

Tim must be loving EU 😂

At the same time he hates Sweden.....

 

[california_kid]

Nice, so when I'm in NYC, I can use the NFC to order my KFC cause OFC it's made with TLC.

 

[brofkand]

Why has it taken Apple this long to do this? Possibly because iPhone growth has plateaued?

They can charge companies for access to APIs that previously were proprietary to Apple - a new revenue stream.

 

[LogicalApex]

yes. this will be great.

but this Macrumors article says that you will need to actually open up the 3rd party app to access this function.
"you will need to open up a third-party app to use its NFC capabilities."

however, in today's 9to5 mac top story it clearly says this:
"Apple says that users will be able to set a third-party app as their default contactless app via the Settings app on their iPhones."

i hope that a user can indeed set a 3rd party app payment system as its default NFS payment method.

Both are likely correct.

You probably need to open the app so it registers as an option to the system. Then applicable apps can be chosen in settings.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Can anyone clarify if this means TFL could use nfc for Oyster if they want to?

I think Oyster cards use RFID not NFC

 

[AppliedMicro]

You can call NFC and advanced bidirectional implementation of RFID.

The same readers can be used and they work on the same frequency.

 

[arc of the universe]

Both are likely correct.

You probably need to open the app so it registers as an option to the system. Then applicable apps can be chosen in settings.

i see your thinking.
but a reading of Macrumor's take is that the 3rd party app would need to be opened every time you want to pay with it through NFC. a very diferent take than 9to5mac's.
too often Macrumor's articles have rather arbitrary understanding of the implications of rumours. with rumours, that's fine. no problem.
but this is not a rumor. the factual info of actually how it will work can be obtained directly from apple and reported accordingly.

 

[spartan1967]

…a new revenue stream.

Possibly because iPhone growth has plateaued?

 

[Cloudyskies22]

I never understood why anyone would use Walmart Pay or whatever it’s called. Today you have to take out your phone, open the Walmart app, get the QR code, scal the code. If they do add NFC it will be that number of steps but get into pay mode and tap the terminal.

At no point is that easier than just pulling a physical card out of your wallet.

What if you forget your card?

 

[garyjones027]

I never understood why anyone would use Walmart Pay or whatever it’s called. Today you have to take out your phone, open the Walmart app, get the QR code, scal the code. If they do add NFC it will be that number of steps but get into pay mode and tap the terminal.

At no point is that easier than just pulling a physical card out of your wallet.

It is because American customers do not care what type of card payments they do or do not do like tap to pay, contactless payment, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Most of them use physical cards than mobile phone for card payments in Walmart stores of USA.

Walmart stores of USA have full control of most American customers by their low price advertising. They will never abandon Walmart stores of USA.

 

[garyjones027]

It is because American customers do not care what type of card payments they do or do not do like tap to pay, contactless payment, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Most of them use physical cards than mobile phone for card payments in Walmart stores of USA.

Walmart stores of USA have full control of most American customers by their low price advertising. They will never abandon Walmart stores of USA.

 

[steve09090]

It is admittedly conjecture at this point - but inferred from mounting factual evidence about Apple's fees and conditions with regard to anything they're are to open up by legislation and regulatory action (such as the Core Technology Fee and their ridiculous external purchase "entitlements").

It's nothing else than yet another bad faith attempt at malicious compliance on Apple's part.

There is exactly zero evidence that Apple would introduce fee structure to allow viable competition to Apple Pay/Wallet. But lots of evidence that they're purposely designing their fees to make competition nonviable in other instances where they've been forced to allow access to third parties.

Like people have said countless times. It’s costs money to run a business and some people want to steal this from Apple. Just because it’s Apple. That is naïve.

Bad faith is trying to scab free access to Apples superior systems.

How is following the rules of API's of Storekit malicious?

Most loyalty cards in the UK use a barcode. I have to pick the right one for scanning each time.

In Australia, some, select the right card (for loyalty cards) from the wallet when tapping on the card reader. I will say though, this is new here but if we can do it in a nation, comparatively small like Australia, surely a G7 country can. I guess it’s companies being prepared to improve customer experience. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

[AppliedMicro]

Like people have said countless times. It’s costs money to run a business and some people want to steal this from Apple.

Nonsense. Using Apple‘s NFC does not „steal“ money from Apple. That‘s as much hyperbole as Apple being mobsters operating a protection racket.

Show the evidence you said is there

Apple are under regulatory pressure in the U.S. and the E.U. to open up their NFC interface and restricting alternative wallets. And they‘ve shown in Europe that they‘ll never offer a fee structure that allows for fair competition with their own service.

How is following the rules of API's of Storekit malicious?

It‘s malicious compliance insofar as Apple are charging prohibitively expensive fee to prevent third-party from making use of the external transactions through link-out (as Apple are required to allow).