EU Regulators Accept Apple Commitments to Open NFC Access to Rivals

[gregmancuso]

Apple has made this available to a few specially blessed/selected businesses (eg: certain transit operators have been given access to implement digital versions of their fare cards), but there is no generally available API to add NFC cards to Apple Wallet.

Certainly, no banks or financial institutions have been allowed to add their own NFC cards to the wallet as an alternative to Apple Pay.

True for banks. Payment use of NFC has been limited to use with Secure Enclave which is private. Use of NFC in Wallet has been around for key cards, transit, and other customer uses for years. Same with NFC use in automations.

I really have not looked into where the issue with broad transit card usage is - Apple restricting entitlements or the transit services supporting the NFC cards. Given that even the locations that are in Apple Wallet still are not universally accepted in the given transit systems strongly implies it is more of an adoption by entity thing than an apple restriction thing.

 

[davide_eu]

And different is automatically better? The question is “what would another wallet do to improve the experience for the USER?

Ask to USER! Wasn't a$$le so famous for "think different"? Here we go - every user is different, so every user has a different value scale to evaluate what is "better"...

 

[gregmancuso]

Ask to USER! Wasn't a$$le so famous for "think different"? Here we go - every user is different, so every user has a different value scale to evaluate what is "better"...

Granted - every user is different. I am a USER as well as a developer for multiple platforms. My comments are my opinion as a USER. And my question as to what would be changed or why a different wallet would be better was addressed to USERS and I am genuinely curious.

I am just racking my brain trying to come up with any change that may be considered an improvement. We are talking about a wallet - an item to hold various cards,. tickets, ids, etc. Presenting the cards as thumbnails instead of in an expanding file list would be different. But is it better? I would say no as then the wallet would need to change focus to a details pane for that card to show any transaction details and then close that pane to go back to the cards. The current tap, expand, present, tap on another card paradigm is clean.

"Think Different" did, and still does not, refer to change for changes sake. It means to not be locked into one way when there are other viable (and potentially better) options. To drastically oversimplify - "Just because Windows is everywhere does not mean it is the only way - lok at Mac! It is different and it is better."

edit: typo.

 

[wbeasley]

So you agree it’s good that regulators can „force“ companies to offer or alter their product into something they don’t want to?

my comment does not match your inference at all...

complaining about bank behaviour to KEEP EXISTING functionality is different to what you are trying to twist it to.

 

[stinksroundhere]

We have had p2p forever in payment systems.

Irrelevant because back in the day you refer to as 'forever' it was much harder for someone to totally scam you. Sure there were other ways to scam you, but the amount of social engineering and payment exploits we have today didn't exist back then.

 

[AppliedMicro]

complaining about bank behaviour to KEEP EXISTING functionality is different to what you are trying to twist it to.

I have complained to financial services providers and their regulators about payment services and made them change their payment systems or pricing. Now, I don‘t know about Australia, but…

Banks, like other businesses, are generally free to discontinue products or services any time, unless legally or contractually obliged to continue them. For payment services that usually means they can discontinue if giving proper notice to the other party (consumers).

And it’s not the financial regulator‘s or ombudsmen’s job to handle or even consider such complaints.

 

[wbeasley]

I have complained to financial services providers and their regulators about payment services and made them change their payment systems or pricing. Now, I don‘t know about Australia, but…

Banks, like other businesses, are generally free to discontinue products or services any time, unless legally or contractually obliged to continue them. For payment services that usually means they can discontinue if giving proper notice to the other party (consumers).

And it’s not the financial regulator‘s or ombudsmen’s job to handle or even consider such complaints.

Dont you think the EU's supposed intention of creating open and competitive services to benefit the consumer SHOULD mean banks using Apple Pay/Wallet now have to continue doing so after they gain access to the iPhone NFT?

I mean every post has been about this same thing.

Giving NFT access and then having them close an existing service... geez that's like complaining Apple have sole rights to something that would be better opened up to competition, wouldn't it?

The EU could make it la legal directive to keep offering what they do on the same terms as now... surely that's fair and in line with all the arguments you've made on here? Then consumers can decide if they use the bank app or the Apple Wallet. More choice...