iOS 12 to Allow iPhones to Unlock Doors Via NFC

[dontwalkhand]

probably only for the next year model.

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My building has rfid so IDK if they will support everything? doubtful.

It should support it as it is supposed to "clone" your existing cards, without the involvement of your building management. The security in the card is nothing more than a serial number being reported to a reader. So the iPhone would just send the same "numbers" if you will and unlock the door.

 

[Tech198]

Could be good, but we are getting the "one ring to rule them all" argument here...

 

[rafark]

I think this is great for interiors (hotels, office/public buildings, even some homes), but not so much for exteriors (the main lock)

 

[Devie]

Yay about time.
We’ve used some Bluetooth ones before, the issue with them is the damn app needs to be open and occasionally refreshed if you leave the phone locked, and the trigger time changes between phone models.

 

[robbyx]

Completely possible, but if so I'm not sure why Apple Pay would have been implemented so much sooner.

Because it was a single differentiating feature for the new phones at the time. If they'd allowed developers to access NFC from day one, an entire class of apps would have been created that only worked on the newest phones. For the most part Apple tries to keep the user experience consistent, 3D touch not withstanding. So I think they waited until most of their installed base had the necessary hardware before giving developers access.

 

[MaSx]

Can we transfer/share photo n video to any NFC compatible phone? or too soon?

 

[mr.steevo]

Don't forget how long Apple took to even add NFC to their phones, when their competitors had it years earlier.

*cough* Wireless Charging *cough*

 

[FelixDerKater]

Clever, especially if a FaceID authentication can be required for an added layer of security.

 

[dk001]

Hopefully not just another “headline item” while they let sit the supposed effort into iOS 12 to stabilize and debug it.

 

[tmiw]

Transit tickets would be nice since a lot of agencies actually need to upgrade their hardware to support credit/debit cards via AP (whereas something with the passes/stored value on the card itself like San Diego's Compass card would in theory not need much more than a phone app). Of course, it depends on how it's implemented on Apple's end.

 

[kstotlani]

Yes, something like that. It needs to be a lengthy beta with thousands of testers. THAT is the only way they will be able to catch dozens upon dozens of potential security glitches and flaws.

This is software feature will may unlock your house. Or unlock your $75,000 luxury car. These features need to be tested extensively! And potential bugs and glitches and flaws need to be hunted down and revealed and addressed as much as possible….. before a release version ever sees the light of day.

Will insurance cost go up or down based on this feature?

 

[Solomani]

Will insurance cost go up or down based on this feature?

Insurance will go down after version 2.1 of this feature.

Before then, this feature will allow your neighbors and also armed burglars to unlock your home with their iPhones, thus your home insurance rates will be quite high.

 

[ersan191]

Man, so close to the dream of getting entry into my apartment building with my watch/phone - they use low frequency RFID (125KHz) but iPhone/Watch only support HF (13.56MHz)

Guess I'm going to try melting or gluing the tab to my watch band next.
[doublepost=1527401628][/doublepost]

probably only for the next year model.

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My building has rfid so IDK if they will support everything? doubtful.

It depends on if its 125KHz or 13.56MHz or UHF - reading NFC/RFID tags is already supported in iOS 11, go download https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hold-nfc-tag-scanner/id1254631510?mt=8 and see if it can scan your key fob.

Knowing Apple, though, this might be locked down to specific HID security systems or something stupid like that. At the very least you'll probably have to launch an app to make it work, which isn't ideal and means it will probably never work on the Watch. The best solution would be to present it as a Wallet item like Walgreens does already, then it would work everywhere, but it will still be limited to specific apps that Apple will have to approve.

 

[strawbale]

But does it open backdoors too? (is the FBI asking)

 

[HarryWild]

Apple thought they be the leader in home automation stuff and left their NFC capabilities limited to where they were at the time. Google and Amazon have advanced their home automation to be around 500 X more in market share then Apple. Now Apple is freeing up the NFC, so they at least can have their iPhones be useful! LOL!

 

[0997853]

MR, I've fixed that for you...

iOS 12 to Allow iPhones to Unlock Doors Via Proprietary, Non-Standard Implementation Communication Protocol

 

[Solomani]

Knowing Apple, though, this might be locked down to specific HID security systems or something stupid like that.

A more sensible and likely solution would be to include these features as APIs integrated into official HomeKit-supported devices…. which really fits in with Apple's vision of making your home / livingroom part of the digital ecosystem. Possibly in the next major release/update to HomeKit software.

 

[ersan191]

A more sensible and likely solution would be to include these features as APIs integrated into official HomeKit-supported devices…. which really fits in with Apple's vision of making your home / livingroom part of the digital ecosystem. Possibly in the next major release/update to HomeKit software.

I don't see how that's likely when this is meant to support things like hotel rooms, transit tickets, or car doors - none of which have anything to do with HomeKit.

 

[LiveM]

I thought this had already been signposted by Apple last year.

It’s the foremost reason I have not bought any of the current smart locks.

This possible feature is not one I have any interest in.

Thanks for stopping by.

 

[roblack]

Would have been great if iPhone was used in the picture

 

[twistedpixel8]

It should support it as it is supposed to "clone" your existing cards, without the involvement of your building management. The security in the card is nothing more than a serial number being reported to a reader. So the iPhone would just send the same "numbers" if you will and unlock the door.

He was mocking Apple’s ridiculous “sorry, your iPhone isn’t fast enough to support such a feature” BS they pull all the time.
[doublepost=1527413695][/doublepost]

MR, I've fixed that for you...

I really wish all the phone manufacturers would just get together and develop standard APIs for these technologies together, instead of forcing us into these fragmented ecosystems.

Same with smart-home appliances. I’m so sick of having this situation where I can only buy a subset of smart stuff because of incompatibility. X only works with HomeKit, Y only works with Alexa, etc.

IFTTT and the like somewhat bridge the gaps but it’s not ideal and tends to be unreliable.

 

[christian_koehler]

It should support it as it is supposed to "clone" your existing cards, without the involvement of your building management. .

Not always. Many NFC cards do in fact contain processors and cryptographic hardware. For example the reader sends a random number to the card which is digitally signed by the processor in the card with a private key whic never leaves the card. The reader can verify the response against a known public key.
Many such cards can be reprogrammed and updated in the field. A Java virtual machine inside the card is common. Not only for credit cards etc. I have also seen this in NFC tickets for public transit.
Simple transponders that only contain a serial number are still found in applications like animal identification or running event timing, but they are outdated for anything security related.

 

[sirozha]

Even better reason: Imagine being able to open your door by just waving your wrist at the door's NFC plate while still carrying a bunch of groceries in your hands. None of that "let me put this stuff down so I can get my keys (or phone) out of my pocket".

Most people in the US don’t identify with this problem. We don’t enter our houses via the front door.

 

[twistedpixel8]

Most people in the US don’t identify with this problem. We don’t enter our houses via the front door.

Do you instead pole-vault through a second story window? I’m very confused.

 

[kasakka]

So wait, the Apple NFC chips still can't be used for anything NFC-related you would want? That's just so ridiculous.