Three Universities in U.S. Launch Contactless Student ID Cards on iPhone and Apple Watch

[MacRumors]

Following a preview at WWDC 2018, Apple today announced that students at three universities in the United States can now add their student ID cards to Apple Wallet to get around campus using just an iPhone or Apple Watch.

Namely, starting today, students at Duke University, the University of Alabama, and the University of Oklahoma can now add their ID card to the Wallet app on iOS 12 and watchOS 5 and use it to pay quickly and easily for laundry, coffee or lunch, and even get into their dorms, the gym, or the school library.

Apple says Johns Hopkins University, Santa Clara University, and Temple University will roll out the capability by the end of this school year.

Students simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the reader anywhere physical student ID cards are accepted -- on and off campus. An optional Express Mode bypasses the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, allowing for the quickest entry possible to buildings around campus.

Article Link: Three Universities in U.S. Launch Contactless Student ID Cards on iPhone and Apple Watch

 

[bigboyz12000]

Natural progression at this point. Waiting for my job to enable this feature and replace the keycard i currently use to access the building :]

 

[redking31591]

I find it incredibly amusing that Tim Cook is an Auburn alumn, but Alabama is one of the first schools to roll this out. You think he’d have pushed his alma mater to support it at launch.

 

[moovyphreak]

I find it incredibly amusing that Tim Cook is an Auburn alumn, but Alabama is one of the first schools to roll this out. You think he’d have pushed his alma mater to support it at launch.

Yes, but Cook earned his MBA at Duke, so...

 

[Vanilla35]

Yes, but Cook earned his MBA at Duke, so...

Wasn't Duke the very first school to get access?

 

[4jasontv]

My university already has these readers installed on every door. My iPhone and Apple watch make it beep... so why exactly is this roll out so slow? I feel like this is nothing more than adding a student ID to ApplePay.

The article would be a lot more useful (for me) if it provided details on what a campus IT team needed to activate this. You know, so I could bug them about it.

 

[conan-kun]

This is only available for schools who use Blackboard for their ID card, which is only one segment of the market. As Apple works with other vendors (such as CBORD), hopefully this will expand. I believe Auburn uses CBORD.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Nice idea though I wouldn't use it.

Fumbling with a $750-1500 device repeatedly to get into buildings or buy things is nowhere as convenient as slaping a plastic card against a reader. You use this a lot more than Apple pay (which also is annoying since they required that double press a button to activate).

 

[Bbafett]

Nice idea though I wouldn't use it.

Fumbling with a $750-1500 device repeatedly to get into buildings or buy things is nowhere as convenient as slaping a plastic card against a reader. You use this a lot more than Apple pay (which also is annoying since they required that double press a button to activate).

You have to remember that in most cases the current student generation is on their phone at all times so it is already in their hand or readily available.

 

[jpn]

is this possible due to Express Card capability?

 

[G5isAlive]

Nice idea though I wouldn't use it.

Fumbling with a $750-1500 device repeatedly to get into buildings or buy things is nowhere as convenient as slaping a plastic card against a reader. You use this a lot more than Apple pay (which also is annoying since they required that double press a button to activate).

And don't forget it works with Apple Watch.. which presumably is on their wrist, whats more convenient than waving your hand over a reader? No slapping. No fumbling for a plastic card. Just wave your hand, which in most cases is right there. Seems convenient to me.

 

[rcooked]

Wondering if the ioprox cards work with iPhone. Would be great....

 

[Lankyman]

I can't believe just how far the U.S. is behind Europe/UK with contactless cards, chip & pin, mobile payments etc. We have had all of these for some years now. Carrying cards and cash is so 'yesterday'.

 

[joueboy]

Wow! Those college kid has more food money than working citizens. No wonder why these college students are broke once they get off from universities.

 

[Braderunner]

We need more of this!

 

[Baymowe335]

Nice idea though I wouldn't use it.

Fumbling with a $750-1500 device repeatedly to get into buildings or buy things is nowhere as convenient as slaping a plastic card against a reader. You use this a lot more than Apple pay (which also is annoying since they required that double press a button to activate).

Hmm, I think it's far more likely some would fumble around for a plastic card that has 1 purpose than a phone they probably already have in their hand or a watch that's on their wrist.

 

[Asianpork]

I can't believe just how far the U.S. is behind Europe/UK with contactless cards, chip & pin, mobile payments etc. We have had all of these for some years now. Carrying cards and cash is so 'yesterday'.

Unless you're in Berlin. Better have a lot of cash in Berlin. That city hates credit cards.

 

[cmaier]

Unless you're in Berlin. Better have a lot of cash in Berlin. That city hates credit cards.

Wieso?

I look forward to our dystopian future where big brother can revoke a certificate from your phone and none of the doors open for “undesirables”

 

[longofest]

My company has been doing this for a few years using bluetooth low energy because Apple was so slow to adopt NFC.

https://security.kastle.com/solutions/mobile-platform/

 

[SoundJudgment]

This is only available for schools who use Blackboard for their ID card, which is only one segment of the market. As Apple works with other vendors (such as CBORD), hopefully this will expand. I believe Auburn uses CBORD.

Sure hope they don't leave CANVAS out of the mix. Many schools are adopting that over Blackboard now.

 

[Arlo Timetraveler]

I can't believe just how far the U.S. is behind Europe/UK with contactless cards, chip & pin, mobile payments etc. We have had all of these for some years now. Carrying cards and cash is so 'yesterday'.

Ok, you think that is true but it is not. Over here there is still major issues. We have less protection. There is always issues with Venmo (Agreed that was a couple of years ago). How many time have you read about the man-in-the-middle attacks. It has only really started here 3 years ago. Now it is taking off, but also in the States and Asia. There are still major issues when going aboard to a country next door.

 

[konqerror]

Hints:
1. Install Blackboard eAccounts Mobile on your phone to add your card.

2. The reviews are right. App is bad, it freezes whenever you do anything.

3. You can put your card on your Watch or iPhone, not both.
EDIT: Now after the system got stuck with an error, you can add both.

 

[MoreRumors?]

It's very interesting to see this being rolled out to universities. I would like to hear student's feedback as well as from the universities. This will sure to help boost sales for iPhones and Watches.

 

[friednoodles]

You use this a lot more than Apple pay (which also is annoying since they required that double press a button to activate).

Putting aside the other stuff for a moment: you don't need to double press to activate these.

That's because unlike credit cards in Apple Pay, these cards are stored value cards like Japanese Suica cards. This means they can be set as the Express Card in Wallet, which allows them to be activated simply by holding them against the reader - no double click required and no Face ID/Touch ID to authorise.

Express Card/Transit in Wallet has been available since the FeliCa standard (NFC-F) was introduced in Japanese specific iPhone 7 and Series 3, then last year all models globally were capable of it in iPhone 8 and iPhone X. This year the iPhone XS and XR take it a step further, with Express Cards using FeliCa being capable of continuing to work once the phone has entered reserve power mode.

Edit: It looks like these cards aren't FeliCa though, because iPhone 6 is supported... unless they're using FeliCa for newer models and some other form of middleware to support older models. Very interesting!

 

[LoadStar]

Sure hope they don't leave CANVAS out of the mix. Many schools are adopting that over Blackboard now.

In this instance, they're referring to "Blackboard Transact," which is their platform for doing commerce (i.e. food service, laundry, bookstore, vending) and physical door security. It's a platform that Blackboard purchased late 90's or very early 2000s from AT&T, when it was then known as AT&T CampusWide Access Solutions.

What you're thinking of is "Blackboard Learn," their LMS (Learning Management System), which is a different product line from Blackboard Transact. Blackboard Learn is the one that competes with Canvas in the LMS space.

(Source: work for a school that uses BB Transact *and* Canvas, but not BB Learn.)