Apple grants US developers the same NFC features it was forced to provide in Europe
Following pressure to open up its iPhone NFC payment processes to rivals across Europe, Apple has decided to bring the same feature to more countries, including the US.
Apple's iPhone NFC to open to third-party devs post-EU probe
The European Union required Apple to allow rivals access to its technology under its recent Digital Markets Act (DMA). Now having created what it describes as a "secure way to offer NFC contactless transactions," Apple is allowing developers in selected regions.
Initially, those regions are:
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Japan
- New Zealand
- UK
- US
More countries and regions are to follow, but Apple has not announced a schedule.
For developers now allowed access to the technology, it means that they will be able to offer in-app contactless payments, plus keys, reward cards, ID cards, and more. The developers will be able to do this without Apple Pay or Apple Wallet, but still using Apple's Secure Element to protect users' privacy.
"Apple has dedicated significant resources to design a solution that protects users' security and privacy," says the company in a statement, "leveraging a number of Apple's proprietary hardware and software technologies when making a contactless transaction, including the Secure Enclave, biometric authentication, and Apple servers."
From the users' perspective, they can open an app and then perform the transaction. Or they can set the third-party app as their default payment method.
In that case, they will be able to double-press on the iPhone's side button to bring up the third party payment system. It will take the place of Apple Pay.
Developers have to apply to Apple to get access to the NFC system. The application process involves an as-yet unspecified fee, and developers must meet various industry regulations.
The ability to use NFC as a third-party developer will be introduced along with iOS 18.1, later in the fall.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
I live in Europe and this is one of the reasons I use Apple Devices. I TRUST Apple.
Don't trust EU, or wannabe devs that want to save pennies sacrificing security and TRUST provided by Apple.
Ugh! Because it was already done there.
Why should I trust Apple more than my bank? After all, I've been using my (non-iPhone) phone to make NFC contactless payments for longer than I can remember. All without issue.
Apple Pay was effectively a toll system for all iPhone wallet payments. Now there will be competition and users are free to trust entities of their choice.
As a result of the EU requirements, the Barcelona public transport system was able to protest to the EU and make Apple open up iPhones for its contactless travel card system which Apple had been holding back on for the last couple of years.
Those two statements are separate things. Development costs money regardless of how the resulting product is paid for, and corporate finance departments will embrace "saving pennies" in a heartbeat.
If so, then how comes all those companies are now move on to subscription base or in-app purchase route? This is current business model and they make big money.
Don't think consumer does not want to pay. They just don't want to pay half-baked products. We've been burned so many times.
I think EU just open the door for all kinds of scam. At least Apple try to block some odd ball apps up front, now that workload is consumer's burden.
Good luck with that. In USA, around $10 Billion fraud in consumer level in 2023. That include all kinds of scam email, text message, phone call. Now they want to add on to phone apps. Even company's employees dumb enough click scam email that cause ransom ware attack.
Don't ever think all politicians are so smart, they know everything. And company and devs are work so hard to make perfect software/games. They promised and failed due to tech limit or budget. Yes. All company and dev want save money.
The iPhone stopped being easy to use many years ago and other systems are equally not difficult to use. Easy is not the same as being used to something.
It is possibly correct to say that even Apple knows the situation can't go on forever and is slowly adjusting to a more level (yet imposed) playing field. Better late than never.
Is there any major market that isn't putting Big Tech (it's not just an Apple thing as some seem to think) under the microscope and taking or evaluating appropriate measures?
What makes a digital mobile platform a success is not the hardware but the apps available for it. If any platform offered solely first party solutions, it wouldn't get far.
Setting yourself up as the only gatekeeper and imposing not only financial rules and regulations but also what kinds of apps are even available and then putting up barriers to things like NFC usage was never to escape regulatory pushback at some point.
'Buy an Android' isn't a valid proposal as it ignores why Apple (in this context) on the hook in the first place.
A far better proposal would be for Apple to go 100% first party but then not even you would buy into that. And Apple doesn't want it either. That option has always existed but Apple knows what side its bread is buttered on and it very much likes its butter. Better to just comply (even if 'maliciously' at first to see how far it can push things.