Apple announced it will open access to its iPhone’s NFC chip for third-party developers outside the European Union. This decision comes after the European Commission mandated the company to allow non-Apple Pay mobile payment options.
There’s a caveat, however. Developers must enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request access to the NFC and Secure Element (SE) APIs, and pay associated fees.
The company reasons it has “dedicated significant resources to design a solution that protects users’ security and privacy” with “Apple’s proprietary hardware and software technologies.”
The new functionality will be available in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1. However, only developers from select regions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US (alongside those in the EU), will be eligible. Apple also said it will include additional countries in the future.
The expansion of NFC access has the potential to introduce a wider variety of mobile payment options and new apps for features like in-store payments, digital keys, corporate badges, student IDs, and event tickets, with government IDs to be supported in the future. However, the limitations imposed by Apple may dampen some initial excitement.
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