Apple to Open Up NFC Chip to Developers in iOS 18.1

Apple has announced that it will allow third party developers to use the NFC chip on iPhone for contactless transactions starting in iOS 18.1.

Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their own apps on iPhone, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Using the new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be supported in the future.

The announcement follows an investigation by the European Commission that preliminarily concluded the company had abused its dominant position by refusing to supply the NFC input on iOS to competing mobile wallet developers, while reserving such access only to Apple Pay.


To avoid a large fine and further regulatory action, Apple reached a deal with the EU to address competition concerns. These commitments, which are legally binding for ten years, will be monitored by a trustee appointed by Apple who will report to the Commission.

Apple says it has dedicated significant resources to designing a system whereby developers can offer NFC contactless transactions.

As users' security and privacy is of the utmost importance to Apple, this new solution was designed to provide developers with a secure way to offer NFC contactless transactions from within their iOS apps. The NFC and SE APIs leverage the Secure Element — an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store sensitive information securely on device. Apple has dedicated significant resources to design a solution that protects users' security and privacy, 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. To make a contactless transaction within an app that utilizes these APIs, users can either open the app directly, or set the app as their default contactless app in iOS Settings, and double-click the side button on iPhone to initiate a transaction.

To incorporate this new solution in their iPhone apps, developers will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request the NFC and SE entitlement, and pay the associated fees. This ensures that only authorized developers who meet certain industry and regulatory requirements, and commit to Apple's ongoing security and privacy standards, can access the relevant APIs.


The NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1, with additional locations to follow.

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