Starting iOS 18.1 Apple will allow third-party app developers to take advantage of iPhone’s NFC chip and integrate new NFC-based features that were previously limited to Apple’s apps and services only. Developers will be able to use the NFC & SE Platform for secure contactless transactions.
This means third-party apps will now be able to add, store, and use contactless cards for NFC use cases. This includes bank cards, car keys, corporate badges, transit tickets, home keys, hotel keys, student IDs, government IDs, event tickets, merchant loyalty and reward programs, and more.
The access to the NFC chip was already available in the European Union since the release of iOS 17.4, and with iOS 18.1 more regions will be added to the list of NFC & SE platform APIs. This will include the following countries.
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Japan
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
- United States
Developers who wish to use NFC & SE Platform APIs in their apps will need to get into an agreement will Apple and request the company to grant NFC & SE Platform Entitlement to them.
Users can trigger the NFC transaction by launching the third-party app and then double-clicking the side button, just as they can do with Apple Wallet from anywhere on iOS. Apple will also allow users to choose any eligible app as their default contactless app, which will then allow that app to take advantage of double-click and field-detect features (where the contactless app is automatically launched when you bring your iPhone near an NFC terminal).
The transaction authorization sheet will look similar to that of Apple Wallet and Apple Pay, however, Apple asks the developers to make sure they add their app’s icon and which card is being used when the user Double Clicks the side button to use the NFC feature.
Users who wish to use the NFC transactions will need to have an iPhone XS or later running iOS 18.1 or later.
