Apple Opening Up iPhone's NFC Chip to Third-Party Developers in iOS 18.1
Apple today announced that developers will soon be able to offer NFC transactions in their own apps for the first time – something that is mostly exclusive to Apple Pay at present.
Starting with iOS 18.1 later this year, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet, using new APIs. This opens up new possibilities 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, as well as government IDs in the future. The APIs use the Secure Enclave inside the iPhone, a certified chip that stores sensitive information directly on the device itself.
Users will be able to use an app that features these APIs either by opening the app directly or setting it as their default contactless app in Settings to double-click the Side button and initiate the transaction.
Developers will need to request the NFC and Secure Enclave entitlement, enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, and pay the associated fees. Apple says this ensures that only authorized developers who meet certain regulatory and industry requirements and commit to Apple's security and privacy standards can gain access to the APIs.
The NFC and Secure Enclave APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the U.S. in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1, with more regions to follow.
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