Android phones can directly swipe access cards, but iPhones cannot, which is also one of the reasons why many iPhone users envy Android. However, using iPhone access control as a key will soon become a reality.
On the evening of August 14th, Apple announced that it will open the NFC chip of the iPhone to developers and use secure components for contactless data exchange in various apps. This means that the iPhone can be used for in store payments, car keys, closed-loop public transportation, enterprise badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant points and reward cards, and even event tickets through NFC functionality. In the future, it will also support identity documents.
The announcement also shows that in order to incorporate this new solution into various iPhone applications, developers need to sign a commercial agreement with Apple to apply for NFC and SE authorization and pay related fees.
The NFC and SE APIs will be provided to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States through the upcoming iOS 18.1 developer resources, and will support more regions in the future.
Analysts believe that although the Chinese market is not among the first to open up iPhone NFC functionality, the waiting time will not be too long.
Upstream News Reporter Yang Xinhua