New iOS APIs will allow NFC transactions outside Apple Wallet, Apple Pay

Car keys, corporate badges, student IDs, hotel keys all supported

Aug 15, 2024, 9:30 am EDT | Joel R. McConvey

New iOS APIs will allow NFC transactions outside Apple Wallet, Apple Pay

With the release of iOS 18 in September, developers can offer in‑app NFC contactless transactions through new NFC and Secure Element (SE) APIs, says an announcement from Apple.

This means contactless in-store transactions can occur directly within iOS apps, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Users can either open an app for a scan, or set the app as their default contactless app in iOS Settings, then double-click the side button on iPhone to initiate a transaction.

NFC contactless transactions can also be applied to car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets. Apple says support for government IDs is in the works.

Per their release, “the NFC and SE APIs leverage the Secure Element – an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store sensitive information securely on device.” The system leans on “a number of Apple’s proprietary hardware and software technologies when making a contactless transaction, including the Secure Enclave, biometric authentication and Apple servers.”

Apple says an upcoming developer seed will see the NFC and SE APIs made available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK and the U.S., with additional locations to follow. As a bit of gatekeeping, developers who want to use the APIs will “need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request the NFC and SE entitlement, and pay the associated fees.”

Beyond NFC transactions, signs point to iOS 18 coming bundled with a number of new APIs that lay the groundwork for broader applications of digital identity.

Apple had been facing pressure from the EU antitrust regulators to make its tap-and-go mobile payments system, ID scanning and biometric capabilities available to rivals, amid allegations that it was trying to thwart competition for Apple Wallet and Apple Pay.