After facing pressure from Europe to open its iPhone NFC payment system, Apple will now extend this feature to more countries, including the US. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) required Apple to allow competitors access to its technology.
Apple has created a “secure way to offer NFC contactless transactions” for developers in selected regions, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Developers in these areas can now provide in-app contactless payments, keys, reward cards, ID cards, and more. They can do this without using Apple Pay or Apple Wallet while still utilizing Apple’s Secure Element for user privacy.
Users can open an app to complete a transaction or set a third-party app as their default payment method. If they choose a third-party app, they can double-press the iPhone’s side button to access it instead of Apple Pay.
Developers will need to apply to Apple to access the NFC system, which includes an unspecified fee and must meet industry regulations. This feature will be available with iOS 18.1 later this fall.
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