Apple opens iPhone NFC in iOS 18.1 even to non-EU developers

Apple was recently forced by the European Commission to open up the NFC functionality of iPhones to third parties, paving the way for mobile payments that don't involve Apple's own wallet.

The company took an unusual step forward by announcing that it would open NFC to third-party developers outside the EU. This will happen “in an upcoming developer release of iOS 18.1.”

Apple opens iPhone NFC in iOS 18.1 even to non-EU developers

There are caveats, though, as is almost always the case with Apple. First, only developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US will initially be eligible (in addition to those in the EU), with “other locations to come.” Second, it won’t be free.

Apple being Apple, this means that it will charge a fee to interested developers – this openness does not mean that anyone in the aforementioned countries will simply be able to create any app with NFC functionality they want, because “user security and privacy are of the utmost importance to Apple,” the company itself proudly boasts.

So, for this to work, developers will first need to strike a commercial deal with Apple, requesting “the NFC and SE (Secure Element) right,” and then “pay the associated fees” (which have yet to be detailed by the company).

To conclude, NFC technology on iPhones is becoming much more flexible than before, but despite all this new openness from Apple, it still won't be as open as on Android. What a surprise, right?

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