Until now, Apple Pay and Apple Wallet had exclusive access to most of the NFC chip functions on the iPhone, but this will change with the arrival of iOS 18.1.

Apple will allow developers to enable NFC transactions within apps using the Secure Element starting with iOS 18.1. Additionally, as part of this update, users will be able to set up a default contactless payment app that will activate with a double-click of the side button on the iPhone. Previously, only Apple Pay would appear when performing this action.

With this change, developers will be able to offer contactless transactions within their apps for a wide range of services, including “in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate credentials, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, loyalty cards, merchant rewards, and event tickets.” Until now, NFC access for third-party apps was limited to tag reading.

In a press release, Apple mentioned that government IDs will be supported “in the future.”

The APIs needed to develop these apps will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States in an upcoming beta version of iOS 18.1, with “more locations coming soon,” according to Apple. However, developers who wish to use Apple’s APIs will need to “sign a commercial agreement with Apple, request the right to use NFC and SE, and pay the associated fees.”

This change comes after Apple’s decision to allow access to iPhone NFC payments to third-party providers following an antitrust investigation by the European Commission. Last month, the European Commission announced that Apple’s commitments had become legally binding.

By: Nestor Castillo, ForALlTechNews Director