Apple says developers can offer NFC transactions using the iPhone's Secure Element, separate from Apple Pay, starting in iOS 18.1, with “associated fees”
Developers can build NFC transaction flows that use the iPhone’s Secure Element without being confined to Apple Pay or Wallet, once iOS 18.1 is available.
Apple retains a commercial role through the stated associated fees, creating a fee-bearing route to hardware-backed NFC access rather than a wholly open interface.
Second-order effects
Wallet, payments, transit, access-control, and identity app providers can differentiate their iPhone experiences more directly, while Apple Pay faces more adjacent transaction surfaces on the device.
Providers evaluating iPhone support must weigh the new Secure Element capability against Apple’s fees, making access terms part of product and pricing decisions.
Third-order effects
If this model expands, iPhone platform access may increasingly be opened through controlled, monetized interfaces: more developer choice without Apple surrendering security governance or economics.
The change is a test case for whether regulated or competitive pressure produces interoperable mobile-payment hardware access while leaving the platform owner as the rule-setter.
The trend: This is part of a broader shift toward selectively opening previously closed mobile platform capabilities under provider-defined technical and commercial terms.
Ironically, the EU will not be supported at first.. 😭 “The NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. [..] additional locations to follow.”
@noyesclt
Tom Noyes on x
What makes competing with ApplePay so tough ? It's not the tech. It's everything else. Every connection to every party online and offline must work better. Can consumers shut off ApplePay? They could. But why would they. What is their cost to switch? Logically banks should
@brandonbutch
Brandon Butch on x
(If you haven't been following, the reason it's ironic is because Apple is only doing this to appease the EU) More info on that: https://www.macrumors.com/...
@lellouchenico
Nicolas Lellouche on x
@markgurman EU already approved Apple plan. I guess it will arrive within the new App Store conditions here, without any commission.
@brandonbutch
Brandon Butch on x
It's also possible that Apple didn't mention the EU because they require these NFC changes to be FREE. Meanwhile, Apple plans to charge fees for everyone else, as mentioned in the original press release. https://ec.europa.eu/... (Thanks for the tip @mvwoensel)
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
While Apple pushed back on opening up NFC for what it has called privacy and security reasons, let's be honest: a huge driving factor has been $ as Apple takes a % of Apple Pay transactions. But, fear not! Apple will charge third-parties for the feature. https://www.bloomberg.com…
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
1) Apple will charge fees (they have held off on this move to avoid losing Apple Pay revenue. 2) Hilariously, support in the EU is NOT mentioned despite the fact that it was the EU asking for this!
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
Apple says it's opening up the NFC chip for third party developers - who must agree to commercial terms with Apple - in iOS 18.1.
@psythor
James O'Malley on x
The EU's regulatory superpowers in action! Though I hope this doesn't break the UX elegance of Apple Pay as it currently exists.
@psythor
James O'Malley on x
eg, you can imagine a world where banks breaks away from Apple Pay and running their own payment code on the NFC chip - but Apple being stubborn doesn't let them trigger it with a double tap of the standby button, so you have to unlock and go into an app manually first.
r/homeassistant
r on reddit
Apple is opening the iPhone's NFC chip to third-party apps with iOS 18.1
r/HomeKit
r on reddit
Apple is opening the iPhone's NFC chip to third-party apps with iOS 18.1
r/AppleWallet
r on reddit
Apple will open access to Secure Element starting 18.1