iPhone as a car and hotel key, subway ticket and digital ID: Apple opens up NFC chip to apps

Two years ago, the EU Commission found that Apple was restricting access to the iPhone's NFC chip in a manner deemed anti-competitive. Now, the Californian technology giant is finally making changes, having recently announced in a press release that third-party apps (from iOS 18.1 onwards) will be able to utilize the NFC chip, which was previously and exclusively reserved for Apple Pay and Apple Wallet.

This opens up a range of new possibilities. For example, banks can process contactless payments via their own app instead of having to go via Apple Pay. Car manufacturers can use the NFC chip as a car key. Public transportation such as trains and subways can authenticate digital tickets via NFC. Companies and universities can use digital ID cards via NFC to unlock door locks or use time stamp systems. Front door and hotel keys, supermarket loyalty cards, event tickets and even driving licenses: the possibilities are endless. 

To ensure the security of iPhone users, developers will have to use Apple's API, which handles all NFC transmissions via Secure Element, a dedicated security chip designed to prevent sensitive information from being stolen via NFC. Apple even allows users to configure in the system settings which app is opened when the lock button is double-tapped. However, developers will have to pay an unspecified fee to Apple to gain access to the NFC chip.