NFC

Apple opens iPhone tap-to-pay to third parties in EU

By

Hold Near Reader payment sheet for third-party NFC tap-to-pay implementation on iPhone in the EU.
Soon, third-party developers can offer tap-to-pay options utilizing the iPhone's NFC chip ... but only in the European Union.
Image: Cult of Mac

To comply with EU mandates, Apple will open the iPhone’s NFC payment chip to third parties, the company said Thursday. Starting in March, users in the European Economic Area will be able to utilize tap-to-pay services other than Apple Pay when making purchases.

The new payment option, part of sweeping changes forced on the iPhone and iOS by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, could cut into Apple’s services revenue. And the company warns that it could put users at risk.

Apple reportedly offers to open iPhone NFC to other payment systems

By

Apple Pay Tap-to-Pay
We may soon be making "tap and go" payments with something besides Apple Pay.
Photo: Apple

The days of the iPhone’s NFC capabilities being limited to just Apple Pay could be coming to an end. Apple is reportedly open to allowing other systems to use the wireless payment system.

It’s the company’s solution to European Union objections to the iPhone’s NFC limitation.

With this card, you can always find your wallet

By

AirCard is a Find My tracker, an RFID blocker and a digital business card (NFC).
AirCard is a Find My tracker, an RFID blocker and a digital business card (NFC).
Photo: Rolling Square

Using Apple’s Find My network, the new AirCard from Swiss company Rolling Square can slip into your wallet like a credit card and help keep track of it. But it’s not just a tracker.

“AirCard is the first card-sized tracker in the world with a digital business card,” the company said. Its Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign has far-surpassed its goal with six days to go, so it’s likely the cards will ship.

EU may soon force Apple to open iPhone NFC to other payment services

By

Apple Pay Tap-to-Pay
iPhone users might soon be able to use tap-to-pay with non-Apple payment systems. In the EU, anyway.
Photo: Apple

The European Union reportedly plans to accuse Apple of violating the law by limiting access to the iPhone’s NFC capabilities to the company’s own payment system. The goal is to give rival systems like PayPal access to the iPhone’s convenient tap-to-pay function.

Apple claims the limitation is there to protect users’ financial information. The EU calls it anticompetitive.

iPhone could accept NFC credit card payments without additional hardware

By

iPhone credit card payments
Worrying news for companies like Square.
Mockup: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is working to give iPhone the ability to accept contactless credit card payments over NFC without the need for additional hardware “in the coming months,” according to a new report.

You currently need a third-party credit card reader, like those made by Square, to use iPhone as a payment terminal. However, since iPhone 6 made it debut in 2014, Apple’s smartphone has been packing the NFC technology that’s needed.

Add a one-tap AirPods connect button to your Home screen or Dock

By

airpods connect
This sticker is just one way to speed up AirPods connections.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

If you own multiple iOS devices, then AirPods are supremely convenient. As soon as you connect them to one device, they automatically pair (and remain paired) to all your other devices. So, if you have a Mac, an iPhone, an iPad, and an Apple Watch, then all you have to do is tap connect on whichever device you want to use.

The problem is that the connect button is hidden, and a pain to reach. You have to swipe to open Control Center, then tap the AirPlay icon, then tap your AirPods in the list. And then wait a few seconds to see if it worked. Admittedly, this is a small inconvenience, but we can make it better. How about adding a button to your iPhone Home screen or Mac Dock that connects the AirPods with one tap?

CarKey feature buried in iOS beta might let iPhones replace car keys

By

A Tesla Watch app concept.
A concept design for an Apple Watch app designed to communicate with a Tesla.
Photo: Eleks Labs

Apple reportedly added code to iPhone and Apple Watch to let these devices function as car keys, giving users one less thing to constantly carry around.

The company began work on such a feature years ago, and supposedly how has finally reached the point where it’s building the feature into iOS and watchOS.

Check out iOS 13’s amazing NFC-triggered Shortcuts

By

nfc shortcuts
These little NFC tags are discreet enough to stick anywhere.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Shortcuts has gotten so many amazing new tricks in iOS 13 that it’s going to take a while for us to cover them all. So, how about starting with the new NFC automations? This lets you tap your sleeping iPhone onto an NFC sticker or tag, and your iPhone will run a shortcut. This is pretty amazing, because you can walk around you home (or office), and just tap your iPhone onto objects to perform tasks: open apps, set timers, play music, dim the lights — in fact, you can do anything a regular shortcut can do.

Here are two great examples of using NFC shortcuts in iOS 13.

iOS 13 will read NFC tags in ID cards and passports in Germany

By

German-ID-card-NFC
It’s already possible if you use Android.
Photo: Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat

iPhone users will be able to scan German ID cards, passports, and more when iOS 13 rolls out this fall, according to local authorities.

The functionality will allow digital versions of those documents to be carried on an iOS device so that they are always accessible. Recent reports have confirmed users in Japan will be able to do the same with national ID cards.

iOS 13’s NFC triggers bring Shortcuts to the real world

By

With NFC shortcuts in iOS 13, this speaker could become a trigger to play your favorite podcast.
This speaker could become a trigger to play your favorite podcast.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iOS 13 Shortcuts app brings plenty of radical changes — automatic scheduled and location-based shortcuts, for example — but one super-neat new feature will make a world of difference. Now, if you have a compatible iPhone, you can combine NFC tags with Shortcuts. That is, you can run any shortcut just by tapping your iPhone onto an NFC sticker.

Seriously. Pretty wild, right? You could tap your iPhone onto a sticker atop a speaker in your kitchen, and it would start playing the radio, for instance. Let’s check out how NFC shortcuts will work.

Apple Card’s colorful packaging revealed ahead of launch

By

Apple Card packaging
Here’s how Apple Card will be presented to consumers.
Photo: Ben Geskin

New photos reveal how Apple Card will be presented to consumers when it starts reaching early adopters this summer.

It’s the first time we’ve seen the titanium Card’s fancy packaging since it was announced back in March. It is said to be in beta testing with Apple employees ahead of its launch.

Apple will open up iPhone’s NFC tech for Brexit app

By

Square Terminal could help more businesses accept Apple Pay.
NFC tech hasn't previously been opened up to developers.
Photo: Square

Apple has reportedly agreed to open up its NFC capabilities on the iPhone for a U.K. government app. This Brexit app will help EU citizens apply for residency in the U.K. after it leaves the European Union.

The EU Exit app allows users to scan the chip inside their passports with their smartphone’s NFC reader. While this has been possible to do on Android phones, Apple has not previously allowed developer access to its NFC reading tech.

U.K. passport plan might spark Apple’s next big fight

By

Square Terminal could help more businesses accept Apple Pay.
The UK government wants Apple to open up its NFC chip reader to developers.
Photo: Square

The UK government wants Apple to open up developer access to the NFC chips inside iPhones. The reason is because it plans to launch a new app designed to help EU citizens apply for residency in the U.K. after it leaves the European Union.

However, as part of the app, the government wants to let users scan the chip inside their passports with their smartphone’s NFC reader. Unfortunately, while this is possible to do on Android, Apple does not allow developer access in this way. And the British government wants that to change.

Square Terminal could increase Apple Pay availability

By

Square Terminal could help more businesses accept Apple Pay.
Square Terminal could help more businesses accept Apple Pay.
Photo: Square

Square got its start by letting businesses take credit cards with just an iPhone or Android, and the company now offers multiple payment methods. Today it launched Square Terminal which accepts credit cards and Apple Pay, and can even print  receipts.

This could help spread the availability of Apple Pay, as this new point-of-sale card reader is intended to replace older, simpler ones that can’t accept the iPhone’s payment system.

Dead batteries won’t kill NFC on iPhone XS and XR

By

iPhone 6 with a dead battery
A dead battery used to be a big problem. It's slightly less of an issue with the iPhone XS.
Photo: Apple

It’s irritating when your iPhone runs out of battery. But it can actually be life threatening if you depend on your phone’s NFC feature to get into your dorm room or onto a train. 

That’s why the iPhone XS and the other 2018 models still offer some NFC transactions even when down to the power reserve.

You don’t need an app to read NFC tags with iPhone XS or XR

By

iPhone XS Max
Another neat feature to (help) justify your spend!
Photo: Apple

One feature that didn’t get mentioned during this week’s iPhone event is the fact that the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR models let users scan NFC tags without requiring an app running in the background.

This means that places such as museums, retail stores, and other locations which make use of NFC tags can utilize them more readily — or, at least, that iPhone users can access them more easily. Instead of having to launch an app that puts your iPhone in NFC Reader mode, just walk up and scan any compatible tag. Easy, right?

Tim Cook wants to see money die

By

Tim Cook at Apple iPhone X event
Tim Cook hates cash.
Photo: Apple

The end of money can’t come soon enough for Apple CEO Tim Cook.

During Apple’s annual shareholders meeting today, Cook told investors that mobile payments like Apple Pay haven’t taken off quite as fast as hoped. However, he said he sees promising signs that the death of cash could soon be upon us.

Wells Fargo brings Apple Pay to 5,000 ATMs

By

Wells Fargo is embracing Apple Pay at its ATMs.
Wells Fargo is embracing Apple Pay at its ATMs.
Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr CC

One of the largest banks in the U.S. is embracing Apple Pay and contactless payments by finally adding it to its ATMs across the country.

Wells Fargo revealed today that more than 5,000 of its ATMs have been upgraded recently to support Apple Pay, allowing customers to get cash without having to carry around a physical debit or credit card.

11 awesome iOS 11 features Apple didn’t bother to mention

By

The best gesture in iOS 11 isn't just for iPad.
The best gesture in iOS 11 isn't just for iPad.
Photo: Apple

Developers just got an early preview of Apple’s upcoming iOS 11 update for iPhones and iPads today during the company’s WWDC 2017 keynote in San Jose.

The new update packs some huge new features that make iOS more powerful and easier-to-use than ever. Apple’s update is so jam packed that some of the best new additions didn’t even get some stage time at WWDC.