AppleInsider Staff
According to a report on Monday, Apple is restricting developer access to the NFC module found in the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, limiting the component to first-party Apple Pay services only.
While Apple's new iPhone 6 lineup is the first to incorporate near-field communications hardware, it seems the company will keep the component on lockdown as it makes an entrance into secure digital payments with Apple Pay.
An Apple spokesperson told Cult of Mac that developers will not be able to access NFC chip APIs this year, meaning the component is included in the iPhone 6 as a dedicated payments solution component. Apple is likely employing a "go slow" approach to NFC as the technology, and its security, is a vital cog in the Apple Pay system.
Competing smartphone manufacturers like Samsung use NFC for quick device pairing, data transport and other functions. For its part, Apple has a higher-bandwidth stand-in with the iBeacon protocol, which harnesses Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi for fast recognition and rich data throughput.
While there are no plans to release the appropriate NFC module APIs to developers, Apple could open up access in the future as the technology matures within the iOS ecosystem. For example, iOS 8 now allows developer access to the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, which was first introduced with the iPhone 5s in 2013.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
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64 Comments
Good idea. Steady as she goes.
Sensible otherwise there would be nothing to stop PayPal etc from using the NFC chip for their own payment app. Apple clearly intends to dominate the market for IOS mobile payments and this makes perfect sense Remember every iphone 6 sold in the US will almost certainly already have a compatible credit card linked itunes account and so be set up for Apple Pay from day 1 That's an incredibly friction free way to get the system out into the real world If it's already on your new phone and the banks etc will be advertising the system in stores, it would be pretty hard to resist trying it out, and then your a user!
This kills NFC in iPhone for Japan, thanks Apple.
Makes sense. I think the biggest competitive advantage that Apple has over Android (among many other attributes) is security and identity protection. They should keep this as secure as possible. Even if developer access was granted and was beyond secure, it could be perceived as being otherwise.
[quote name="luinil" url="/t/182310/apple-to-limit-iphone-6-nfc-to-apple-pay-restrict-developer-access#post_2599411"]This kills NFC in iPhone for Japan, thanks Apple. [/quote] - Japan feeling left out in technology...who would have thought that day would come.