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15 August 2024
Developers can soon offer in‑app NFC transactions using the Secure Element
Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their own apps on iPhone, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Using the new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be supported in the future.
As users’ security and privacy is of the utmost importance to Apple, this new solution was designed to provide developers with a secure way to offer NFC contactless transactions from within their iOS apps. The NFC and SE APIs leverage the Secure Element — an industry-standard, certified chip designed to store sensitive information securely on device. Apple has dedicated significant resources to design a solution that protects users’ security and privacy, leveraging a number of Apple’s proprietary hardware and software technologies when making a contactless transaction, including the Secure Enclave, biometric authentication, and Apple servers. To make a contactless transaction within an app that utilises these APIs, users can either open the app directly, or set the app as their default contactless app in iOS Settings, and double-click the side button on iPhone to initiate a transaction.
To incorporate this new solution in their iPhone apps, developers will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request the NFC and SE entitlement, and pay the associated fees. This ensures that only authorised developers who meet certain industry and regulatory requirements, and commit to Apple’s ongoing security and privacy standards, can access the relevant APIs. The NFC and SE APIs will be available to developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S. in an upcoming developer seed for iOS 18.1, with additional locations to follow. Developers and users will continue to have access to the easy, secure, and private experience of Apple Pay and Wallet.
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