Apple Opens iPhone NFC Technology to Third-Party Providers After EU Agreement

Apple has avoided significant European Commission fines by agreeing to open its NFC chip technology, crucial for iPhone contactless payments, to third-party providers.

This resolves an antitrust case and sidesteps potential multibillion-dollar penalties. Under a 10-year commitment, Apple will provide free APIs for third-party mobile wallet and payment services to access iPhone NFC functionality independently of Apple Pay or Apple Wallet.

These APIs include access to NFC components in Host Card Emulation (HCE) mode, which securely stores payment credentials and facilitates transactions without relying on the device’s secure element.

The agreement covers all third-party mobile wallet developers in the European Economic Area (EEA) and allows their apps to be used for payments within and outside the EEA.

Apple also commits to features like default payment app settings, FaceID authentication access, and transaction suppression.

The European Commission has made these commitments legally binding, addressing concerns about NFC access restrictions for iOS users in the EEA.

However, Apple continues to face NFC-related challenges in the US, where the Justice Department has included this issue in a broader lawsuit alleging smartphone market monopolization.