How iOS 13 Will Unlock NFC’s Potential

NFC has long been held back by Apple not supporting it2;only Android did. Now that both major smartphone platforms will soon support NFC, the technology can reach its full potential. From keyless locks to digital IDs, the future is here.

Why Is NFC and Why Does It Matter?

Apple Pay has always used NFC for contactless payments. If you7;ve ever paid for something using your iPhone or Apple Watch, you7;ve used NFC.

NFC stands for Near Field Communications, and it7;s a set of standards that allow devices to communicate through radio waves when they7;re in close proximity. Emphasis on the close, as the devices need to be 4 inches apart or less.

With NFC, you can accomplish a variety of tasks, whether it be sharing data, mobile payments, or tag reading and writing.

NFC isn7;t a new technology by any means, but comprehensive support is something we7;ve never seen. Android phones have longed enjoyed full NFC support, along with Blackberrys and Windows Phone. But adopting NFC doesn7;t guarantee the success of a mobile platform.

But for all the mobile devices that do have NFC, one significant outlier existed: iPhones. While the Android phone with NFC hardware (the Nexus S) released in 2010, it took until 2014 to see an iPhone with NFC hardware (the iPhone 6). And in the beginning, it was locked down to solely payment processing.

That7;s been changing over time, and with iOS 13, an iPhone going back to the iPhone 7 will have its NFC potential unlocked. App developers can read and write to NFC tags, read chipped passports and ID cards, unlock NFC-enabled doors, and more.