Digital Transactions
U.S. third-party developers soon will have new capabilities to access the secure element piece of Apple Inc.’s iPhone when iOS 18.1 eventually is released, a move that could herald further app development and cement Apple’s position among mobile-wallet providers.
Apple, without fanfare, revealed this long-desired access Thursday in a simple press release declaring developers will be able to use application programming interface coding to tap into the NFC chip and its secure element, where sensitive data is held within iPhones with NFC chips. Since its 2014 launch, Apple Pay, and associated Apple applications, have been able to access the secure element. The next version of the iPhone operating system, iOS 18, is expected in coming months, though Apple disclosed no timeframe for the 18.1 version. Developers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom also can use the APIs with additional locations to follow, Apple says.
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