EU to approve Apple's iPhone NFC chip policy changes, will allow competitors to Apple Pay
9to5Mac -

The EU commission is set to approve Apple’s previously-announced policy changes regarding access to the NFC chip on the iPhone, with the view of increasing competition in the contactless payments market. The commission’s decision will be officially announced in the coming weeks, via Reuters. With these changes, apps will be allowed to become the default wallet app that appears when users double-click the side button or hold their phone near a payment terminal. However, the relaxation of...

In related news

  • Apple Pay NFC tech in iPhone will likely get opened up soon in the EU

    The European Commission is set to approve Apple's opening up of Apple's NFC platform to third-party mobile wallets as soon as May, which could help save the iPhone maker from a $40 billion fine. NFC in the iPhone is chiefly used for Apple Pay In January, Apple agreed that it would open up its NFC hardware to any developer for the purposes of performing contactless payments. Months later, it appears that European antitrust regulators are close to determining if it's enough to get Apple...
  • Europe's main financial entity believes Apple's proposed iPhone NFC changes aren't enough

    The European Central Bank is opposed to Apple's proposed changes to the iPhone's near-field communication at the core of Apple Pay, and has complained about it to the European Commission. Apple could have to make additional changes to its NFC APIs Pietro Cipollone, a member of the executive board of the ECB, expressed the bank's concerns over Apple's proposal. Cipollone explained that Apple's proposed changes would be insufficient in several ways: The letter argues that by not...
  • European Commission to approve Apple's opening up of iPhone tap-to-pay to third parties in May

    iOS 17.4 came out last month with monumental changes for iPhone owners in the EU, including the ability to use third party app stores, and pay for apps and services outside of Apple's App Store. This was made possible by force - namely, the European Digital Markets Act made Apple allow these things, otherwise they never would have happened. A similar case of a 'walled garden' impenetrable to third parties has so far been the ability to pay for stuff using the iPhone's NFC functionality, which...