Apple Opens Up NFC to Third-Party Apps in EU, Allowing New Tap-to-Pay Options - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Opens Up NFC to Third-Party Apps in EU, Allowing New Tap-to-Pay Options

by

As part of major changes being made to the app ecosystem in the EU in iOS 17.4, Apple is allowing apps to access and use the iPhone's NFC chip.

apple pay feature dynamic island
Going forward, NFC payments will be available directly in apps without the need for Apple Pay or the Wallet app, paving the way for third-party payment services and banks to offer their own tap-to-pay solutions on Apple devices.

iPhone users can set a default app that will be activated when an iPhone is near an NFC terminal or when the side button on the device is double clicked, which means native support for tap-to-pay payments that are not ‌Apple Pay‌ is now available.

Apple will require apps using NFC for payments to confirm to industry security standards, such as having valid agreements with an authorized Payment Service Provider.

This access to NFC technology is limited to banking and wallet apps that are in the European Economic Area, which includes the 27 European Union countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

Related Forums: iOS 17, iPadOS 17

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
Read Full Article • 58 comments
iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max Feature

'Apple Upgrade' Program Reportedly Launching Next Week

Tuesday July 21, 2026 8:30 am PDT by
Apple and Klarna are partnering on a new "Apple Upgrade" program set to launch in the U.S. on Tuesday, July 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The program will allow you to finance most iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models, with a 24-month term for iPhones and Apple Watches and a 36-month term for iPads and Macs. Customers will be able to pay off the device early during the term, ...
Read Full Article • 190 comments
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Tuesday July 21, 2026 6:22 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
Read Full Article

Top Rated Comments

mthomas184 Avatar
mthomas184
33 months ago
The downside to this, I can easily see banks in the EU removing support for Apple Pay and if you wanna use tap to pay, you have to exclusively use their app.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
LightProtector
33 months ago

and whats wrong with that?
its not that they dont want to Apple to get their cut (its ridiculously low)
its that their don't want card issuers to get their cut
Nobody wants different apps for different functions. The appeal of Apple Wallet is having everything in one place. It’s so damn inconvenient to open that app to tap. It’s counter intuitive. I would straight up switch off that bank if they did that to me.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
DelayedGratificationGene
33 months ago

What? Timmy is not getting a cut of this? Someone hurry up and let Timmy know, this must have slipped through while he was occupied snacking some Beluga
Calling Tim Cook “Timmy” is just about as cringe as it can get.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mthomas184 Avatar
mthomas184
33 months ago

and whats wrong with that?
its not that they dont want to Apple to get their cut (its ridiculously low)
its that their don't want card issuers to get their cut
Luckily I don’t live in the EU so I don’t have to deal with that crap. But if it came to the US and I was forced to use my bank app for tap to pay rather than just clicking a button for Apple Pay, I would either switch banks or go back to physical cards.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
R
rb24
33 months ago

and whats wrong with that?
its not that they dont want to Apple to get their cut (its ridiculously low)
its that their don't want card issuers to get their cut

Nobody wants different apps for different functions. The appeal of Apple Wallet is having everything in one place. It’s so damn inconvenient to open that app to tap. It’s counter intuitive. I would straight up switch off that bank if they did that to me.
Totally agree. I have more than one bank. Then there are boarding cards, tickets etc. So I want Apple Wallet to launch when there's an NFC reader, not some dumb bank.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
danakin Avatar
danakin
33 months ago
Trying to get in ahead of the first Mensa member (big sarcasm) suggesting Apple leave the EU.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments