O'Grady's PowerPage

Tag: Secure Element

  • Apple announces that it will open iPhone NFC protocol to third-party developers following iOS 18.1 release

    Apple announces that it will open iPhone NFC protocol to third-party developers following iOS 18.1 release

    Apple has announced that it will be opening up the iPhone’s NFC (Near Field Communication) chip using its Secure Element feature to third-party developers for contactless payments, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. The feature will debut in a future release of iOS 18.1 and will be available in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the United States.

    The change comes after the company announced it would ope the standard to third-party apps in accordance with the EU following the ruling in the Digital Markets act.

    Apple offered the following comments as to the change:

    “Starting with iOS 18.1, developers will be able to offer NFC contactless transactions using the Secure Element from within their own apps on iPhone, separate from Apple Pay and Apple Wallet. Using the new NFC and SE (Secure Element) APIs, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions for in-store payments, car keys, closed-loop transit, corporate badges, student IDs, home keys, hotel keys, merchant loyalty and rewards cards, and event tickets, with government IDs to be supported in the future.”

    Apple also says that users will be able to set a third-party app as their default contactless app via the Settings app on their iPhones.

    Apple also added that “To incorporate this new solution in their iPhone apps, developers will need to enter into a commercial agreement with Apple, request the NFC and SE entitlement, and pay the associated fees.” Apple has currently not published any details as to its fee structure, but has posted more details about its plans on its developer website, with instructions on how developers can contact Apple to express interest in the offering.

    Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

    Via 9to5Mac and developer.apple.com

  • Apple launches Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia

    Apple launches Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia

    Apple has debuted its Tap to Pay feature on iPhone in Australia, allowing for secure contactless payments throughout the country.

    At launch, Westpac and Tyro Payments are the first payment platforms in Australia to provide Tap to Pay on iPhone to their customers. Other payment platforms and applications, such as ANZ Worldline Payment Solutions, Stripe, Till Payments, and Zeller, will also introduce the feature in the upcoming months.

    Apple will also be introducing Tap to Pay on iPhone in Apple Store locations across Australia later in the year.

    To set this up, merchants can activate the feature through a compatible iOS app on an iPhone Xs or a more recent device running iOS 16.4 or a later version. Once activated, businesses can request that customers hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near the merchant’s iPhone to complete the payment using NFC technology securely.

    The feature supports various payment options, including Apple Pay, contactless credit or debit cards, and other digital wallets. Additionally, Tap to Pay on iPhone includes PIN entry functionality.

    Transactions via Tap to Pay on iPhone are encrypted and processed using the Secure Element feature on the handset. Like Apple Pay, Apple does not know the specific items being purchased or the identity of the individuals making the purchases.

    If you’ve had a chance to try Tap to Pay on iPhone in Australia, please let us know about your experience in the comments.

    Via AppleInsider and Apple

  • Hours after citing capable security, CurrentC announces unauthorized access of users’ email accounts

    currentc

    Hubris, anyone?

    Just hours after publishing a blog post answering some questions about its upcoming CurrentC mobile payments system and touting the security of its cloud-based storage of sensitive information, the company behind the effort, Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) has alerted users of unauthorized access to their email addresses.

    Per MacRumors, the company released the following statement:

    Thank you for your interest in CurrentC. You are receiving this message because you are either a participant in our pilot program or requested information about CurrentC. Within the last 36 hours, we learned that unauthorized third parties obtained the e-mail addresses of some of you. Based on investigations conducted by MCX security personnel, only these e-mail addresses were involved and no other information.

    Details on the unauthorized access have not been disclosed, but reporter Nick Arnott of iMore took some time earlier this week took a look at some of the personal information being collected by MCX and CurrentC and noted that he could ping CurrentC’s systems to look for valid registered email addresses on the system. While he did not find valid addresses, the system appeared capable of returning a substantial amount of personal information about such accounts.

    (more…)

  • ApplePay wireless payment system introduced, detailed at media event

    You’ve been hankering for Apple to incorporate a near-field communication payment system in its devices.

    And it’s on its way.

    Per The Mac Observer, Apple announced ApplePay, its mobile payment system, during its media Tuesday. The system requires the just announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, both of which include NFC support.

    applepay

    ApplePay and the iPhone 6 lineup rely on a new chip dubbed Secure Element to securely store credit card information, and that data isn’t shared with Apple at any time. Cards registered with iTunes account are automatically available, and users can take photos of other credit cards to add them to ApplePay, too.

    (more…)