Last night Norwegian time Apple has confirmed several changes to the iPhone and the App Store. Perhaps the biggest news is that Apple is opening up its NFC chip to third parties.
Until now, it was locked and Apple Pay could only be used when paying with your iPhone. This allows DNB, Sparebank1 and Vipps, among others, who have chosen not to support Apple Pay, to offer their own contactless payment solutions to their customers on iPhone.
Complete cheers
the site Rumors It explains that iPhone users will soon be able to set a default app that activates when the iPhone is near an NFC terminal or you double-click the side button to activate “Tap toPay.”
At Vipps, there was complete jubilation last week.
– We have fought for a long time so that people can freely choose the payment solution they want. That's why there was such rejoicing with us last Friday, when the European Commission shared the news that Apple has agreed to open up NFC technology, which also allows players like Vipps to be able to offer “coverage” on terminals in… Communications in Vipps MobilePay, for DinSide: “Physical Stores”.
The ambitions are great.
– Our goal is to become the most preferred contactless payment operator in the Nordic countries.
the changes
Work on the solution
But the Vipps aren't quite ready to drink champagne yet.
– It remains for the European Commission to provide a final clarification on how the new rules will be implemented, and Apple must share the documentation we need to start development. But it looks promising and we are optimistic! “We are very much looking forward to the day when you can leave plastic cards at home and pay with Vipps when using payment terminals in Norway and the rest of the world,” says Lundy.
She reveals that they are well underway with setting up Vipps for Carpet on iPhone and Android devices, and are working hard to have a solution ready as soon as possible. In this case, this will only happen after March 7, the date on which the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) comes into force.
Caroline Lund, Director of Communications at Vipps MobilePay. Photo: Vibes
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-At the same time, we depend on deliveries from subcontractors and partners, so it is difficult to set a specific time. It is important to us that we build a solution that is easy to use for consumers and has the lowest possible transaction costs for stores.
safety first
“New options for processing payments and downloading apps on iOS open new avenues for malware, scams, fraud, illegal and harmful content, and other threats to privacy and security,” Apple wrote in its press release.
Lunde assures customers that safety is in the driver's seat for Vipps.
– When we launch new services and products, they are safe and easy to use for both people and shops. That would also be the case in this context, she says.
New EU requirements
Positive signals
Another player that has been eagerly awaiting the EU decision is DNB Bank. The big bank has long chosen not to open up Apple Pay to its customers, but has instead taken up the fight in the European Commission to force Apple to open up.
In front of DinSide, DNB refers to the statement made last week. The company's Chief Product and Innovation Officer, Per Christian Nys-Fladset, then stated that they considered this to be good news:
– These are positive signs and good news for competition in the payments market. Open access and equal good competition are fundamentally good for both businesses and consumers. He said at the time: We are constantly evaluating our services to customers in the payment area, and we are also taking these signals into account in our evaluations moving forward.
It goes into effect in March
In addition to making the NFC chip available to third parties, the DMA also forces Apple to make changes to the iPhone and the App Store. This includes, among others:
- Support for browsers not built on Apple's WebKit technology, so you can get the full version of Chrome
- Streaming apps, such as GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass, will be allowed in the App Store
- Developers can offer their own app stores in iOS
Yesterday, Apple announced that it is opening up third-party access to the NFC chip, in addition to other changes that it will have to introduce with DMA, which is already present in iOS 17.4, and is available in developer beta now.
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