A new technology called NFC Multi-Purpose Tap can make our interactions with iPhones and Apple Watches even more seamless. This innovation, recently introduced by the NFC Forum, lets users perform multiple actions with a single tap on an NFC reader.
You can think of it as making a contactless payment at a store while simultaneously earning loyalty points and receiving a digital receipt – all with just one tap of your iPhone (or Apple Watch). That’s what NFC Multi-Purpose Tap can do.
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The concept is expected to revolutionize the contactless user experience by supporting several actions with a single tap, bringing unparalleled convenience to multiple NFC use cases, including point-to-point receipt delivery, loyalty, identification, and total-journey transit ticketing.
This technology can simplify various NFC use cases. For example, commuters could use it on public transportation to pay for their fare, receive any applicable discounts, and get a travel receipt all in one go. Or perhaps you can tap your phone on an electronic device to verify its authenticity, access information, or receive care instructions. (NFC can actually read information stored on NFC tags.)
The NFC Forum is the leading industry body for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, and Apple is a prominent member. Apple first introduced NFC capabilities with the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, so enabling users to make contactless payments through Apple Pay. Talking about Apple Pay, Apple has scared Apple Pay Later and is planning to give a charge to third parties.
Though Apple was mentioned only once in the statement, given the company’s involvement in the NFC Forum and its history of expanding NFC functionalities, it’s highly likely that future iPhones and Apple Watches will support Multi-Purpose Tap.
The body is led by its Board members, including representatives from Apple, Google, Huawei, Identiv, Infineon, NXP, Qualcomm, Sony, and ST Microelectronics.
It will be interesting to see how Apple integrates this technology into its devices; we all know that Apple always thinks one step ahead of others.
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