As a long-standing provider of NFC, Tagstand is a passionate champion of all that NFC can do. For the past few years, one recurring point of frustration for us and for our customers has been the general incompatibility of Apple products with NFC. Ever since the launch of the iPhone 6 in 2015, Apple’s connection with NFC has been limited solely to their Apple Pay platform of mobile, card-free payments. But this is finally changing.
At their Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2017) last week, Apple announced that they are opening up their NFC capabilities with iOS 11 and watchOS 4 to include tag reading support for all NFC chip types (1-5). This update is expected to be available for iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and Apple Watch by September. (NOTE: Tag writing functions were not mentioned as of yet.)
This news is significant; as it will essentially put a NFC reader into the hands of Android and Apple users alike, and expand the overall convenience and usability of NFC. We foresee a steady growth in the creativity of NFC-based applications across different sectors, and are excited to see what this next chapter of development holds!
Do you have a NFC project in mind now? Contact us; we’re ready to help you bring your vision to life!