iOS 12's major feature upgrade plans to give developers full access to NFC chips

According to some media reports, Apple's iOS 12 system will undergo a major functional upgrade, allowing some third-party developers to fully access the various permissions of the NFC chip in the iPhone smartphone.

The media also reported that Apple hopes that the iPhone can be used in more contactless interaction areas, not just limited to Apple Pay, such as being used as a hotel room key or as a virtual conversion card in simpler transportation.

In fact, in order to expand the functions of NFC chips in iOS, Apple began to explore the corresponding functions as early as iOS 11. For example, Apple added the CoreNFC framework in iOS 11, which enables related applications to use NFC chips as any scanner of electronic tags. However, these functions still had huge limitations at the time and were still far from convenient.

According to media reports, after the upgrade, the new version of iOS 12 will allow iPhone owners to open hotel rooms by simply placing their phones on the door lock. This feature is similar to the way the current Apple Pay feature works. With the upgrade of iOS 12, the iPhone will no longer need to configure special applications to automatically complete some functions, as long as the user brings the phone close to those contactless terminals.

It is said that according to the new plan, Apple will also allow third parties to coordinate with the iPhone's built-in security system to help store some sensitive information. If the NFC chip in the iPhone can be more widely used, similar functions will be greatly realized.

In addition to acting as a hotel room key, Apple also hopes to use the iPhone's NFC technology to replace some conversion or transit cards.

It is reported that Apple will announce the relevant upgraded features at the World Developers Conference (WWDC) next month, when it will announce iOS 12 and other important software platforms. It is still unknown whether Apple will announce the addition of API functions to the SDK to help users make full use of these functions, or whether it will announce that the new version of NFC function will only be open to specific partners.