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Apple’s iPhone 6 NFC chip is restricted to Apple Pay

Apple’s iPhone 6 NFC chip is restricted to Apple Pay

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Apple’s move to integrate NFC in its latest iPhone 6 seemed like the perfect way to push the technology even further to the masses, but Apple’s implementation isn’t going to be as open as Android and Windows Phone equivalents. Following a report from Cult of Mac, Apple has confirmed to The Verge that its NFC chip in the iPhone 6 is restricted to Apple Pay, the company’s new mobile payments platform. That means pairing to Bluetooth speakers or exchanging contacts, URLs, and photos with a tap won’t work initially.

There’s still hope for the future though. Apple restricted its Touch ID fingerprint sensor in a similar way for the iPhone 5S, but the company has opened it up to third-party developers with iOS 8. While NFC is restricted to Apple Pay for the iPhone 6 right now, it’s possible, and likely, that Apple will extend this to developers in a future release of iOS. For now, you’ll have to pay for goods using Apple Pay if you want to experiment with NFC on the iPhone 6.

Apple Pay hands-on