How Apple ruined my dreams of building apps utilizing NFC chip

A lot happened in the month of September, one of feature of these important happenings was the launch of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. As an Indie iPhone application developer, it was very important for me as well. However, I was more interested in the NFC chip in the new iPhone 6. I was really interested in developing apps utilizing this wonderful chip.

When we heard about the new iPhone 6 features, we were excited as an iPhone app developer in one of the leading iPhone app development company. I thought that I would be able to use this beautiful chip for developing smart apps. Apps that would solve a lot of problems. I was wrong though, as we learned that Apple has banned apps from using its newly launched iPhone 6’s NFC chip. Apple revealed that the new NFC chip in the iPhone 6 will only be used for one thing: Apple Pay, the company's new mobile payment features in iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch.

Instead of opening up the NFC technology to top app developers for the iPhone, as Samsung does with its range of NFC-enabled smartphones, Apple has curtailed off its NFC technology and reserved it for the company's new payment system. It is quite strange that iPhone app development companies will miss out all the action happening around NFC chips.

Apple state that it is limiting the use of its NFC chip as a security measure. It was quite evident during the iPhone 6 presentation, they were keen to specify how safe and secure Apple Pay will be, noting that card data is stored on a separate "secure element" on the phone. The third party iPhone application developers will not be able to utilize the NFC system, thus making it super-secure. By doing so, they have declined top app developers for iPhone to build innovative apps around the NFC chip.

Apple confirmed to CNET that the NFC chip technology will not be accessible for iPhone application developers for at least a year. However, they didn’t mention whether it will be available for iPhone app developers after that period or not.

As an indie iPhone application developer, I do have a plan to build an attendance tracking app using the NFC chip in the iPhone 6, but I guess I will have to wait for a while.