14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has finally decided to unlock the NFC reader on the iPhone in order to allow it to be used for scanning passport chips.
The change will take place with the release of iOS 13 in the fall thanks to an update to the Core NFC framework, according to a report from NFC World citing chip checker app maker Innovalor.
Thanks to this update, iPhone users will be allowed to perform ID verification using nothing more than their smartphones, a feature that even the UK government itself requested in late 2018.
Last year, British authorities were working on a Brexit app that required EU citizens to scan the chips in their passports using a dedicated app and the NFC reader to apply for residency in the country after it leaves the European Union.
iOS 13 coming later this year
While everything was working correctly on Android devices, iPhone users were blocked from scanning passport chips because of the restrictions put in place by Apple. UK authorities met with Apple representatives to discuss its NFC policy, but further details on how and when the Cupertino-based tech giant planned to address this setback have never been released publicly.
Beginning with iOS 13, such capabilities will finally be available for iPhone users as well.
“I can confirm it works,” CEO Maarten Wegdam was quoted as saying to NFC World. “We tested with UK passports, and no problems. It is now possible to read the RFID chips that are in e-passports and identity cards using iPhones.”
iOS 13 is already in preview stage, but the final build for all users is projected to go live in September. Apple will also take the wraps off new iPhones in the fall, but the updated NFC functionality will be available for all models with an NFC chip inside.