MILLIONS of iPhones are set for a major change to Apple Pay but UK and US owners will miss out.
The technology giant is planning on modifying a new feature which will allow more people able to use the convenient payment method.
The EU commission is set to approve Apple’s previously-announced policy changes regarding access to the NFC chip on the iPhone.
Apple will make the changes with the view of increasing competition in the contactless payments market.
The NFC or Near-field communication is a new feature that allows devices within a few centimetres of each other to exchange information wirelessly.
The commission’s decision will be officially announced in the coming weeks, according to Reuters.
With these changes, apps will be able to become the default wallet app that appears when users double-click the side button or hold their phone near a card machine.
But, the relaxation of policy only applies to apps available inside the European Union, not worldwide.
Until now, Apple has strictly locked down access to the NFC contactless chip on the iPhone due to concerns over user experience, privacy, and security.
That has allowed Apple Pay to become the go-to contactless payment option on the iPhone, with effectively no competition.
Users will be able to download alternative apps and pick them as their default contactless payments app on their device.
This will then allow the app to supplant system features typically associated with Apple Pay, like near-field activation and double-click activation.
But, there will still be regulations in place.
App developers must request an entitlement from Apple to get these privileges.
They must meet various industry standards and hold appropriate licenses to traffic consumer payments, in order to be eligible.
IPHONE HACK
It comes as we told how an easy-to-miss iPhone mode can be unlocked just by spinning the handset on its side.
A confused iPhone owner took to Reddit to ask how to make it work.
In the post, they shared a photo of an iPhone with its face entirely filled by a landscape-oriented clock.
They wrote: “How do you get an iPhone to do this again? I’ve had this happen twice before and never managed to figure out how to get it to happen again.”
The iPhone owner didn’t realise that they were actually engaging StandBy Mode.
Apple explains: “You can use StandBy to turn your iPhone into a bedside clock, a photo frame, a display for viewing widgets or Live Activities in full screen, and more.”
