A series of planned improvements to the NFC (Near Field Communications) protocol could offer boosts to Apple Pay’s range and speed. This, along with a proposed change, would enable the Wallet app to get smarter, as the standard will begin supporting multiple actions with a single tap.
At present, the NFC protocol functions as a radio-based form of data communications specifically intended to operate only at extremely close range. Contactless payments are commonly referred to as “tap to pay” for this reason: While physical contact isn’t needed, users do need to get their card, iPhone, or Apple Watch very close to the payment terminal. Current NFC standards define the range as within 5 millimeters, or less than 0.2 inches. While it may work at a longer range, this is the only distance that is guaranteed.
According to Engadget, the NFC Forum, which defines these standards, plans to increase the guaranteed range to somewhere between four and six times this distance. At the top end, that would boost the range to 30mm, or 1.18 inches. This, in turn, could increase the range and boost both reliability and speed when making contactless and Apple Pay purchases. It could also boost the reliability of the function, and allow it to work more often the first time, especially in situations where the NFC payment terminal is positioned awkwardly.
The current NFC standard only supports a single action – usually authorizing payment. However, the forum plans to introduce a “multi purpose tap” feature, triggering several actions at once.
For example, this could trigger both payment and separate accrual of retailer reward points. Another option would be to allow users to use your Apple Wallet app to check their entire family in at an airport departure gate or ticket barrier at a venue.
It’s thought that these improvements could appear between 2025 and 2028, as it’ll take some time for elements of the tech industry to reach an agreement, and even longer to implement these changes.
The NFC Forum says that the work needed for these improvements is already under development, but it will take two to five years before it is launched. It will almost certainly need Apple to switch to new NFC chips to support the new standards, so the iPhone 17 will probably be the first model able to take advantage.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.