NFC capability on iPhone 6 will be for Apple Pay only

The recently concluded Apple Live Event revealed the long rumored inclusion of NFC capability into Apple’s products. Yes, Apple is yet again late to the NFC party as the technology has been present in Android smartphones for quite some time.

Competitors such as Samsung, Sony and Nokia have already implemented near field communications into their devices, but this is the first time that Apple is doing so. And they are providing the technology into one of their newest products, the iPhone 6.

The iPhone 6, along with the iPhone 6 Plus and the Apple Watch are all equipped with NFC capability. However, the technology will be locked to use for Apple Pay only. Apple Pay is a new feature being introduced into the latest products of Apple where users can just swipe their phone or smartwatch to purchase from retailers.

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The Apple Pay service was announced at Apple Live Event held in Cupertino. It uses NFC technology together with Touch ID fingerprint scanner for secure payments. In short, you can pay for purchases with just a tap of your phone or smartwatch.

That said, there are just a number of retailers who support the function, and these include Sephora, Whole Foods, Macy’s and Walgreens. All of these major retailers will accept payments from Apple Pay when the device becomes available on September 19. Known names such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy have not thrown in support for the payment system.

Although NFC can be used for other functions, its sole purpose on the newest devices of Apple would only be for the Apple Pay platform alone.

This limitation was confirmed by a spokesperson for Apple. The spokesperson said that developers are restricted from making use of the functionality for at least a year. However, nothing is yet known whether Apple will extend functionality after the stated period.

Tim Cook

As mentioned earlier, NFC has many uses. It can be used to pair a smartphone with speakers for audio playback and share information between devices.

So, for the time being, Apple’s latest releases will feature limited NFC functionality and fans will have to wait when the company can or will take it a step further.