Public transportation users in Hong Kong can now use the NFC functionality in their Android or iOS device to top up their Octopus transit card, view their transaction history, check their balance and collect fare subsidies... More
Transport for NSW has announced plans to pilot a new digital version of its Opal transit card that will enable cardholders to “pay for all modes of transport — whether it be light rail, a bus, on demand service, taxi or Uber — with a single tap of their phone.”... More
Starting some time next year, you can tap into Metro with an IPhone — DCist — “The service will be available on Apple products first, but a Google spokesperson confirms that the company is also working with Metro to launch a mobile card for Android users in 2020… Once Apple turns on the service, it will be available to use at every station, on every bus, and in every parking garage on the system — anywhere SmarTrip can be used.”
Passengers flying on international American Airlines flights can now use an NFC passport checking function integrated into the airline’s mobile apps “to head directly to the gate for international flights without having their passports rechecked by a customer service agent”... More
Expanding the Android Security Rewards Program — Google — “The Android Security Rewards (ASR) program was created in 2015 to reward researchers who find and report security issues to help keep the Android ecosystem safe… Today, we’re expanding the program and increasing reward amounts. We are introducing a top prize of $1 million for a full chain remote code execution exploit with persistence which compromises the Titan M secure element on Pixel devices.”
Bank of America updates Android app to support Pixel 4 face unlock — 9to5Google — “Release notes for version 8.3.11 of Bank of America for Android prominently mentions the ‘Ability to sign in with face unlock (Pixel 4 only)’… After updating, you’ll need to enter your password one more time, and select the ‘Set up biometric sign-in’ checkbox. After completing BofA’s process, Pixel 4 face unlock will work on all subsequent sign-in attempts.”
Food giant Nestlé is testing face recognition payments at Nestlé Market, a concept supermarket in Barcelona, Spain, that stocks the company’s established brands as well as the latest additions to its range... More
The Salvation Army is adding NFC chips to all 25,000 of its iconic Red Kettles for its Christmas 2019 fundraising campaign, enabling shoppers to simply tap their Apple or Android NFC phone to make a donation to the charity... More
Tourists visiting China can now use a version of Alipay designed specifically for international travellers to make mobile payments during their trip, Alipay has announced... More
Public transportation operator First Group has begun a pilot of a new mobile ticketing service that uses host card emulation (HCE) to let customers with an Android NFC phone purchase a bus ticket, provision it to Google Pay and then use their smartphone to tap an on-board contactless reader when they board a bus... More
Three in ten US smartphone owners now use a mobile payments app to make payments in stores — and Apple Pay is now the most popular with 30.3 million users, according to new research by eMarketer... More
The UK government has introduced an iOS version of its EU Exit: ID Document Check app, enabling EU citizens to use the NFC passport reading capabilities Apple has introduced in iOS 13 to register for settled status in the UK... More
PARTNER NEWS: Food giant Kraft Heinz is using tamper resistant NXP NFC tags for an innovative marketing campaign that lets customers tap their NFC phone to a tag incorporated into product packaging for a chance to win a gift card — but only if they have first purchased the product and opened the packet... More
Samsung’s NFC phone-based contactless payments acceptance service is now live in Canada and is to be introduced globally “starting in 2020”, the company has announced... More
The number of passengers able to use the NFC transit ticketing system which went live in Paris in September is to be increased in 2020-21 with the addition of support for host card emulation (HCE)... More
PARTNER NEWS: Chipmaker NXP has updated NFC TagWriter, its Android app that can write and rewrite information such as contact data, web links, WiFi and Bluetooth connection details, as well as triggers for emails, calls, text messages, apps and more, into single or multiple NFC cards and tags... More
The German government is using the NFC contactless chip reading capabilities now available on Apple iPhones in a new iOS app that lets citizens securely identify themselves to a range of online service providers by reading their contactless national ID card with their smartphone... More
Banco Proamerica de Costa Rica has become the first bank in Latin America to let merchants accept contactless payments directly on an Android NFC smartphone, without the need for a separate card acceptance dongle... More
Public transportation users in Paris can now buy and store transit tickets and passes on Samsung and Orange NFC phones — and can use any Android phone to buy a ticket and then upload it to their contactless travel card via NFC... More
Public transportation users in South Yorkshire can now purchase bus, tram and train tickets online and then transfer their ticket onto their smart travel card using the NFC contactless card writing capabilities that Apple has made available in iOS13... More
