Apple’s new watches get UWB upgrade
The latest versions of Apple’s smartwatches — the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 — feature a new ultra wideband (UWB) chip to deliver precision location services... More
Apple Watch
Transport for NSW adds Apple Pay Express mode to Opal contactless ticketing system
Apple users travelling on public transport services operated by Transport for NSW in the Australian state of New South Wales can now make contactless payments for their journeys with their iPhone or Apple Watch without needing to unlock their device... More
Apple digital driving licences and IDs go live in Georgia
Apple users in the US state of Georgia can now create and store digital versions of their driving licence or state ID documents in Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch and use them to verify their identity by tapping their device at selected Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints... More
Landmark London building rolls out support for employee IDs in Apple Wallet for contactless entry
Apple users working in landmark City of London skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate can now gain access to the building, their workplace and shared amenities with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch using a digital employee badge stored in Wallet... More
Apple patents biometric palm recognition technology for smartphones and wearables
The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for an “electronic device including palm biometric sensor layer” that would enable users to unlock a device and authenticate other interactions on a smartphone, smartwatch or other wearable by verifying their identity with their palm... More
Octopus lets iPhone users personalise their digital transit card
Apple iPhone and Apple Watch users in Hong Kong can now personalise their digital Octopus transit card by adding specially designed card art from one of five collections of cartoons, portraits and other images created by Japanese and Hong Kong artists... More
Colorado begins issuing mobile driving licences and state IDs
Colorado has become the third US state to add support for Apple digital IDs, enabling residents with an iPhone or Apple Watch to create and store digital versions of their driving licence or state ID documents in Wallet and use them to verify their identity by tapping their device at selected Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security checkpoints... More
Apple begins offering door locks with support for NFC digital keys
Apple has begun retailing NFC-enabled smart door locks that are compatible with its digital Home Key feature, enabling users in the USA to lock and unlock their home with a tap of their iPhone or Apple Watch using a digital key stored in Wallet... More
Apple gets patent for ‘biometric button assembly’ to bring Touch ID to Apple Watch
The US Patent and Trademark Office has granted Apple a patent for an “electronic device having sealed button biometric sensing system” that would enable users to unlock a device, authorise transactions and access apps by verifying their identity with their fingerprint on a wearable device such as an Apple Watch... More
Team Energie lets drivers in Germany make contactless fuel payments at the pump with their smartwatch
Drivers in Germany can now use their Apple Watch or Android smartwatch to make contactless payments at the pump at Team Energie fuel stations across the country via a fuel payment app without needing to take their smartphone out of their bag, pocket or vehicle... More
Apple adds NFC car key support for Hyundai and Kia vehicles
Apple users purchasing the 2022 models of Hyundai’s Genesis GV60 and G90 and Kia’s Niro cars will be able to lock, unlock and start the vehicle using an NFC digital car key stored on their iPhone or Apple Watch... More
Patent-holding company sues Apple over NFC technologies
Ireland-based patent-holding company Aire Technology has filed a lawsuit against Apple over alleged infringement of patents relating to NFC and digital wallet technologies with the US District Court for the Western District of Texas... More
Apple to roll out digital driving licences and IDs in eight US states
Apple users in the US states of Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma and Utah will soon be able to store and present digital versions of their driving licence and state ID documents on an NFC-enabled iPhone and Apple Watch... More
Apple rolls out NFC student IDs in Canada and expands to further universities in the US
Students at the University of New Brunswick and Sheridan College will be the first in Canada to be able to store their digital student ID on their iPhone or Apple Watch and use it to gain access to buildings and make purchases this coming academic year, Apple has announced... More
Australian health insurers let customers make contactless claims from Apple Wallet
Australian consumers can now upload a digital private health insurance card to Apple Wallet and use their iPhone or Apple Watch to make an insurance claim by tapping a healthcare provider’s Health Insurance Claims and Payments Service (HICAPS) terminal... More
Apple unveils support for digital keys and IDs in iOS 15
Apple iPhone users will soon be able to store digital versions of their identity documents and a wider range of digital keys in their Wallet app, enabling them to prove their identity and tap to unlock their home, garage, workplace or hotel room with their smartphone... More
Long Island University rolls out NFC digital ID cards for students and staff
Students and staff at Long Island University in New York State in the US can now gain entry to campus facilities and make purchases at on-campus food outlets and other stores by tapping a digital identity card stored on their NFC-enabled Apple or Android device... More
Apple Pay goes live in South Africa
Apple Pay has rolled out in South Africa with support for Visa cards issued by Absa and Discovery Bank and for Visa, Mastercard and American Express cards issued by Nedbank... More
Disney World to let Apple users access attractions with a digital pass
Visitors to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will soon have the option to generate a contactless digital pass that enables them to use their iPhone, Apple Watch or other smart device to gain entry to the theme park and access other resort features and services... More
Apple to let iPhone users unlock their smartphone while wearing a mask
Apple is to let Apple Watch users unlock their iPhone using Face ID while they are wearing a mask, without having to enter an additional passcode... More
