US mPOS provider CardFlight is to make use of Apple’s new Touch ID API to provide an extra level of security to merchants using its SwipeSimple service with an Apple iPhone... More
iPhone
iOS 8 to include location-based app promos
The latest edition of Apple’s iOS operating system, unveiled at WWDC this week, will provide a way for apps relevant to a user’s location to be promoted on their iPhone home screen, MacRumours reports... More
Apple opens up Touch ID
The Touch ID fingerprint verification technology built into the iPhone 5S can now be used by third-party developers to secure their applications, Apple’s Craig Federighi announced at the company’s 2014 WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC)... More
Apple begins mobile payments talks with retailers
Apple is holding talks with a number of upmarket US retailers to gauge how interested they would be in the iPhone maker introducing its own mobile payments service, according to 9to5Mac which cites “a source with direct knowledge of the talks”... More
Burger chain gets mobile payments
Customers of Finnish hamburger chain Hesburger can today pay for food, connect their loyalty card and redeem offers using Swedish mobile wallet app SEQR... More
Apple patents NFC antenna that works on all sides of a mobile device
Apple has applied for a patent on an antenna design that allows NFC signals to be transmitted from both the top and bottom of a mobile phone — front and rear — reducing the need for a user to orientate their device in a particular way when conducting an NFC transaction. More
Groupon lets merchants redeem vouchers via BLE
Prepaid voucher provider Groupon has launched an iPad-based point-of-sale terminal that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to let merchants “instantly recognize their Groupon customers as they enter their business, seamlessly redeem Groupons and save time and money.”... More
Morgan Stanley predicts Apple will include NFC in iPhone 6 — and NXP will supply the controller chips
“We see growing evidence Apple will adopt NFC as a core part of its mobile payments strategy,” a new report from investment firm Morgan Stanley says — and evidence suggests that NXP has already won the contract to supply NFC controller chips for the iPhone 6... More
Australian bank tests beacons in branches
St George Bank is testing the use of Bluetooth LE technology to send a welcome message and personalised information directly to a customer’s iPhone when they enter a branch... More
Brightwire: Apple signs mobile payments deal with China UnionPay
“Apple is likely to incorporate a near field communication (NFC) payment function in the next generation iPhone and has reached an agreement with China UnionPay on a mobile payment service,” investment newswire Brightwire reports, citing “a source close to the matter”... More
nTrust pilots Bluetooth payments in Canada
Canadian payments and money transfer provider nTrust has begun piloting a new mobile payments service that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons placed in stores to make wireless purchases... More
Duane Reade installs Bluetooth beacons in ten New York stores
New York-based drugstore chain Duane Reade has upgraded its iPhone app to include support for iBeacons and ten of its 240 New York stores have been equipped with Bluetooth LE beacons in a bid to “foster greater customer engagement.”... More
Warner Music distributes NFC guitar picks to fans
Fans attending gigs by Warner Music act The Wild Feathers have been provided with guitar picks containing an NFC tag... More
GSMA reports on NFC adoption at MWC, SIM trends and HCE
One in nine attendees at Mobile World Congress (11.8%) made use of the NFC Badge function available at this year’s event, the GSMA has told NFC World, and there was a “significant increase” in the number of people participating in the NFC Experience as a whole this year... More
Apple iWatch to ship with NFC this year?
Apple will enter the wearable devices market “this fall” with an iWatch that includes a secure element, NFC communications capabilities and support for biometrics, according to a new research note by Taiwan-based KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo... More
Pylon seeks funds for WiFi access point with NFC
Funding is being raised on Kickstarter to commercialize an ultra-slim wall plaque that enables visitors to connect to a host’s WiFi network without having to ask for and enter a password, by just tapping their phone on entry to a home or commercial location... More
Fira de Barcelona to use NFC and QR to speed up food service
Visitors attending events at the Mobile World Congress venue will soon be able to place food orders and make payments using a mobile app, and then check in to restaurants via NFC or QR... More
Verizon adds Isis iPhone cases
US carrier Verizon has introduced a range of NFC cases for iPhone users, enabling Apple phone owners to make Isis NFC payments... More
AT&T adds iPhone cases for Isis NFC payments
iPhone owners in the US can now make Isis payments following AT&T’s introduction of a range of phone cases that add NFC functionality to the devices... More
Apple patent combines NFC, Bluetooth and WiFi for mobile payments
A newly published Apple patent application uses a secure element in a mobile phone to store cardholder data, NFC to initiate a transaction and Bluetooth or WiFi to complete the processing of a transaction and return coupons and other information to the customer’s device... More