Apple may have finally hopped on the NFC bandwagon with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus but it is doing so in a very controlled fashion. Anyone hoping to be able to quickly pair Bluetooth headphones or sharing contact information with a simple tap will be disappointed to learn that the iPhone 6’s NFC functionality will be limited to Apple Pay. The limitation, first reported by The Cult of Mac, was later confirmed by Apple to The Verge.
On the technical side, it does not appear that there are any limitations with the NXP-manufactured NFC chip that Apple is using. Experts who looked into the matter found that the NFC controller could be made to be more accessible. It does appear at this point that it is indeed Apple that chose to implement NFC in this fashion.
This approach is very similar to the one Apple took last year when it first unveiled its Touch ID fingerprint sensor with the iPhone 5S. It’s likely that Apple will broaden access over time. In due time, manufacturers and developers should be able to start leveraging the iPhone’s latest capability for accessories and apps. In fact, Apple itself has already shown how NFC could be used for something other than Apple Pay. At its event last week, it showed off the Apple Watch unlocking a hotel room using NFC. This suggests that Apple will indeed gradually open up the iPhone 6 NFC access as it gets more familiar and comfortable with it.
Sources : The Cult of Mac // The Verge