iOS 12 will allow you to turn your iPhone into a smart key

According to The Information, Apple will make a big leap in iOS 12, allowing some third-party developers full access to the NFC chip inside the iPhone. This means that soon you will not only use iPhone to pay Apple Pay, but also turn it into a smart key to open a hotel room door or make a virtual train card.

In fact, NFC chips have been integrated from the iPhone 6 in 2014, but "apple houses" have restricted access to third-party developers, making them impossible to customize. Although there is a slight drop in the limits on iOS 11, there are still a lot of inconveniences in the development, such as forcing the application to run itself or not supporting data logging.

All will be changed on iOS 12 update, programmers have full rights to use NFC chips in iPhone. In the near future, the iPhone's NFC-using tasks will be as easy as using Apple Pay. Just touch the iPhone lightly on the door of the hotel or payment machine, the corresponding application will activate automatically (instead of having to open it manually before now). According to The Information, Apple employees have access to new features, and may be using their iPhone to access offices and buildings at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino.

Currently, some hotels have supported the use of iPhone as the smart room key, but it is simply based on the energy-efficient Bluetooth protocol. Compared to NFC, this communication tends to be less secure due to unintended problems.

Besides, Apple is said to be starting a partnership with Cubic manufacturer to replace travel cards with iPhone's NFC technology. In the UK, iPhone users can take the subway by touching their phones on NFC readers. Some iPhone 7 devices are sold in Japan and all iPhone 8 and iPhone X models are accompanied by FeliCa chips to achieve the same results for moving infrastructure in Japan.

Expected new features will appear at WWDC 2018, where Apple announced iOS 12 and other major software platforms.

See more:

1. Things are expected to appear on iOS 12 in the near future
2. Apple will announce the next generation of iOS and macOS on June 4
3. Invite to see the beautiful Concept that comes with many unique features of iOS 12
4. Apple for the most important new features for iOS 13