The doors of hotel rooms can be unlocked by iPhone with iOS 12

May 26, 2018

The latest reports indicate that Apple is planning to give full access to the iPhone's NFC to third-party app developers with the arrival of iOS 12. To recall, NFC first came with the iPhone 6.

The report notes that Apple wants the iPhone to be used in more situations beyond payments, such as being able to unlock hotel rooms or accept public transport cards for easier travel.

The start has been made since iOS 11, with the addition of the Core NFC framework. This framework allows apps to use NFC as a scanner for RFIDs. This of course is so far very limited. In other cases too though, NFC works with conditions.

This of course limits the comfort and the cases where NFC can be used as a feature. The The Information but reports that it's something more innovative, where the iPhone owner can simply place the device on the lock of a hotel room door to enter the room.

This is exactly how Apple Pay works. You don't need a special app. The iPhone automatically "wakes up" when it's near the payment terminal. The The Information reports that Apple is studying these new possibilities at Apple Park in collaboration with HID Global, which developed the security system for the Apple Park buildings. Apple employees already use iPhones to access the buildings.

Some hotels already support simple contactless activation of the iPhone as a key for doors, using some Bluetooth protocols. As we understand, this method is less secure than that of NFC. This means that if the process is done through NFC, it will be upgraded and even more secure.

In addition, in the new method of entering a hotel room, Apple plans to replace mobility cards with NFC technology. The The Information stresses that the company is already in discussions with Cubic. In the UK, iPhone customers can already travel on the tube by simply approaching the contactless terminals with their devices.

The iPhone 7 includes the FeliCa chip to achieve a similar result for the transportation infrastructure in Japan. Both of these cases, rely on thin layers on top of the usual protocols that Apple Pay uses to operate.

We are 9 days away from WWDC where all the new versions of Apple's operating systems will be announced. One of these versions will be iOS 12. Although the conditions for the "opening" of NFC are there, the company's intentions are currently quite vague, so we can't know whether we will see these new features announced at WWDC.