iPhone and Apple Watch Likely to Support NFC Multi-Purpose Tap in the Future

iPhones and Apple Watches could support multiple actions via NFC simultaneously in the future, the NFC Forum today suggested.

apple card via apple pay
The NFC Forum, the leading standards body for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today published its first overview of NFC Multi-Purpose Tap. The technology, which supports multiple actions with one tap, is designed to bring more convenience to various NFC use cases such as point-to-point receipt delivery, loyalty programs, identification, and total-journey transit ticketing.

Apple is a prominent member of the NFC Forum and likely contributed to the development of the technology. The company first introduced NFC in the iPhone 6 and original Apple Watch, initially focusing on Apple Pay, allowing users to make contactless payments.

NFC Multi-Purpose Tap would allow ‌iPhone‌ users to perform multiple transactions with a single tap. For instance, consumers could make payments, log loyalty points, and receive receipts instantaneously. The potential applications are considerable, from retail payments to public transportation, where users could tap their ‌iPhone‌ to pay for a journey, apply discounts, and get travel receipts all at once.

Since Apple is a member of the NFC Forum, it seems highly likely that NFC Multi-Purpose Tap will come to the ‌iPhone‌ and Apple Watch at some point in the future. The company often adds support for new NFC functionalities, such as reading NFC tags and facilitating more interactions with a broader range of NFC devices.

Tag: NFC

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

coffeemilktea Avatar
21 months ago

For instance, consumers could make payments, log loyalty points, and receive receipts instantaneously.
Being able to pay for food AND apply discounts at the same time? This is the bright new future I've been waiting for. :cool:

I'm gonna buy truly ridiculous amounts of Taco Bell now.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
greg624 Avatar
21 months ago
I’ve already had this happen at jimmy johns. When I pay for my food with Apple Pay, my jimmy johns rewards automatically comes up as well and applies my points.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WarmWinterHat Avatar
21 months ago
I'd like to be able to open the doors at work with my iPhone. Right now, only Android users can.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nekronos Avatar
21 months ago

I’ve already had this happen at jimmy johns. When I pay for my food with Apple Pay, my jimmy johns rewards automatically comes up as well and applies my points.
some businesses have rewards linked to your payment method and could be the reason behind this
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexandr Avatar
21 months ago
I would really like be able to run my NFC tag automations with the Apple Watch...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nekronos Avatar
21 months ago

I see restaurants upgrading their hardware all the time nowadays. So it wouldn't be that of a far stretch to have that tech just as a new option on new hardware.
That's probably the true in dense, high volume markets and regions with high turnover/fresh capital but probably not the case for the average town.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)