The iPhone 6 features have again been tipped to include NFC for mobile payments.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumours of the iPhone 6 coming with NFC connectivity, so it is looking more and more likely.
The latest rumour comes via Wired citing “sources familiar with the matter”. Apparently a special NFC chip capable of mobile payments and more will be “one of the hallmark features” of the iPhone 6.
In fact, the iPhone 6 should be the first device to launch Apple’s own mobile payments system, akin to Google Wallet.
There was no information as to how Apple’s mobile payments system would operate, but Apple already has a treasure trove of Touch ID fingerprint and iTunes credit card data at its disposal.
Thanks to iTunes, Apple has over 800 million credit cards stored and no doubt a great proportion of those users would adopt an e-wallet system for iOS.
Reports suggest Appple has been in discussions with partner companies to help kickstart its e-wallet payments system. These companies have reportedly included Visa, but there’s no word as to how far those talks actually went.
There have been several patent applications relating to NFC for the iPhone 6 too. The most recent one detailed an NFC chip that is capable of offering inductive, wireless charging for mobile devices – something which could be used in the iWatch too.
Another patent detailed mobile payments that function using NFC RFID technology.
Currently, Apple is experiements with iBeacon, which uses a combination of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for short-range wireless functions. Some believe that Apple will never adopt NFC in its mobile products.
This was backed up by an extensive patent detailing how a system using both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi could be used to offer mobile payment functionality.
However, as NFC becomes the norm on Android phones and it starts to get picked up by transport associations, Apple may be forced to jump on the NFC bandwagon.
Read more: iPhone 6 vs iPhone 5S – What to expect
