Apple could benefit from a new wave of NFC technology upgrades, after the NFC Forum this week published a roadmap outlining faster data transfers, new security standards and expanded capabilities.
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The NFC Forum is the global standards organization for Near Field Communication technology . Apple is a member of the organization’s board of directors. The latest multi-year Technology Roadmap identifies six development priorities that will shape future NFC standards.
One of the most significant changes outlined is work toward significantly faster NFC data rates, up to eight times faster than current levels. The roadmap also emphasizes improving NFC reader interoperability through end-to-end application testing.
The roadmap continues to emphasize multi-purpose functionality with a single NFC contact, which will allow a single NFC contact to support multiple actions depending on the context. The NFC Forum says this will allow readers to request specific credentials required for a given action.
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The NFC Forum said it is starting work on the next-generation NFC wireless charging specification, with goals including higher power levels and support for devices with multiple charging receivers. While NFC charging is currently limited to low-power use for accessories, the expanded standards could impact future devices.
Security improvements are another major area of focus, with plans to publish the first NFC Controller Security Profile, defining basic security requirements for NFC hardware. The roadmap includes work to protect NFC protocols from the threats of post-quantum computing and strengthen protection against retransmission attacks.
Digital keys remain an active area of development, with plans to explore new digital key experiences to support a wider range of industry requirements.
The NFC Forum last published a technology roadmap in 2023, with several goals set to be achieved as part of NFC Release 15 in June 2025.
See also: Future iPhones may get increased NFC range
Last year, Apple significantly expanded the use of NFC, rolling out Tap to Pay on iPhone to several new countries, allowing merchants to accept contactless payments directly on an iPhone without additional equipment, using the device's NFC capabilities.
