According to a report, Apple Pay had been the only service allowed to use Apple’s near-field communications chip that enables contactless payments. Apple will allow third - party developers to access the near - field communication ( NFC ) chip inside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus via iOS 10 , the company 's soon - to - be - launched operating system . While the NFC chip is currently only able to read Apple credit cards , it will soon allow iOS apps to communicate with network - connected devices and third - party apps , according to an Apple developer document . Apple will also enable users to send money through iMessage without the use of third - party peer - to - peer payment apps , the company has announced .
Apple will allow third - party developers to access the near - field communication ( NFC ) chip inside the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus via iOS 10 , the company 's soon - to - be - launched operating system . While the NFC chip is currently only able to read Apple credit cards , it will soon allow iOS apps to communicate with network - connected devices and third - party apps , according to an Apple developer document . Apple will also enable users to send money through iMessage without the use of third - party peer - to - peer payment apps , the company has announced .