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NFCWriter tweak unlocks your iPhone NFC capabilities

At the beginning of May, iOS developer Limneos started tinkering with the iPhone’s NFC chip to allow it talk to third-party NFC tags and accessories that Apple has never allowed its system to talk to before.

At the time, it was just a work in progress and a proof of concept, but Limneos has officially released a new jailbreak tweak in Cydia dubbed NFCWriter that unlocks the full potential of your NFC chip for everyone. It's the first time that the chip has been hacked to this extent, and it opens a whole new realm of possibilities.

iPhone hacked by jailbreak developer to interact with NFC devices

iPhones have come equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) technology since the iPhone 6 launched in 2014. NFC's primary use in the iPhone is for Apple Pay and allows contactless payments via supported merchants at the point of sale.

On the other hand, well-known jailbreak developer Elias Limneos was tinkering with iPhone NFC on his spare time and managed to hack it to work in ways that are typically locked off by Apple out of the box.

Leaked packaging confirms ‘iPhone SE’ name, 16GB baseline model and NFC for Apple Pay

Thursday, a photo of what appears to be Chinese packaging for Apple's upcoming four-inch iPhone refresh was posted on Chinese social network Weibo.

The image allegedly shows the specifications sticker affixed to the box for the upcoming device while specifically mentioning 'iPhone SE' branding.

The '16GB' label on the sticker suggests that the iPhone SE will start out at sixteen gigabytes of storage, just like current iPhone models do. Additionally, the technical specifications section mentions Apple Pay compatibility, meaning the iPhone SE will include NFC, like previously suspected.

Apple wants to enable iPhone 6’s NFC for building security, public transit tickets and more

Most of the talk about NFC inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has centered around Apple Pay, the iPhone maker's mobile payments service, but NFC has other uses, too. Android handsets typically use NFC for proximity-based wireless sharing and now The Information is reporting that Apple is considering adding more NFC-based features to the new iPhones, stuff like enabling secure access to buildings and transit fare systems.

Apple and Disney upgrading in-store iBeacon/NFC ahead of iPhone 6 launch

Here's another piece of evidence to help complete the Apple mobile payments puzzle: according to a new report by 9to5Mac, Apple and Disney stores in the United States have been upgrading in-store iBeacon transmitters and NFC sensors ahead of the company's big reveal on Tuesday.

The upgraded sensors, which include the new Gimbal Series 20 Proximity Beacons, will allow the companies to track customers inside their stores with an even greater degree of precision.

As it's been widely reported, both the iPhone 6 and iWatch are rumored to be outfitted with a Near-Field Communication (NFC) chip to support mobile payments. It's “one of the hallmark features” of the iPhone 6, according to Wired. The Apple wearable device has “a role in mobile payments,” too, as per The Wall Street Journal.

Apple has reportedly negotiated lower transaction fees for mobile payments

Bank Innovation shares some new details on Apple's mobile payments project this afternoon, reporting the company has managed to negotiate deals for lower credit card transaction fees with several banking institutions. This includes JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Capital One, and Bank of America.

Citing sources familiar with the negotiations, the site says that the banks have all agreed to give Apple a flat transaction rate for both in-store and online purchases, which is fairly uncommon in the industry. They will also apparently give the Cupertino firm a 10% discount on all of its processing fees.

WSJ: NFC-enabled iWatch has ‘a role in mobile payments’, features curved OLED screen

Adding up to the ongoing conversation about Apple's purported wearable project dubbed by the media the 'iWatch', The Wall Street Journal affirmed Thursday that the fashionable gizmo will connect to the upcoming iPhone 6 via NFC and come in two sizes to appeal to both gender’s preferences.

NFC stands for Near-Field Communication, which is a short-range wireless technology required for the handset's rumored mobile payment functionality.

In their write-up behind the paywall, reporters Lorrraine Luk, Daisuke Wakabayashi and Greg Bensinger quote people familiar with the matter as saying that both iWatch sizes feature a curved organic light-emitting diode screen, or OLED.

There will be sensors to track and monitor health and fitness data, as expected. According to the Journal, Apple's use of NFC technology on the iWatch signals that it “sees a role for the device in digital payments”.

Wired: iPhone will have NFC chip and feature its own payment platform

According to sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Wired, the rumors were in fact true as the next iPhone is reportedly going to have a Near-Field Communication (NFC) circuitry and feature an Apple-branded payment platform.

Apple's contactless mobile payment solution is being described in the report as "one of the hallmark features" of the iPhone 6 when the device is unveiled on September 9 (alongside a rumored Apple wearable device).

"We’re told the solution will involve NFC," reads the report.

For what it's worth, the reliable John Paczkowski of Re/code has “been hearing the same” about the NFC-enabled iPhone 6.

Recent leaks of purported iPhone 6 components have indicated that the forthcoming smartphone could indeed be outfitted with an NFC chip by a semiconductor company called NXP, which currently supplies the M7 motion coprocessor for the latest iOS devices.

New report claims iPhone 6 will feature 802.11ac Wi-Fi, NFC, and a non-sapphire screen

Expect iPhone 6 rumors to reach a fever pitch (as if they hadn't already) over the next few weeks, as we inch closer towards Apple's announcement. The update is supposed to be one of the largest in the handset's history, so needless to say the anticipation is mounting.

The latest report regarding the device comes from VentureBeat, who claims that a well-informed source has given it a rundown of what to expect next month. Many of the features listed by the site match up with previous rumors, but there are a few new noteworthy bits...

Claimed circuit board hints at NFC-enabled iPhone 6 – again!

Combing through our archive of posts mentioning "iPhone" and "NFC" is all it takes to realize that talk of Apple allegedly adopting NFC is intensifying, not dying down. In fact, rumors calling for NFC-enabled iPhones date as far back as 2011!

Thus far, however, the iconic smartphone has not picked up support for NFC technology, which is an acronym for Near Field Communication. On the other hand, Apple has numerous NFC-related patents.

Additionally, it doesn't really hurt to mention that a growing number of high-end Android handsets include NFC as part of their standard feature set. Well, today a claimed image has surfaced apparently picturing an iPhone 6 printed circuit board with what appears to be an embedded NFC chip...

Report says iPhone 6 will feature NFC, wireless charging and more

It seems like we have a pretty good idea of what to expect, in terms of appearance, for the iPhone 6. Several reports have pointed to the handset having a larger display and a new iPad-like design, and most of the leaked cases and components we've seen thus far match up with that.

But when it comes to features and functionality of the new iPhone, things aren't so clear. The latest of a number of scattershot reports comes from VentureBeat, which cites sources saying that the device will have built-in support for NFC tech, wireless charging capabilities, and more...