Teardowns of Apple’s new iPad Air 2 revealed an NFC chip that wasn’t formally introduced by Apple, however sources near the scenario have confirmed it’s solely getting used as a Safe Ingredient for Apple Pay in-app purchases.
Apple describes the Safe Ingredient on its website, which is used to securely retailer account numbers related to bank cards for Apple Pay on each the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, in accordance with our supply: With Apple Pay, as an alternative of utilizing your precise credit score and debit card numbers whenever you add your card to Passbook, a singular Machine Account Quantity is assigned, encrypted, and securely saved within the Safe Ingredient, a devoted chip in iPhone. These numbers are by no means saved on Apple servers. And whenever you make a buy, the Machine Account Quantity, together with a transaction-specific dynamic safety code, is used to course of your fee. So your precise credit score or debit card numbers are by no means shared by Apple with retailers or transmitted with fee.
Following a teardown of the iPad Air 2 (and iPad mini 3) revealing an NFC module just like that current within the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, some speculated Apple might have future plans for the part that wasn’t formally introduced as included within the new pill. Some theorized that the NFC chip is likely to be able to permitting the brand new iPads to behave as NFC-based terminals for receiving Apple Pay funds, for instance.
Whereas Apple Pay, Apple’s new fee service, is accessible for in-app purchases on the Contact ID-equipped iPad Air 2, the gadget isn’t able to making contactless funds at NFC terminals like the brand new iPhones. The iPad Air 2 lacks NFC antennas included within the iPhones, and we now know the NFC chip discovered inside is barely getting used as a Safe Ingredient for Apple Pay purchases in apps. Along with the dearth of an NFC antenna, iLounge points out that Apple didn’t search certification for NFC performance for iPad Air 2 with the FCC, one thing it might have been required to do for wi-fi communications.
FTC: We use revenue incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. More.