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NFC on the iPhone 6 is locked to Apple Pay at launch

Apple's limited its newfound contactless powers to payment only, for the time being at least

Esat Dedezade

The iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch are the first devices in Apple’s history to have NFC powers, but it looks like they’ll all be released with locked-down functionality.

Apple confirmed with Cult of Mac that the NFC features of its trio of iDevices will be restricted solely to Apple Pay contactless payments.

That means no one-tap file sharing or audio device pairing – features that Android phones have enjoyed for quite some time now.

Before you sharpen those pitch forks and spark up the torches, we do expect Apple to unlock the rest of its NFC capabilities in the future.

Touch ID was initially only used for unlocking the iPhone and authenticating App Store purchases after all, and now, in iOS 8, developers are free to integrate it into their apps as they see fit.

Apple also revealed that the iWatch is capable of unlocking hotel room doors, so we know that the ability for NFC to work outside of Apple Pay is definitely there.

Waiting for users to gain trust in the Apple Pay system before unleashing more functionality might be the reason behind Apple’s cautious approach, but it’s certainly not going to dampen the cries of the ruthless Android fanboys. Of which there are many.

In the meantime, new iPhone users will have to manually pair and share files with other Bluetooth users like common techno-peasants. The horror.

READ MORE: Apple iPhone 6 hands-on review

[Cult of Mac via Engadget]

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.