NFC payments using iPhone in India

Why in India do we use QR codes and UPI payments...

• QR code-based payments (like UPI through apps such as Google Pay, PhonePe, and Paytm) have become highly popular in India. These systems are cheaper to deploy since merchants only need a smartphone or a printed QR code, eliminating the need for costly hardware like NFC terminals.
• While many smartphones support NFC payments, the number of people actively using this feature is relatively low. Consumers are more accustomed to UPI and other digital wallets, which have gained widespread acceptance.
• Banks and payment processors in India prioritize promoting UPI and QR code payments due to their lower setup costs and rapid scalability. This focus often sidelines NFC payment solutions.
• Rural and semi-urban areas, where a significant portion of the population resides, may lack the infrastructure to support NFC-enabled systems. Payment providers focus on low-tech solutions like QR codes to bridge this gap.
• The Indian government's push for digital financial inclusion has heavily favored UPI-based systems due to their ease of use and affordability. As a result, NFC payments, which require specialized hardware and software, have taken a backseat.

Of the 200+ countries in the world approximately 80 support Apple Pay. The current situation in India evolves around bank regulations and other laws that restrict the way Apple Pay and Apple Wallet work.

nchunduru wrote:

ok, then how google pay, phonepe and other UPI apps implemented this feature in andriod OS ?

No one here is honestly qualified to tell you why Google Pay is available in India, while Apple Pay is still restricted by the Indian Government. You'd need to ask your government officials that question.

Apple's iOS does have NFC capabilities, but they are primarily used for Apple Pay and other Apple-specific features. The ability to read generic NFC tags without a third-party app is unknown to me on iPhones. However, the capability you mentioned, "NFC Tag Reader" in Control Center, isn't available in iOS.

Sometimes, developers can access more advanced NFC features through Xcode and developer APIs, but this requires some technical knowledge and isn't meant for everyday users.

iOS apps running on supported devices can use NFC scanning to read data from electronic tags attached to real-world objects. For example, a person can scan ...

NFC | Apple Developer Documentation

This sample code project shows how to use Core NFC in an app to read Near Field Communication (NFC) tags of types 1 through 5 that contains NFC Data Exchange ...

Building an NFC Tag-Reader App

An interface for interacting with an NDEF tag. An object that represents an NFC tag object. A set of parameters you use to define the configuration of an NFC ...

Creating NFC Tags from Your iPhone

Google Pay uses a different technology to provide payment services over NFC. That’s where the banking regulations come in.