Apple wants your iPhone to be able to unlock your front door
Apple will reportedly be opening up the near-field communication (NFC) chips on its iPhones to do more than just pay for your burrito bowl.
The news: The Information reports that the system iPhones use to allow mobile payments through Apple Pay will be expanded to support other secure interactions. The official announcement is expected next month.
What it can be used for: NFC chips in phones allow a greater array of secure wireless interactions than, say, Bluetooth. Possible applications include paying subway fares and unlocking your doors. Apple employees have reportedly already been using the technology on their office doors at the company’s new campus.
Why it matters: With more than 700 million iPhones deployed worldwide, Apple’s expanded embrace of NFC is likely to boost mainstream use of the technology.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
OpenAI teases an amazing new generative video model called Sora
The firm is sharing Sora with a small group of safety testers but the rest of us will have to wait to learn more.
Google’s Gemini is now in everything. Here’s how you can try it out.
Gmail, Docs, and more will now come with Gemini baked in. But Europeans will have to wait before they can download the app.
This baby with a head camera helped teach an AI how kids learn language
A neural network trained on the experiences of a single young child managed to learn one of the core components of language: how to match words to the objects they represent.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.