Vipps launches world's first alternative to Apple Pay for iPhone, following Apple's move to open up NFC payments to third parties in iOS 18.1

For a long time, payment functions using the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip installed in the iPhone were only permitted for 'Apple Pay' and 'Wallet', but they were finally opened to third-party developers in iOS 18.1 released in October 2024. In response to this, Vipps MobilePay (Vipps) , a Norwegian mobile payment service company, has released the world's first alternative service to Apple Pay.

Vipps MobilePay launches the world's first alternative to Apple Pay on iPhone
https://vippsmobilepay.com/en/news/2024/12/09/vippsmobilepay-launches-the-worlds-first-alternative-to-apple-pay-on-iphone

World's First Apple Pay Alternative for iPhone Launches in Norway - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/09/vipps-mobilepay-first-iphone-apple-pay-alternative/

iPhones and Apple Watches have had NFC chips built in, making NFC payments technically possible, but Apple has limited NFC payments to Apple Pay due to security concerns and has not provided access to NFC to third-party apps or services.

However, the EU is investigating the restriction of NFC access as anti-competitive, and Apple proposed to open up iPhone's NFC payment technology to rival companies in 2024, which the EU accepted . Then, in iOS 18.1 released in October, NFC payment technology was officially opened up to third parties.

iPhone's NFC payment function will be available from third-party apps from iOS 18.1 in the second half of 2024 - GIGAZINE

On December 9th, Vipps MobilePay, a Norwegian mobile payment service company, announced the world's first alternative to Apple Pay, 'Tap with Vipps'. Tap with Vipps supports customers of more than 40 banks, including SpareBank 1 and DNB , which represents about 70% of bank customers in Norway.

Tap with Vipps will only work with BankAxept -enabled terminals, which is Norway's national payment service, but this covers over 90% of payment terminals in the country. Vipps MobilePay is also available on Android smartphones, with support for Visa and Mastercard planned for the coming months.

Tap with Vipps can be authenticated by Face ID, Touch ID or device passcode, and iPhone users can set Tap with Vipps as their default payment app instead of Apple Pay. Tap with Vipps users can transfer money and pay for purchases just by holding their iPhone over their smartphone.

'We've been fighting for years to compete on an equal footing with Apple, so it feels almost like a dream to finally launch our own solution,' said Rene Garborg, CEO of Vipps MobilePay. 'Being the first in the world to offer an alternative to Apple Pay on iPhone is a major achievement for us.'