Sarah Hamid
Tens of millions of users go through our identity verification flows, and the numbers show that every second counts when it comes to conversions. To make our verification flows as simple as possible, our team is excited to announce that NFC verification is now available on iOS devices.
With the latest iOS13 release from Apple, iPhones and iPads can accommodate a lot more near-field communication (NFC) features in apps. The same technology used to power Apple Pay, which was previously restricted to Apple apps alone, will now be available for third-party applications like Veriff.
Our new NFC verification tool is able to read and interact with NFC tags in compatible IDs and ePassports through native protocols in iOS devices. Veriff’s NFC verification tool will be available on iOS and Android devices, resulting in an easier-than-ever end-user journey.
Staying one step ahead
The new NFC verification tool will be the first of its kind, but other identity verification providers are expected to follow suit eventually. According to Veriff’s CEO and Founder, Kaarel Kotkas, reading ePassports and compatible identity documents delivers the speed end-users demand while bolstering security for fraud-cautious companies.
“As soon as the latest iOS version was released, our team prioritized adding an NFC functionality that could verify ePassports and NFC-enabled IDs. With this new digital verification tool, we can verify a person's identity document in a matter of seconds. Not only does this make our mobile verification flows more convenient, but NFC verification is also a much more secure method of data validation.”
The future of offline identity documents is slowly going digital, and to be effective, Veriff needs to evolve at a faster pace than the regulatory environment. The European Union as an example set a deadline for all member states to implement biometric chips in passports back in 2009, while the United States has been issuing ePassports with biometric data since 2006.
Not only are these documents more difficult to counterfeit, but NFC verification makes it easier than ever for us to verify if they have been tampered with.
How NFC verification is faster and safer
Before diving into the details on why NFC verification trumps photo checks in terms of security and speed, it is important to understand how this technology works.
The concept of near field communication (NFC) technology is similar to wifi in that it uses radio waves to transfer information between devices. It allows different electronics to communicate by bringing them close to each other, as opposed to using cords or other wireless technology like Bluetooth.
Reading and verifying data directly from an ePassport or NFC-enabled ID is much more effective when it comes to detecting document tampering, successfully automating yet another part of the verification process. This along with its ease of use makes it an exciting launch for our team.
In terms of compatibility, all Android users can use this feature, as well as users of an iPhone or iPad released in the last four years, meaning:
- iPhone 6S or newer
- iPad Air 2 or newer
- iPad Mini 4
- iPhone SE
NFC verification comes along with several new product features in September, which will be shared next week.
View all product updates here.
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