CMA Plans to Open iPhone Contactless to Rival Apps

What the CMA has proposed

The Competition and Markets Authority published proposals on 20 October 2026 to open up contactless technology on Apple's iPhone in the UK. The CMA states that the measure is a conduct requirement under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. According to the CMA, the proposal follows its decision to give Apple Strategic Market Status for its mobile platform.

The CMA proposes that Apple must provide access to both host-based card emulation (HCE) and secure element (SE) contactless standards. The CMA states that Apple currently offers only secure element access in the UK. Under the proposal, apps and wallets other than Apple's own would be able to use the iPhone's contactless capability on the terms the CMA sets out. The CMA frames the conduct requirement as the legal instrument through which that access would be required, and it ties the instrument to the Strategic Market Status designation it has already given Apple for its mobile platform.

What it could mean for iPhone users

The CMA says wider access could support products such as account-to-account payments, digital IDs, travel passes and digital car, hotel and workplace keys. According to the CMA, the Financial Conduct Authority says the measures could help expand open banking, so more people can pay directly from their bank accounts. The CMA lists these product categories as examples of what access could support, and it attributes the open banking point to the FCA.

For readers who pay by phone, the CMA's proposal concerns which apps can reach the contactless hardware inside the iPhone rather than the cards already loaded into Apple Wallet. The CMA names account-to-account payments as one product that wider access could support, and it reports the FCA's view that the measures could help expand open banking so more people can pay directly from their bank accounts. The CMA also names digital IDs, travel passes and digital car, hotel and workplace keys among the products that wider access could support.

Fees for access

The proposal sets out principles for how Apple can charge for access but does not set prices. The CMA says it expects charges to be substantially lower than Apple's current fees while still rewarding Apple fairly. The CMA states that the principles govern how Apple can charge rather than fixing the amounts, and it describes its expectation of substantially lower charges alongside a fair reward to Apple as part of that framework.

Under the CMA's approach, the level of any charge would be a matter for Apple within the principles the CMA has published, because the proposal does not set prices. The CMA presents the pricing principles and its expectation on charges as separate from the access requirement itself, which covers both host-based card emulation and secure element contactless standards.

UK compared with the EU

The CMA notes that, unlike in the EU, no UK firm has yet launched a wallet-type product to rival Apple Wallet. The CMA makes the comparison in the context of its proposal to require access to both host-based card emulation and secure element contactless standards in the UK. According to the CMA, the absence of a UK rival wallet product stands in contrast with the EU, where such products have been launched.

The CMA's observation concerns wallet-type products specifically, and it sits alongside the product categories the CMA says wider access could support, including account-to-account payments, digital IDs, travel passes and digital car, hotel and workplace keys. The CMA attributes the comparison to its own assessment of the UK market as part of the published proposal.

What happens next

The consultation closes on Tuesday 17 November 2026. The CMA will make a final decision after considering responses. The CMA states that this is a proposal, not a final decision, and that the final decision follows its consideration of the responses it receives by the closing date.

The CMA directs readers to the case page for the proposal. The consultation closes on Tuesday 17 November 2026, and the CMA will make a final decision after considering responses. The CMA describes the document as a proposal rather than a final decision, and it points to the case page as the place where the proposal and the consultation process are set out.

Source: CMA: proposals to unlock contactless technology on Apple iPhone.

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Frequently asked questions

When did the CMA publish the proposal?

The CMA published the proposals on 20 October 2026.

When does the consultation close?

The consultation closes on Tuesday 17 November 2026.

Is this a final decision?

No. The CMA states that this is a proposal, not a final decision, and that it will make a final decision after considering responses.

What would Apple have to provide access to?

The CMA proposes that Apple must provide access to both host-based card emulation (HCE) and secure element (SE) contactless standards. The CMA states that Apple currently offers only secure element access in the UK.

Does the proposal set the fees Apple can charge?

The proposal sets out principles for how Apple can charge for access but does not set prices. The CMA says it expects charges to be substantially lower than Apple's current fees while still rewarding Apple fairly.