Norwegian payments service Vipps has become the first company in the world to launch a rival payment solution to Apple Pay on the iPhone after Apple agreed with European regulators to open up its NFC technology to third parties.
Norwegian payments service Vipps has become the first company in the world to launch a rival payment solution to Apple Pay on the iPhone after Apple agreed with European regulators to open up its NFC technology to third parties.
From December 9, Vipps users in Norway can make contactless payments in stores using their iPhones. The service initially supports customers of more than 40 other Norwegian banks, writes MacRumors.
The launch comes after the European Commission accepted a legally binding commitment from Apple in July 2024 to open up its mobile payments system to competitors. According to the agreement, Apple must provide free access to the iPhone's NFC function for third-party mobile wallets and allow users to install alternative payment applications by default.
The Vipps solution currently works with terminals that accept BankAxept cards, Norway's national payment system, which covers more than 90% of payment terminals in the country. The company plans to expand support for Visa and Mastercard cards in the coming months, providing the ability to pay worldwide by the summer of 2025.
The service allows users to make payments by holding their iPhone near the payment terminal, with authentication using Face ID, Touch ID, or the device's password. iPhone users can set Vipps as their default payment app and activate it by double-clicking the side button, just as if they were using Apple Wallet and Apple Pay.
Vipps MobilePay, which emerged from the merger of Norway's Vipps and Denmark's MobilePay, plans to expand its one-click payment solution to Denmark, Finland and Sweden in 2025, potentially paving the way for similar adoption by other payment providers in Europe.
