Finally ! It will be possible to use your iPhone to validate your ticket from next year. A revolution that will first concern Android smartphones.
The dematerialization of transport tickets in Île-de-France is a complicated subject. After years of tense negotiations between Apple and Île-de-France Mobilités, an agreement has finally been reached. According to information from Parisian, it will be possible to validate your transport ticket with an iPhone from 2023. The partnership with the apple brand concerns the Ile-de-France transport network, namely the metro, the bus or the RER. The compatible iPhone and Apple Watch will thus be able to act as a Navigo pass and it must be said; it was not won.
Since last year, Apple customers have been able to recharge their Navigo pass from their iPhone. A practical function but still too limited, because it was still not possible to get rid of the Ile-de-France transport card to replace it with an iPhone. This delay is linked to the deep disagreement between Apple and Île-de-France Mobilités, which led to lengthy negotiations.
Apple and Île-de-France Mobilités find common ground
Chaired by Valérie Pécresse, Île-de-France Mobilités has long wanted to impose its application on Apple. An idea far from the methods of Apple, which has a habit of keeping control by favoring in-house solutions. The American firm finally won its case and the management of transport tickets will be done from the Maps application (Apple Wallet).
A far from trivial decision for the apple brand which will not have to open its operating system. The validation will be carried out using the NFC chip of the iOS devices, without the need to validate the operation via Touch ID or Face ID. A test phase will take place this year and all iPhone owners will be able to benefit from it next year. “We cannot give a precise date yet, because it depends on the progress of the developments carried out by Apple in Cupertino. But this time, for sure, it will happen”confides Laurent Probst, managing director of Île-de-France Mobilités, to the Parisian.
The contract concluded between the two parties covers five years, for a budget of 5 million euros dedicated to the development of this new service.
Android smartphones affected from summer 2022
Until then, the dematerialization of metro tickets and the Navigo pass will continue… on Android. From the competing system of iOS, it is already possible to access this function on a handful of smartphones. The option is reserved for Samsung smartphones and requires certain conditions to be met. Finally, all Android smartphones will be able to benefit from this new feature from the summer of 2022.
