The NFC Forum recently published a new technology roadmap, promising major upgrades for Near Field Communication technology. Apple, a board member of the organization, will likely benefit from these advancements. The roadmap outlines six key development priorities, including substantially faster data transfer speeds, potentially up to eight times faster than current rates.

This new roadmap builds upon the progress already made in NFC technology. Apple has been expanding its use of NFC, particularly with Tap to Pay on iPhone, allowing merchants to accept contactless payments. Furthermore, Apple has opened up its NFC chip to third-party developers, which enabled competitors like Curve and PayPal to offer NFC-based payment options on iOS in Europe.

Security enhancements are another major focus of the roadmap. The NFC Forum plans to publish the first NFC Controllers Security Profile, establishing baseline security requirements for NFC hardware. This will help future-proof NFC protocols against potential threats. Digital key functionalities will also be explored to support a wider range of industry requirements.

Looking ahead, the roadmap also includes next-generation NFC wireless charging specifications and multipurpose tap functionality. These improvements could lead to new features for iPhones. The NFC Forum's roadmap from 2023 saw several goals delivered in June 2025. It's clear that the company is actively working to make the technology more versatile and secure.