In May, it was widely being reported by the jailbreak community that well-known jailbreaker Elias Limneos was again at work. The developer who’s responsible for a range of jailbreak tweaks was supposedly working on a way to unlock NFC on the iPhone. However, since then, we’ve had to wait until today to find out more. We can tell you that NFCWriter is the culmination of his work; here’s what you need to know.
Unlock NFC On the iPhone with NFCWriter
Since NFC first appeared on the iPhone, it has been restricted, working only on Apple Pay. As such, those with a jailbroken handset have been calling for greater flexibility from the tech for some time. Fortunately, that’s exactly what NFCWriter can give them by allowing for greater use of the wireless data communication protocol.
If you’re unfamiliar with NFC, it is a technology that is found within the specifications of many modern smartphones, although compared to NFC on their Android counterparts, on the iPhone’s interface is short-ranged and limited. Until today when the news of NFCWriter broke, there was no way to unlock NFC on the iPhone. Your only option to use it would have been to send payments from your handset using Apple’s own app.
How to get NFCWriter
If you have an iOS 10-based, jailbroken iPhone, you may have wanted to find a new reason to use NFC. Now, you have that option, as if you get this tweak, your chip will no longer be locked down. That is what makes the NFCWriter tweak a must have, and it is yet another reason Elias Limneos such a star in the community.
You can get your hands on this piece of software for $3.99, and it comes with the ability to read most of the most common tags.
What are tags?
NFC tags are small chips that can be found in everyday objects. These tags operate without their own power supply, and they are activated when an NFC-equipped device comes into range. Unfortunately, for non-jailbroken iPhones, this is not possible unless making a payment via ApplePay.
However, if you use the NFCWriter tweak, you will be able to activate these tags wirelessly using electromagnetic induction. You will then be open to a whole new world of possibilities via its features.
NFCWriter, as its names suggests, isn’t just a reader. It can write too, which means you can read and write labels, use what is called “Emulation Mode” to perform actions and use specific events. Right now, although available to purchase and in full working order, NFCWriter is still a work in progress, meaning that should you buy it, you can expect even more features at some point in the future when you unlock NFC on the iPhone using it.
Compatibility
The devices that are supported include the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 7, and 7 Plus, all of which must be running on iOS 10. Support for iOS 9 is apparently a work in progress.
If you have devices that fit into the Internet of Things, this is a tweak for opening up your world. Additionally, if you have only paid with Apple Pay, it’s a chance to see what your handset can do without restrictions.
Apple may in the near future open up its NFC protocols to third-party developers on iOS 11. However, that is also likely to be restrictive in nature, again not allowing NFC to meet its true potential. You can find NFCWriter on Cydia via the BigBoss repository.
