Hong Kong’s Octopus Transit Card to Support Apple Pay Later This Year [Updated]

Update – Jul 11: Octopus Cards Limited has now confirmed that prospects shall be ready to use their Octopus playing cards on their iPhone or Apple Watch for transit and retail fee with Apple Pay later this yr. Original story under.

(Hong Kong,11 Jul 2019) Octopus Cards Limited is worked up to announce that prospects shall be ready to use their Octopus on their iPhone or Apple Watch for transit and retail fee with Apple Pay later this yr. More particulars shall be shared quickly. @MacRumors @9to5mac @appleinsider pic.twitter.com/e2wurzcKgs

— ST (@TWaIIk) July 11, 2019

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iOS 13 might include built-in help for Hong Kong’s Octopus contactless fee system, if a couple of strains of code found on Apple’s servers are any indication.

Tech weblog Ata Distance noticed the code snippet in Apple’s on-line JSON-based Apple Pay cross identifier (hyperlink now eliminated), which exhibits references to Octopus in iOS 13.

The discovery additionally tallies with particular references to Octopus on Apple Pay within the iOS 13 beta, in accordance to the Japan-focused website.

Octopus is predicated on the identical FeliCa NFC commonplace used for the Japanese Suica card, and is utilized by the overwhelming majority of Hong Kong residents for making transit funds and retail transactions.

Originally launched in 1997 as a bodily contactless card, the FeliCa-based model made the transition to digital fee resolution when the corporate unveiled Smart Octopus for Samsung Pay in December 2017.

The unique take care of Samsung left Apple Pay customers with no manner to take benefit Smart Octopus, regardless of it being technically appropriate with iPhone 7 and later fashions, so as we speak’s discover ought to make for excellent news for these hoping to digitize the favored transit and retail fee card, which must also help Apple’s Express Transit mode.

iOS 13 for iPhone is predicted to be launched within the fall.