For many iPhone users in Indonesia, tapping a phone to pay with QRIS Tap is still out of reach. Bank Indonesia is asking them to wait a little longer. Bank Indonesia has asked iPhone users who are still unable to access the QRIS Tap feature to remain patient.
The central bank confirmed that Apple has not yet opened access to its NFC feature for local applications in Indonesia. Even so, discussions are underway. Representatives from Apple Indonesia and its headquarters have visited Bank Indonesia to further examine the QRIS Tap feature before making any decision on enabling NFC access.
“iPhone QRIS users are asked to be patient because Apple has not yet opened its NFC feature. Apple Indonesia and its headquarters have come to us and will further explore the QRIS Tap feature to open NFC access,” said BI Deputy Governor Fillianingsih Hendarta during the presentation of the Board of Governors Meeting results on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
Technically, iPhones already come with NFC capabilities. The hardware is there. The limitation lies in Apple’s global policy, which has not fully allowed local Indonesian apps to use NFC for payment services such as QRIS Tap.
Read also: Balinese Endek, Real Impact. Bali Records 5.82 Percent Growth in 2025
While iPhone access remains pending, QRIS Tap usage is steadily expanding in other areas. Fillianingsih noted that the feature has been adopted across transportation services, as well as hotels and restaurants. In the hospitality sector alone, transactions have reached 475,000, reflecting a 7.9 percent month to month increase.
To understand the development, it helps to look at the broader system. QRIS is a QR code based payment standard that connects multiple payment service providers under one unified code. With a single QR code, users can pay through various registered platforms, including mobile banking apps, digital wallets, and local e wallet applications.
The current method is simple. Users open a QRIS compatible app, scan the merchant’s QR code, enter the amount if it does not appear automatically, and confirm the payment.
Still, scanning is not always seamless. Slow internet connections, weak camera performance, or poorly positioned QR codes can delay transactions. These everyday obstacles prompted the creation of QRIS Tap.
QRIS Tap improves the experience by using NFC technology embedded in smartphones and supported by merchant devices. Instead of scanning a code with a camera, users only need to tap their phone on a QRIS Tap terminal or sticker. The transaction details immediately appear in the app, eliminating the need for a camera scan.
At present, QRIS Tap is limited to Android smartphones equipped with NFC and requires compatible devices on the merchant side. Despite this limitation, the potential is significant, particularly in high traffic locations such as shopping centers, public transportation systems, and other environments where speed is essential.
For now, Android users can tap and go. iPhone users will have to wait for Apple’s next move.
