Île-de-France Mobilités (IDF Mobilités) announces in a press release a new feature which could interest many city dwellers. Soberly baptized Transport in 2024: things are moving in Île-de-Francethe document details the changes to come on the network over the coming months, with a short part devoted to an initiative that has remained a dead letter for several years: the dematerialization of the Navigo pass on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Published on January 5 on the official IDF Mobilités blog, the press release includes a section soberly named “In spring 2024, validate with your iPhone”. A succinct paragraph emphasizes that “you can validate at the station with your iPhone and your Apple Watch” your transport ticket within the Ile-de-France transport network.
The document specifies that owners of Android smartphones are already benefiting from this advantage. NFC models running at least Android 8 can validate t+, Orlybus and Roissybus, Navigo Jour, Navigo Jeune WE, Navigo Semaine and Navigo Mois tickets and ticket books since October 2022.
As a reminder, support for Ile-de-France transport tickets on iPhone and Apple Watch has dragged on due to Apple’s policy. The Apple firm is indeed reluctant to open access to the NFC technology of its devices.
After the start of negotiations between IDF Mobilités and Apple in 2018, an agreement was finally reached in 2022. At that time, support for the Navigo card on iPhone and Apple Watch was scheduled for 2023. Following setbacks revealed last August by The InformedIDF Mobilités was ultimately counting on a launch for early 2024.
Now expected in the spring of this year, the dematerialization of transport tickets from the IDF Mobilités network on iPhone and Apple Watch seems ready for the event of the year in France: the Paris Olympic Games.
Note, work is also underway around support for Navigo tickets and passes on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4, 5 and 6 connected watches.