In short: iPhones finally support the Navigo pass

While iPhones have already been able to recharge a Navigo pass since 2021, they did not allow users to use their phones to store their tickets and pass through the gates of the Île-de-France Mobilités network. This service, which was confirmed to be coming to Android smartphones, will finally be open to iPhones too.

Validating your ticket with an iPhone will finally be possible within the Paris region's public transport network. The Île-de-France Mobilités has reached an agreement with Apple, after more than two years of discussions, to use the American firm's smartphones and connected watches as a support for its Ile-de-France transport tickets.

In addition to validating tickets, iPhone users will be offered a complete purchase process within their Apple wallet. The native application will allow users to create a Navigo pass to manage their purchases of individual tickets or their subscription.

Validation at the gates will be done using the devices' NFC chip, without the need to validate the transaction with Touch ID or Face ID - what Apple calls Express Mode.

However, the Île-de-France regional transport authority says that this service, which is convenient for iPhone users, will not be available to them until 2023, whereas it should be available to all Android smartphone users by this summer.

The contract between IDFM and Apple, which is valid for five years, includes a budget of 5 million euros dedicated to the development of these new services. The stumbling block to date has been the financial terms of the partnership.