Paris Metro Navigo Cards Now Supported on iPhone

Navigo cards for travelling on the Paris metro and bus network are now supported on iPhone, with the ability to "recharge" passes using Apple Pay (via iGeneration).

smart navigo card paris scan

Last week, it was rumored that Apple had reached an agreement for Navigo cards to work with NFC on ‌iPhone‌, and now the feature has arrived with the latest update to the Navigo app from Paris's transport authority, Ile-de-France Mobilités.

Users can now buy a ticket within the app using ‌Apple Pay‌ and then add it to their physical Navigo card by scanning it on the back of the ‌iPhone‌. Contrary to previous reports, Navigo is still unable to be added to Wallet or used digitally.

The implementation is considerably more onerous than Apple Pay-based solutions in other cities. For example, in London, commuters are able to pass through gates with ‌Apple Pay‌ directly, without the need to purchase a ticket ahead of time or recharge a physical card. Nevertheless, the update to Navigo allows users to buy digital tickets to roam Parisian public transport with ‌Apple Pay‌, avoiding the need to recharge at a dedicated machine.

Navigo, the city's digital mobile transit card, was launched in September 2019, but its success was mired by the need for direct secure authentication with reader gates. This is also why ‌Apple Pay‌ cannot currently be implemented to pay for travel directly on gate readers, since it would skirt the Navigo system.

There have been reports that the need for secure authentication with Navigo will be eliminated at some point in 2021, allowing ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ to be used directly to traverse the public transport network as it does other cities such as New York, which recently completed its rollout of ‌‌Apple Pay‌‌ support.

Navigo on ‌iPhone‌ is supported on ‌iPhone‌ 7 and newer, but it does not yet work with ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS and ‌iPhone‌ XS Max.

Tag: France

Popular Stories

iphone 16 display

iPhone 17's Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display Coating Canceled

Monday April 28, 2025 12:48 pm PDT by
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors. Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Reaches Key Milestone Ahead of Mass Production

Monday April 28, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report. iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

20th Anniversary iPhone Likely to Be Made in China Due to 'Extraordinarily Complex' Design

Monday April 28, 2025 4:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
iphone 17 air iphone 16 pro

iPhone 17 Air USB-C Port May Have This Unusual Design Quirk

Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years. iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack) At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
apple watch ultra yellow

What's Next for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3

Friday April 25, 2025 2:44 pm PDT by
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too. 2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Apple didn't update the...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Feature

All iPhone 17 Models Again Rumored to Feature 12GB of RAM

Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM. ...

Top Rated Comments

Futurix Avatar
56 months ago
This article seems to be completely wrong - the new feature added to the app is the ability to 'recharge' the Navigo passes (physical cards) with your iPhone. You have to put the card on the back of your phone, pay with Apple Pay for a new season ticket, and it will update the card (via NFC).
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
br403 Avatar
56 months ago

Apple still won’t allow Oyster style cards in the Wallet? Apple Pay is okay for random trips but if you need a travel card because of a discount then you still need to use a physical card.
It is allowed, you can use suica cards in Japan, Octopus in Hong Kong and other examples. Here is a list: Where you can ride transit with Apple Pay - Apple Support ('https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207958')
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dontwalkhand Avatar
56 months ago

Apple still won’t allow Oyster style cards in the Wallet? Apple Pay is okay for random trips but if you need a travel card because of a discount then you still need to use a physical card.
They do, its up to the transit agency and their equipment manufacturer. So far all cities with Cubic Transportation equipment are getting it, with the exception being London, who seems to be in favor of phasing out Oyster instead, maybe?. The manufacturer themselves have to work with Apple before offering the ability for Apple integration to the transit agencies. Conduent has been working with Apple for quite some time to try to get the SEPTA Key and NJ Transit passes to Apple Wallet....Paris' NAVIGO is also a Conduent system. So once Conduent does their thing with Apple, I am sure Paris will enable it as soon as possible.

See: Hong Kong (Octopus - Vix Technology), Japan (Suica - Proprietary Sony FeLiCa readers, Vix Technology Back of House), Chicago (Ventra - Cubic Transportation), Portland (HOP FastPass - INIT), LA (TAP -Cubic Transportation), and Washington DC (SmarTrip - Cubic Transportation).

Coming Soon:

Phoenix (PlatinumPass - Scheidt & Bachmann, migrating to Vix Technology)
Seattle (ORCA - Vix Technology)
San Francisco (Clipper - Cubic Transportation)
New York (OMNY - Cubic Transportation, enabled with regular credit card Apple Pay now, physical OMNY card and virtual OMNY card coming soon)
Melbourne (MyKi - Vix Technology)
Sydney (Opal - Cubic Transportation)
London (Oyster - Cubic Transportation)
San Diego (CompassCard - Cubic Transportation, migrating to INIT)
Toronto (PRESTO - Scheidt & Bachmann)
Boston (CharlieCard - Scheidt & Bachmann)
Berlin (Schedit & Bachmann)
Amsterdam (OV ChipKaart - Scheidt and Bachmann, Migrating to Vix Technology)
NJTransit (Conduent)
Philadelphia (SEPTA Key- Conduent)
Paris (NAVIGO - Conduent)

NAVIGO is Conduent, so its a matter of time....

As you can tell, there are about five major players in this game, it won't be that hard. Cubic, the biggest one in the room, Scheidt & Bachmann, Conduent, Init, & Vix Technology.

Source: Many friends in the fare collection system industry.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dz5b609 Avatar
56 months ago

Users can now buy a Navigo pass within the app using ‌Apple Pay‌ and then scan their digital ticket at gates via NFC. Contrary to previous reports ('https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/06/apple-to-support-paris-metro-navigo-cards/'), Navigo is still unable to be added to Wallet. This means that users must keep the app open in order to scan their ticket.
Unless I'm missing something this seems to be entirely wrong, the app now allows you to 'charge' your physical card with a ticket or subscription via reverse NFC payable with Apple Pay (with no Apple tax, which is weird). So you still need a physical Navigo card. The only thing is that you don't need to go to a machine to load something on your Navigo card but can use your phone which is some added convenience.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SumYoungGai Avatar
56 months ago

Do you think nobody lives in Paris?
the only country that exists in the world is the United States, clearly
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lah Avatar
56 months ago

From Wikipedia: "Cards are available either attached to an account for those who live or work in the Île-de-France region (known simply as Carte Navigo), or can be issued on the spot to anyone at a station (Carte Navigo Découverte). The Navigo card bear the name and a photograph of the holder."

So you can't anonymously take public transportation in Paris?
The cards with pictures on them are the annual subscriptions that give you unlimited rides on the network. It’s a way to control it since they don’t want people abusing it (Sharing with others). And yes, they do random checks on the metro.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)