With the operating system update, CCID-compliant reading devices can be used on the iPhone or iPad. Third-party apps are no longer necessary.
Rather casually, Apple mentions in a support document for corporate customers that the latest iOS update and the upcoming iPadOS 16 bring direct support for smart card readers to the manufacturer’s mobile devices. This note is missing from the official feature overview of the new systems.
With this, iOS and iPadOS catch up with macOS, which since version 10.15 Catalina has been able to address USB devices without additional software in order to read chip cards according to the PIV standard (Personal Identity Verification). Such smart cards can be used, for example, to authenticate yourself on websites or in the VPN and to sign or encrypt e-mails.
iOS 15 was already able to use the integrated PIV smart card for hardware keys such as the Yubikey. What’s new is that according to the support document which operating systems can natively address CCID-compliant USB readers. Readers with a USB-A connection can be operated via Apple’s camera adapter on iPhones with a Lightning connection.
The now expanded CryptoTokenKit framework enables developers to integrate smart card functions into their apps. Like the reader manufacturer Twocanoes reported, they can now also read certificates and change PIN codes. The “Smart Card Utility” from the same provider has received a corresponding update.
Not all readers work
According to its own statements, the reader manufacturer has been testing the functions for a long time and has provided feedback to Apple in order to improve the support of various readers. They also observed that not every combination of USB reader, iOS device, and adapter works due to the power requirements of the components.
With the update, Apple is fulfilling long-held wishes from companies and governments to be able to use their smart cards directly in Safari or Mail on Apple’s mobile devices.
