Your quick mental checklist of "phones, keys, wallet" before leaving the house could soon be narrowed down to "phone, wallet."
That's because Apple may be introducing a new function that would allow you to unlock your car and house doors with your iPhone.
SEE ALSO: 3 years later, who knows what the Apple Watch is for?According to The Information (h/t Engadget), the near field communication (NFC) chip in your iPhone — responsible for the easy transactions behind things like Apple Pay — is rumored to be expanding beyond its current capabilities.
"The change to the near-field communication, or NFC, chip, which is expected to be announced next month, could pave the way for people to use iPhones for other security-sensitive interactions, from paying transit fares and opening car doors to verifying their identity in other ways," the article reads, via MacRumors.
NFC chips can be used in a variety of other ways, too, including in the health care industry.
These findings were reportedly discovered in copy related to the upcoming release of iOS 12. Apple has reportedly been working on this since 2014 with HID Global, a security identity company, and will allegedly announce this new feature in early June during the 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
The conference begins June 4, so hopefully we won't have to wait long to learn official details about this latest development.