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How is a Major League Baseball team planning to use iOS 11?

Answer: To provide contactless stadium entry.

In the 2018 season, the Oakland Athletics baseball team will be introducing contactless stadium entry for fans running iOS 11 on their iPhones. When Apple announced iOS 11 in spring 2016, it also revealed that the upgrade would make the iPhone’s NFC contactless technology available to developers. The tech is only available on Apple Pay in previous iOS software versions.

Starting Sept. 22, following the release of iOS 11, the A's completed a successful six-game pilot that provided contactless ticketing through Apple Wallet. Attendees were able to enter the stadium simply by tapping their phones on a scanner, just like when using Apple Pay elsewhere. This was the first time a major sporting event had been able to do so, and the A's are planning to use the tech full-time during the 2018 season.

Kate is a senior copy editor in Northern California. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in professional writing from the University of California, Davis.