Adam
9K posts

Adam
@thinkaliker
I do things on the internet // Co-host @ACESCases // Software Engineer // he/him // Team @SpaceBitsRUs // @[email protected]









Modders have figured out how to make Pixel phones purchased outside of Japan compatible with the country's mobile payment system, Osaifu-Keitai. By default, only Pixel phones bought in Japan are compatible with Osaifu-Keitai, but this is a software and not a hardware limitation. Shown below is a global Pixel 7 Pro (model ID GP4BC) purchased in Germany using Osaifu-Keitai in Japan. For a bit of context, Osaifu-Keitai is the "de facto standard mobile payment system in Japan" as noted on Wikipedia. It's used for everything from electronic money to ID cards, loyalty cards, transit cards, and more. Osaifu-Keitai uses Sony's FeliCa RFID smart card technology. FeliCa is the standard technology for Japanese smart cards, and it's also used in other APAC markets. To support FeliCa, phones either ship with a mobile FeliCa IC or a NFC chip that supports the NFC-F (JIS 6319-4) standard. (Graphic is from: felicanetworks.co.jp/en/mfelica_pf/…) The Pixel 7, for example, ships STMicroelectronics' ST54K IC, a single-chip NFC controller and secure element. Pixels (as well as many other Android phones) use host card emulation (HCE) to essentially emulate a FeliCa RFID smart card that talks directly to the NFC reader. This hardware is present on Pixel 7 phones globally, which means no matter where you buy the Pixel 7, it should be able to support Osaifu-Keitai. However, the Osaifu-Keitai app seems to implement multiple checks to see if FeliCa is supported on the device. One of those checks (on Pixel phones) ends up seeing if the device's SKU is found on an allowlist of Japanese-specific Pixel phone SKUs contained within the system "PixelNfc" app. If your device's SKU is on that list, then you're able to use Osaifu-Keitai on your phone. If it isn't, then you're out of luck unless you root your phone to bypass this restriction (either by spoofing the SKU, modifying the FeliCa configuration file, or patching the PixelNfc app). Or, you buy a new, Japan-specific version of your phone. As for why this limitation exists, I don't really know. Sony apparently has patents/earns licensing income from the use of FeliCa chips, so that could be one reason. This isn't an issue for iPhone, as any iPhone you buy can use Osaifu-Keitai, but it is an issue with many Android devices and is why Japan-specific SKUs for many phones exist. For more info on this mod/issue, check out this great GitHub page by user kormax (which is where the screenshots come from): github.com/kormax/osaifu-… And this AOSP document: Host Card Emulation of FeliCa: source.android.com/docs/core/conn… H/T @AndroPlus_org

@Kanjo @thinkaliker In summary, Android users get the short end of the stick once again. Non-JP iPhone/Apple Watch: any recent model will work (except for Visa payments). Non-JP Android phones: won't work at all. Non-JP Fitbit devices: only AmEx payments (with the attendant fees) work.





