Apple Takes Possession of Mobeewave Domain Name, One Year After Acquiring Startup That Lets Smartphones Accept Payments Using NFC

Apple has taken possession of the domain name Mobeewave.com, according to a WHOIS record discovered by MacRumors. The domain name was previously owned by payments startup Mobeewave, which Apple acquired last year.

Mobeewave created a system that lets shoppers tap a credit card or smartphone on another phone to process a payment. The technology works with NFC, which is built into all modern iPhones.

Apple typically buys startups to turn their technology into features of its products, and the functionality could in future allow iPhones to be used as payment terminals with no additional hardware required. Apple hired the whole Mobeewave team, which includes dozens of employees, and the company is continuing to work from Montreal where it is based.

Prior to the acquisition, Mobeewave demonstrated the simplicity of its technology by showing users inputting a transaction amount into an app and tapping an NFC-enabled card on the back of a smartphone.

Full contact information on the domain transfer is redacted for privacy, but the record’s domain information lists Apple’s nameservers. The domain is no longer active, although at some point in the future Apple may choose to redirect it to either a related product page or support pages for an upcoming product.