The headline overstates this a bit, but even so, this is absolutely worth knowing.

Chris Smith, BGR:

When Apple unveiled the new iPhones last week, it revealed that all of them support a feature called “Express Cards with power reserve,” without really explaining what it was.

It’s a brand new iPhone feature that will let you use the NFC chip even when the battery life is dead. It might not sound like a big deal, but if you’re using your iPhone to pay for transit, or get access to your building, then it really is.

The details are laid out in Apple’s iOS Security Guide:

If iOS isn’t running because iPhone needs to be charged, there may still be enough power in the battery to support Express Card transactions.

Supported iPhone devices automatically support this feature with:

• A transit card designated as the Express Transit card
• Student ID cards with Express Mode turned on

Pressing the side button displays the low battery icon as well as text indicating Express Cards are available to use. The NFC controller performs express card transactions under the same conditions as when iOS is running, except that transactions are indicated with only haptic notification. No visible notification is shown.

This feature isn’t available when a standard user initiated shutdown is performed.

The idea of being able to use your Student ID to get back in your dorm room when your phone is dead is a brilliant little detail. I’m guessing there are other NFC use cases that apply here as well.