Is it possible to buy and use tickets in Paris public transport directly from a smartphone?

Question

I am visiting Paris and am trying to figure out the most convenient way to use public transport. I am aware that I can purchase a Navigo Easy travel card and load t+ tickets or day tickets on it, and top up via NFC from my smartphone. However, I am wondering if I can directly use my smartphone (iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 16) to store and validate tickets.

According to the website of Île-de-France Mobilités, this should be possible using the IDF Mobilités app:

You can also buy your tickets and validate them on your smartphone

On the "Purchase" tab of the IDF Mobilités application, choose the option "on my phone", then select your ticket and, if necessary, the date, zones, number required.

You must have a credit card for payment and enter an email address to which proof of purchase will be sent. This address is pre-filled if you are connected to Navigo Connect.

Regarding compatibility, for iPhones, it says:

The service is compatible with iPhones from the iPhone 7 with at least iOS 13, or iOS 14.5 for iPhones XR, XS and XS Max.

I realize that this does not mention the latest models, and so could be the answer to my question, but I have seen that compatibility lists are often out of date on many websites, even if the newest models are supported. So I am nevertheless asking to check just in case I am doing something incorrectly instead.

After downloading the app, I see no option ("on my phone", as mentioned above) to buy tickets. The following is the screenshot:

So is this possible?

I have seen that the Bonjour RATP app says that it supports this feature only for Samsung phones, but the IDF Mobilités app explicitly mentions support for iPhones, hence the confusion. As an additional question, what is the connection between the two apps? Can I use them interchangeably?

Answer 1

No, you cannot

The IDFM page in English is quite misleading here and misses a part of the information, here is the one in French

Translation mine

Comment charger votre passe Navigo avec votre téléphone ?

Pour charger votre passe Navigo avec votre téléphone NFC, vous devez disposer d'un smartphone compatible :

Android : la majorité des téléphones Android NFC à partir de la version Android 6.0 sont compatibles ;

iOS : tous les iPhones à partir de l'iPhone 7 disposant à minima de la version iOS 13 et iOS 14.5 pour les iPhones XR, XS et XS Max.

How to load your Navigo pass with your phone

To load your Navigo pass with your NFC-compatible phone, you need a compatible phone

This only applies to loading a physical card as you can see on your screenshot you have this option

Comment charger des titres dans votre téléphone et valider avec ?

Pour charger des titres dans votre téléphone NFC, vous devez être en mesure de stocker les titres de manière sécurisée. Le service est disponible sur la majorité des téléphones NFC à partir de la version Android 8.

La liste des téléphones incompatibles est la suivante : Google Pixel Slate, Nocturne, Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 2XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a xl, Pixel 4, Pixel C, Pixel Slate, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P.

A noter également : le service de chargement de titre dans le téléphone n’est pour l’instant pas disponible sur iPhone.

How to load tickets on your phone and validate with it ?

To load tickets on your NFC-Compatible phone, you need to be able to store them in a secure manner, the service is available on most NFC-compatible phone running Android 8 or later

Incompatible phones are : Google Pixel Slate, Nocturne, Pixel, Pixel 2, Pixel 2XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a xl, Pixel 4, Pixel C, Pixel Slate, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P.

To be noted : the phone loading facility for tickets is not yet available on iPhone

The reason for that is a feud between the authority and Apple around the fact that, Apple want to charge the authority by ticket and/or by validation if this were to be implemented, and the authority is against it.
They are likely still negotiating, but an ending where Apple would be allowing integration is very unlikely in the near future.

---

By far, the easiest and most convenient method is a Navigo Easy pass (I still wish that we would be able just to pay with a contactless card)