Does nfc function. How to enable NFC function on Android phone? What is NFC on a phone

Wireless Fidelity, also known as Wi-Fi, is far from the only technology wireless communication, which is supported by modern mobile devices. To transfer data to short distances, in particular, today Bluetooth is commonly used to exchange files between phones, a wireless networking specification that allows communication between devices at the physical level. However, there are other technologies that are still less in demand in everyday life, but are rapidly gaining popularity, such as, for example, NFC, which will be discussed in this article.

What is NFC and what is this technology for?

So, what is NFC for, where is it used and how to use it? NFC or Near Field Communication is a wireless data transmission technology designed to exchange data between electronic devices located at a small (up to 10 cm) distance from each other. Currently, NFC is used in industrial and banking areas, medicine and science. Examples of the use of technology can be found in everyday life, for example, paying for goods and services using an NFC-enabled smartphone, which in this case plays the role of a bank payment card.

The use of Near Field Communication in various areas will be discussed in more detail below. We will also learn what NFC is in a smartphone, but now let me say a few words about how it works. Data exchange between devices supporting the technology is carried out using NFC modules, which are electromagnetic coils. Being coupled, the coils alternately generate an electromagnetic field, under the influence of which a current arises in them, which is then converted into a transmitting signal.

However, one should not assume that the exchange is always carried out directly. If you use NFC to transfer files from smartphone to smartphone, they will be transferred via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, but NFC will only serve to identify devices. You should also distinguish between active and passive NFC operating modes. Active is the mode in which the electromagnetic field is generated by both devices, passive - only when the field is generated by one of the devices. An example of the second mode is writing or reading data from NFC or RFID tags.

How to find out if your phone has NFC

Near Field Communication technology is supported by many different types of devices, including mobile phones. NFC in a phone is a hardware component that is responsible for pairing with other NFC devices. It is usually located on the inside of the back cover, but if the battery is non-removable, its location is often marked with a logo on the case itself.

There are several ways to check whether a smartphone supports NFC technology. Some manufacturers mobile phones, such as Sony, mark their products with the appropriate logo or sticker with the text NFC, others, such as Samsung, place the “Near Field Communication” mark on the battery. You can also look for mention of NFC in the documentation that came with your phone.

There are sites dedicated to the subject that provide information on which phones have NFC, for example, on the page nfc-ukraine.com/article/2013/06/29/1-0 there is a table with several hundred NFC-enabled devices. Finally, what is most correct is to open the settings, go to the “Wireless networks” section, select “More” and see if NFC and Android Beam are there.

What actions can you perform using NFC?

So, what NFC is is more or less clear, let’s now move on to examples of its specific use. The scope of application of this wireless communication technology is quite extensive. So, NFC is used:

• When paying for goods and services (payment card emulation).
• When identifying a person (electronic documents).
• When transferring data from device to device.
• To access private data (like an electronic key).
• When reading information from NFC tags.
• For translate Money from phone to phone.
• When interacting with “smart” household appliances, etc.

How to use NFC on your phone? After making sure that the NFC function is available on the device, you should first activate it, for which in the settings you need to check the NFC item “Allow data exchange when combining a tablet (phone) with another device.” In this case, the Android Beam option should be automatically activated. If it doesn't, enable it manually by clicking on it and selecting Yes.

Let's consider the simplest example of using a function - to transfer data. After turning on NFC and unlocking both devices, open the content you want to transfer on your phone, and then bring the devices closer with the back covers (up to 10 cm away). After the devices detect each other, a notification “Tap to transfer data” will appear on the screen of the sending gadget. Tap on the display and wait for the transfer to complete, about which you will be notified by a sound signal.

In a similar way, through NFC, you can exchange links to web pages, applications in Google Play and YouTube videos.

When using NFC to pay for goods and services, things are a little more complicated. The NFC module itself is useless here; for this you will definitely need a physical or virtual card bank and the corresponding application. You should also ask whether the bank whose services you use supports NFC. If yes, find out whether the banking client application has an NFC connection option, how to connect it correctly, and what types of cards are supported.

There are also third party applications, supporting technology and working with bank cards. In Russia, these are Qiwi and Wallet from the developer CardsMobile. Among banking applications in Russia one can note Alfa-Touch from Alfa-Bank, in Ukraine - Privat24 from Privat-Bank.

NFC tags deserve no less attention. These devices are small portable storage media of small volume, attached to surfaces or built into various devices and objects, such as key chains, business cards, posters, stickers, posters, billboards, product shelves, and so on. They serve the same purposes as barcodes and QR codes, that is, to read certain data from them. NFC tags can contain both simple information (phone numbers, addresses, identification codes, etc.) and various commands, for example, a command to send SMS, Wi-Fi distribution, turning on a device, launching applications.

To work with NFC tags, you will also need the appropriate applications. Thus, the Yandex.Metro application can be used to obtain information about the number of remaining trips on the Metro card, and AnyTAG NFC Launcher or NFC Actions can be used to program your own tags and manage them using them various functions and devices.

To scan an NFC tag, follow these steps: Having activated NFC on your phone and opened the scanner application, place the gadget over the tag at a distance of 1-10 cm. The phone will scan the tag and offer to open its contents.

Conclusion

Now you know in general outline What does NFC mean and where is this technology used? In post-Soviet countries, Near Field Communication, however, has not yet become widespread due to the relatively small number of communication devices that support it. However, the NFC function is very promising and will certainly be one of the most popular in the very near future.

With the development of technology, various wireless data transfer interfaces are becoming increasingly popular, significantly facilitating and improving our lives. IrDA and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and UWB, DECT standards allow you to transmit information over various distances, ranking by speed and distance of information transfer. Among the many different standards, technology holds a special place NFC, manifesting itself in the form of invisible, but very common, benefits of civilization.

NFC chips are built into travel documents, they are used when paying for various services, they are used in exchanging files between mobile devices, and much more. What is NFC and why is it so good? I'll talk about this below.

Name NFC is an abbreviation for Near Field Communication, which can be translated as “Near Field Communication”. This technology is an extension of the previously existing near-field contactless card standard (ISO 14443).

• With the help of NFS, fast wireless communication is carried out over short distances (usually up to 10 cm), and the speed of information exchange on iPhone and Android phones is up to 400 Kbps.
• The interface supports full-duplex data exchange, connection establishment time is 0.1s.
• Unlike Bluetooth technology, which requires a relatively lengthy pairing of devices, in NFC you only need to bring the devices close to each other to establish a connection.

Experts distinguish three NFC modes: reading mode, information transfer mode, and bank card emulation mode.

Where is this NFC technology used?

This technology is becoming increasingly widespread where it is necessary to quickly transmit a small amount of information in a short period of time.

Is there an NFC function on my smartphone?

Please note that support for NFS technology is implemented in the OS Android versions 4.0 and higher, in the form of the “Beam” function built into the system. To check the presence of this technology on your device, you need to go to the settings of your phone or tablet, select “Wireless networks”, and then click “More”. If you see the “NFC” menu item, then you are lucky, and your phone supports this standard, it’s not in vain that you found out that this is NFC. To activate its operation, just check the box next to the “NFC” item.

How to transfer data between mobile devices using NFC

How to use NFC? It is important to note that this NFC function usually only works with unlocked screens of mobile devices. Therefore, activate “Beam” on both devices, unlock their screens, and bring the devices closer to each other (usually with their backs). The systems will find each other and you will receive sound signal. Confirm the connection by touching the screen of the devices, and you will be able to exchange data between paired devices.

How does NFC work with Samsung phones, we can see in the video:

Working with NFC tags and chips

Given the small size of NFC chips and tags, they can be built into any items - bracelets and stickers, cards, price tags, and so on. To read data from such chips and tags, you need special applications, which, for example, you can download from Play Market(NFC card UID reader, Yandex.Metro, NFC Tag Touch and others).

Disadvantages of technology

Experts call the disadvantage of NFC the weak security of data from interception and relay attacks. You can also simply lose your phone with configured programs payment systems, which will allow the attacker to empty the accounts of the loser.

Conclusion

It is clear that NFC is gradually penetrating into all areas of our lives today, and we can often find it where we do not expect it at all (for example, in London NFC tags are built into monuments). The speed of establishing a connection, the low cost of NFC tags, and the ease of reading data make it possible to increasingly use this technology in many areas of human life, making our existence happier, more convenient and comfortable. Work with NFC - and you will appreciate all the richness of its advantages.

The range of uses of this technology is very wide: you can transfer all kinds of content, pay for services like a credit card, pay for travel and groceries, use it as a key card, etc. The use of NFC will be discussed using the example of Android devices, because They are the ones that are most actively equipped with the appropriate adapter.

Does my smartphone have NFC?

Sony Company puts the NFC logo directly on the bodies of its devices, but it is best to check through the gadget menu. To do this we do the following.

First step. Open the settings.

Second step. Go to the wireless network settings section, tap “More...”.

Third step. If there is an NFC chip, we see its settings section.

Turn on NFC

First step. In the NFC settings menu (the path was indicated earlier) we activate the line “allow data exchange when combined...”.

Second step. Click on Android Beam and tap “Yes”. We do this if Beam does not turn on on its own.

Important! If Android Beam is disabled, your ability to interact with other NFC devices and tags will be limited.

Instructions for transferring content via NFC

First step. Open the file (for example, a photo) that you want to transfer.

Second step. We lean smartphones/tablets with their back covers against each other. Some removal is allowed (no more than 7-10 cm).

Third step. We are waiting for the devices to find each other. A notification about this will appear on the display of the sending device. It looks like this:

Fourth step. Tap on the screen. Content transfer starts.

As a rule, the system issues a sound alert at the moment the transmission of information begins and after its completion.

Can not be transferred:
applications;
videos broadcast from YouTube service;
web pages.

When you try to transfer the listed content, the recipient will receive a link to it in the corresponding service.

Interaction with NFC tags

The NFC chip has an extremely modest size, which allows it to be embedded anywhere. For example, a price tag, headphones, a business card, etc. Such a chip can contain both information and commands that the device must execute upon contact with the tag (for example, turn off Wi-Fi, turn on wireless headset etc.).

To read information from such tags or write your data to their chips, you need to install the appropriate application on your smartphone or tablet. For example, the Yandex.Metro program will allow you to find out the remaining number of trips on your metro card via NFC. By installing the NFC App Launcher application, you can configure your Android gadget to perform a number of actions by programming the NFC tag accordingly.

Reading time: 6 minutes. Views 101 Published 08/19/2018

Modern smartphones are very functional and contain many different technologies that are certainly useful and necessary, but are not always clear to a simple user. The same applies to Near field communication. In the characteristics of a smartphone, the technology is indicated by the abbreviationNFC, what is it in the phone?Few people know, so when buying a new smartphone they often doubt whether such a function is really necessary. Let's talk about this in more detail and figure out what this opportunity is and how it will be useful to the owner.

NFC, what is it in the phone?

So, NFC is a high-frequency wireless communication module with a limited range. In order to prevent data interception, the radius does not exceed 10 centimeters, and more often than not, even less. To transfer information from one device to another, you need to bring their sensors as close as possible.

Technology works on high speed(connection time between two sensors is no more than 0.1 seconds). In general, the work is based on radio frequency identification; data from transponders is transmitted from one gadget to another via radio signals.

Today, such a module is found mainly in gadgets on the Android platform, and it is being implemented not only in expensive devices, but also in a mid-priced model. However, modules are often found on other device models, but their capabilities are often limited to one function. The data on the transponders can be different, thanks to which the phone can act in a variety of roles. This is very convenient, primarily due to the fact that the gadget has long become an integral part of a person’s life and accompanies him everywhere.

How can you use a phone with an NFC module?

The technology is still gaining popularity and is by no means widespread. That's why few people know todayNFC, what is it in the phone?. Nevertheless, even in small settlements remote from the central regions there are examples of the use of the module.

As mentioned above, the transponder may contain various information and assign different roles to the smartphone. Here are some of the most familiar and common use cases.

Thus, it can act as a payment instrument, a means of user identification, a key for electronic locks, a bonus card, a travel ticket for any type of transport. The technology is actively used in areas where greater security and confidentiality of data transmission is needed. You can also often find examples of using the module in the service and entertainment sectors.

How NFC works

So, NFC, what is it in the phone?we figured it out. Let's try to figure out the operating principle of this development. Some users know that the technology can also manifest itself on passive devices, that is, data exchange does not necessarily require a connection to an active power source.

This is due to the fact that the technology is based on electromagnetic induction. That is, the reader transmitter at a frequency of 13.56 MHz continuously emits a sinusoidal signal. The sensor is also equipped with an antenna and when the distance between the two elements becomes sufficient for the technology to work, a magnetic field is created alternating current in the reading element coil. After this, a current appears in the second coil; a tiny charge is enough for NFC to work, so it does not require additional source nutrition.

Modern smartphones contain an NFC antenna under the back cover. And its location, as mentioned earlier, is marked with a special icon. This location is very convenient, since an antenna located deeper can complicate the data exchange process.

What is the advantage of NFC over other wireless communication modules?

Active smartphone users know that the gadget is equipped with several wireless data transfer technologies, so why need another one if there are already others. These are, of course, the familiar and familiar Bluetooth and .

However, NFC has a lot of advantages over its counterparts, which mainly ensure the security of data transmission and the absence of the possibility of interception of information.

• First of all, this is the shortest possible connection time. In one tenth of a second, complete data exchange occurs.
• The limited range makes the data transmission method more secure. The technology, according to the developers, operates within a radius of 10 centimeters; in practice, it is significantly reduced.

The data transfer speed is significantly lower than that of Bluetooth, however, this does not spoil the overall impression of the development. In general, NFC is a very reliable and necessary transmission technology, precisely in those areas where it has found application.

To find out whether a smartphone supports this technology, you can look for the corresponding inscription (Near field communication) on the gadget’s battery or the corporate logo on the back of the device. The module must be present in the smartphone settings, where you can activate it or, conversely, turn it off. In addition, you can clarify the information in the accompanying documents for the phone. To use the technology, you will need to download additional applications, for example, to use your smartphone as a means of payment, you will need Google Pay or Apple Pay.

Why are more and more mobile manufacturers equipping smartphones with an NFC chip, and what are the possibilities? this technology opens to the user?

Nowadays, the mobile market offers a wide variety of high- and mid-price smartphones that are equipped with an NFC chip. Before you pay for an additional function, you need to understand what it is and why it is needed in the phone.

Near-Field Communication Technology

What is NFC?

NFC (Near field communication) is a wireless communication interface, one of the main characteristics of which, as the name suggests, is a short range (up to 10 cm). Among the features of the technology we can also highlight:

• Possibility of exchange with other devices and passive tags.
• Compact sizes.
• Low power consumption.
• Low data transfer speed.
• Connection setup time is 0.1 seconds.
• Budget cost.

Thanks to its small size and low power consumption, NFC can be used in small devices. In smartphones, the antenna is usually mounted on the battery compartment cover or the inside of the back panel if the battery is removable. So that users do not have the question of how exactly to apply the gadget to transfer data (this problem is especially typical for tablets due to their large size and short range of technology), the location of the chip is often marked with a special sticker on the case.

Since the NFC interface is only a base that does not provide a clear solution for use, mobile manufacturers and application developers have to independently develop work scenarios. This can cause problems when apps and devices from different manufacturers interact with each other.

Ways to use NFC

Perhaps one of the most common ways to use NFC is for contactless payments. User can attach bank card to your mobile device, with which you will pay in the future, for example, if the card is left at home. In this case, the possibility of data interception is extremely low due to the small range of the interface; a lost or stolen unlocked smartphone poses a great danger.

To make a payment via NFC you will need:

1. Bank card marked paypass.
2. Application of the relevant bank.
3. Find the NFC item in the application menu.
4. Attach the card to back cover phone for reading.
5. Remember the password for payment transactions sent in an SMS message.

The next method of using technology is data exchange. By using Android programs Beam can transfer various files from one mobile device to another. However, the transfer speed is very low, so this function is more suitable for sending small text messages and links.

Instructions:

1. Activate NFC - check the box next to this item in the “Wireless Networks” menu, unlock your smartphone and turn on the screen.

2. Select an agent:

• Google Chrome - to transfer the current active link.
• Google Maps - for transferring the route.
• Google Play - for transferring applications, books and other content presented in the service.
• YouTube - to send a link to a video.
• Contacts - to transfer a contact.
• Gallery - for transferring photos and pictures (however, this can take a long time due to the low transfer speed, so in this case it is better to use special applications, which will be discussed below).

3. Bring the devices closer until the alarm sounds.

4. Touch and hold the screen to confirm the transfer.

5. Another beep will sound indicating successful file transfer.

There are various applications that use the NFC interface only for pairing, and subsequent file transfer is carried out via a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection: Send! File Transfer, File Expert HD and Super Beam WiFi Direct Share.

The next method is to read and write tags. This function It works similarly to reading a QR code, only it uses an NFC chip rather than a smartphone camera. It can be useful for automating home and work life. To create your own NFC tags you will need blank blanks and special programs to record the necessary information. You can assign the following actions to a tag, which will be performed after it is read: sending an SMS message or email, calling a contact, opening a link, connecting via Bluetooth, launching an application and much more.

Several programs for creating tags:

1. WiFiTap WiFi NFC - for connection wireless network. Helps guests connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot quickly and without entering a password.
2. ABA NFC - for creating various standard format tags.
3. SmartTag Maker is a special application for users of Sony products, which contains a number of blanks used not only with the NFC interface, but also with the headset, Bluetooth devices, power supply, etc.

Bottom line

Each user decides for himself whether he needs additional function NFC in a smartphone or not. However, this technology is being used in an increasing number of mobile devices. Therefore, if you did purchase a gadget with NFC support, you now know how to use all its capabilities to make life more convenient.

NFC (Near Field Communication)

Source: www.androidlime.ru

You can close this annoying message by clicking the cross in the corner
Honor 8C is the world's first smartphone with 8 cores Snapdragon processor™ 632. It is equipped with a powerful 4000 mAh battery and a 6.26-inch edge-to-edge screen with an aspect ratio of 19:9. This smartphone combines modern design and high performance.

The price-quality ratio will also pleasantly surprise you. With a 6.26-inch edge-to-edge HD display, Honor 8C displays more details in a compact design that fits comfortably in your hand. The smartphone is only 7.98 mm thick. Honor 8C is equipped with two...

Related articles:

• Many modern smartphones are equipped with a built-in NFC module (Near Field Communication), which allows you to transfer information over short distances. Using this function, the owner mobile device gets the opportunity to pay [...]
• Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology has generated quite a bit of buzz in recent years, especially as it relates to customer payments. With technology now built into many smartphones, the account is the future of in-store payments. Clients no longer […]
• In developed China, manufacturers are not eager to produce smartphones with NFC due to the low popularity of such solutions among the Chinese. In Russia, many are already accustomed to NFC in smartphones and simply cannot imagine using the device […]
• The latest rumors suggest that Samsung recently sent a sample folding screen to Apple. An American manufacturer may consider iPhone release using this technology in 2020. According to ETNews […]
• There are still two months until the end of this year. During this time, the Chinese corporation Xiaomi intends to release another one of its new phone middle price category. In the next few weeks, the public will be announced a long-awaited new product […]
• Last month, the Huawei Mate 30 series arrived in Europe. However, the biggest concern among users is the lack of Google Services. In an interview with Fortune magazine, Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei […]