How NFC works in a smartphone and what it can be used for

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A brief educational program on technology that is used not only for contactless payments.

What is NFC

NFC stands for Near Field Communication or literally "near field communication". This technology is used to transfer data between devices at a distance of up to 10 cm. Communication is maintained by means of magnetic induction.

NFC can work in active and passive modes. For the first, it is necessary that both devices have their own power source, and for the second, one is enough. In the latter case, one of the devices receives its operating power from the electromagnetic field of the other.

The NFC chip itself has a fairly compact size, which allows it to be installed in smartphones, speakers, tablets and other mobile gadgets.

What NFC can be used for

Communication with other devices

Compared to Bluetooth technology, NFC has a very fast connection establishment speed between devices. At the same time, the speed of the data transfer itself in the active communication mode is rather low. That is why, in smartphones, NFC is usually only used to transfer contacts, links, notes, as well as coordinates on a map.

When transferring large files, the technology is used only for connecting devices, and the content is sent via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. This even applies to the transfer of simple videos or documents through the "Send" function.

You can find out the exact location of the chip antennas in the instructions for the device. However, in most cases, they are brought out to the rear of the case. Therefore, smartphones when connecting via NFC need to lean against each other with their back panels.

Scanning and programming marks

Passive communication mode can be used to read information from programmable NFC chips or so-called tags. They do not have their own power source, and activation occurs from the electromagnetic field of the reader device.

The main purpose of tags is to obtain additional information about a product or some event. In some retailers, NFC tags are already replacing barcodes. Leaning a smartphone, the buyer can get detailed information about the composition, shelf life and storage conditions.

Also, tags are used to automate various actions on a smartphone - turning on applications, changing the sound profile, sending messages, and so on. For example, you can program a tag to start the navigator and attach it to the car. As soon as you put your smartphone on it, the gadget will start automatically.

Tags are programmed through special applications on the smartphone, such as NFC Tools.

Emulation cards

NFC gadgets can be used to emulate smart cards used as a pass, key, or travel card. However, with the arrival in Russia of the payment systems Android Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, the main purpose of the NFC chip in the smartphone was the emulation of bank cards for contactless payments.

To pay for goods using NFC, you just need to bring your smartphone to the terminal at the checkout. The main thing is to pre-link your bank card to a payment system available for your smartphone.

Android Pay has the largest coverage by devices, since it, unlike similar services from Apple and Samsung, is not tailored for devices of a certain manufacturer. However, any of these payment systems can be used without fear and risk.

None of them at the time of payment transmits the card number to the terminal itself. Instead, a so-called token is used - a digital encrypted identifier that is generated automatically when the card is activated. It is he who will be read as the main requisite.

How secure is NFC

Devices with NFC can both receive and transmit data at the same time, which allows them to detect inconsistencies if the received signal does not match the transmitted one.

The risk of interception of your data is extremely small, especially given the technology's minimum range. The same Bluetooth operating within tens of meters is much more vulnerable to external interference.

This also applies to payment details: the token generated for contactless payment will not allow intruders to gain access to your card. And the very fact of intercepting an encrypted identifier looks unrealistic.

In addition, contactless payment requires confirmation via fingerprint, password, or face scan. Without all this, the purchase cannot be made. This means that even if a smartphone is stolen, no one will be able to use it as a payment instrument.

Which smartphones support NFC

Once only expensive flagships had support for this technology, but now you can buy a smartphone with NFC for less than 10,000 rubles. In any case, this applies to Android devices. Among the most affordable are Nokia 3, Samsung Galaxy J5, Motorola Moto G5s.

In the Apple ecosystem, the cheapest smartphone that supports Apple Pay is the iPhone SE, which today costs just under 20,000 rubles. All more expensive models, starting with the iPhone 6, also have an NFC chip.

If you do not know if your Android smartphone has NFC, you can check it by searching through the settings. Typically, technology-related features are available in the Connections or Wireless sections. Also, the NFC icon should be present in the list of quick launch icons in the top curtain.