What is NFC in Phone and How to use NFC on Android

 Hey guys welcome to our blog our topic for today is about NFC technology.You might have seen NFC feature in phone settings or on phone box or maybe you have seen the N symbol at the back of your smartphone.Today we will be talking everything about NFC ranging from types,modes and uses.Stick to the end of this blog to find out What is NFC in Phone and How to use NFC on Android.

What is NFC?

NFC also know as near field communication is a communication system for electronic devices like tablets,smartphones and payment machines.It is pretty much like RFID technology,it allows user to send and recieve data such photos,videos and music from one device to other.It is also used to make payments.It is a better alternative than the traditional bluetooth feature which takes minutes and hours to transfer small files.The limitataion of this feature is that it cannot transfer data from large distances or even medium distances.The range between two devices is very short and should not be more than 4 cm.NFC is widely used in foreign countaries like United States and United Kingdom for making payments and can be a very good alternative than cash payments for making contactless payments in the current pandemic situation.

Types of NFC Devices?

There are two types of NFC devices Active devices and Pasive Devices.

1.Active Devices

Active devices are the devices which requires external power supply such as smartphone,tablet etc.These devices can performing both data transfer and processing of data.Active devices can connect with passive devices and also they can connect with each other.Out of two devices one device has to be an active device to make data transfer possible.

2.Passive Devices

Passive devices are the devices which does not require any power supply such as small Transistors and NFC tags.These devices gets power from active devices however they are capable of only storing information not processing it.Passive devices can connect with active devices but they cannot connect with one another.However these devices are small and compact than the active devices.

How NFC Works?

NFC devices works by the generation of radio waves.These radio waves are generated by antennas.Antenna is present on both active and passive devices.In case of active devices the antenna is present on the back cover or on the battery of the smartphones and tablets.In case of passive devices like NFC tags the antenna is present below it's sticker if you peel off the sticker you will find the antenna.Using these antennas these devices are able to communicate with each other.This system becomes very much power efficient than the alternatives such as Wi-Fi and bluetooth.The confirguration is very simple than the bluetooth, unlike bluetooth you do not need to pair the device with one another in order to communicate with each other.

Modes of operation of NFC

1.Card Emulation Mode

In this type of mode the technology enables smartphones and tablets to pay the money using online payments.Both the devices are active in this mode.Tablets and smartphones works totally similar like the smartcards.Unlike smartcard has to swipe to make the transcation the smartphone just has to touch to the machine to make the payment .Google Pay,Apple Pay and Samsung Pay uses this technology to make and recieve payments from their customers.

2.NFC Reader/Writer Mode

In this type of mode the information is stored in NFC tags and it allows user to read the stored information.In this mode one device is active while other device is passive.This technology enables you to store or transfer contact information and medical information and you can even make changes to your mobile settings such as enabling/disabling silent mode by using these tags.Visiting cards having these tags are used to store the information just by touching your phone to visiting cards gets the complete information of visting card to the phone.

3.NFC Peer to Peer Mode

In this type of mode the the information like phone numbers,documentsphotos,music and videos stored in the tablets or smartphones are transmitted to other smartphone or tablets.Both the devices are active in this mode.The other device which is recieving the data can also go passive in order to store the energy and the RF field also changes with the change in the direction.

How to use NFC on Android

1.Transfering Files

Steps

1.Turn on NFC option on both the devices.

2.Go to the file location which you want to and then click on the send option.

3.Then you will find Android Beam click on that you will get the prompt

4."Bring the other device close to share the content" then touch both the devices.

Your content will be shared using NFC.

2.How to use NFC tags

Steps

1.Just order them first from amazon or any other online site.

2.Install NFC apps on your Android smartphone such as AMdroid,NFC Tools,InstaWifi,MacroDroid.

3.There are many tutorials available in YouTube on how to use all of these apps i will tell you about the NFC tools app which you can use to store and send information.I will take the NFC tools app for sharing contact information.

4.Open the NFC tools app and hit on the write option and hit add record option.

5.There all lot of options available just click on contact option and fill your details you want to share and press ok then click write and then write this to your tags.

6.So that whenever someone will ask you for your contact info just tell them to touch the tag and all your contact info will be transfered to their device.

Is NFC Safe

Privacy and protection is the most important thing for us.We store all our data from our personal photos and videos to bank information details in our smartphone.Even though this technology encrypts the data before send and recieving it but there is definitely a chance that your data might get leaked.Since this technology starts working when two devices are in contact.Anyone can come closer to you and touch your mobile to the NFC tag and he can access to your data.Turning on this feature makes your device vulnerable.Therefore it is always recommended that never turn on this feature unless you need it.