▷NFC how technology works to pay and exchange files 🥇

More and more often we hear about NFC. Every time we mention it someone widens their eyes and looks at you dazed as if you were an alien. But what does theNFC and how it works this technology that we all use, almost daily? Let's try to explain how to check if your smartphone includes theNFC (Huawei, Samsung, iPhone, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Oppo all have it), how to exploit it for pay in contactless mode and how to pair devices with each other. Among the devices that integrate this technology we also find smartwatches such as Fitbit, Apple Watch and all smartwatches with WearOS operating system.

NFC how it works

NFC, Short for Near Field Communication (proximity communication) is a technology that allows two devices to communicate fully wireless simply by bringing them closer to each other at a distance of a few centimeters. For “magic” to have access, both devices must integrate the technology NFC.

Contrary to RFID technology, NFC is bidirectional: when the two NFC devices come into contact with each other, they establish a peer-to-peer connection between the two and both can send and receive information.

NFC what it is for and how to use it

La NFC technology it can be structured for many different types of transactions. Let's try to summarize them below and then try to explain individually the most common uses.

File transfer;
Quick pairing of NFC-equipped accessories (mainly headphones);
Use of mobile payment systems including Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay and Vodafone Pay;
Use of NFC technology to pay for public transport (Milan, Rome but also London, Las Vegas and many other cities in the world);
Reading of cards with NFC;

How to know if your smartphone supports NFC

First you need to check if your smartphone has an NFC chip. How to know is really easy. If you have an Android smartphone, just scroll the drop-down menu in the smartphone home and activate the icon that reads "NFC". If it does not appear, try entering the smartphone settings through the application with the "gear" symbol and from there search for NFC.

If it is not present, it means that your Android smartphone does not support this technology. In any case, if you have a fairly recent smartphone, know that you will have a 99% chance that this technology is included.

If, on the other hand, you own an iPhone, know that from iPhone 6 to follow, all Melamorsicata smartphones integrate NFC technology.

Usually the NFC chip is located just below the camera module, located on the back cover. In each smartphone the position can vary, but it will base a little simple practice and that's it.

So what are the concrete operations that can be performed with NFC?

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Transfer files with NFC

One of the simplest and fastest features that can be performed with NFC is thesending of any type of file between the two devices that possess this technology. To do this you use File Beam or Android Beam, which you can activate with a few steps:

“Settings” of the smartphone - “Connections“;
Activate the item "NFC and payment" (in some smartphones the wording is only "NFC");
Finally tap on "Android Beam" to activate it.

Once you have activated Android Beam on both devices, just choose the file to send. Be aware that the file transfer speed is almost ridiculous and a bit unstable. This means that it could take forever to transfer the file and lose the connection if smartphones are accidentally removed.

In short, it is a feasible but very uncomfortable operation. We rather recommend that you send the files through Whatsapp or Telegram in the form of a file (so as not to spoil the quality of your image).

Connect wireless headphones and earphones

The same principle of "approach" can be used for connect headphones or wireless earphones but also bluetooth speaker with your smartphone. The NFC disposes of a lot of the operation allowing you to place the headphones on the back cover of the smartphone to perform the pairing without having to use the bluetooth search, enter codes, etc etc.

The devices that certainly take advantage of this technology are headphones and earphones (also truewirless) of Sony e Angry.

If you want to be sure that your devices can be paired via NFC, just look for the NFC lofo on the headphone pavilion or on the speaker body. The NFC chip is usually housed immediately below the logo (it will be that part that you will have to place on your smartphone).

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Pay contactless with your smartphone

Let's now come to the beauty of NFC, that is the possibility of making digital payments without taking out the credit card and without typing the PIN (under 25 € of expenditure). How is it possible? Through payment services often integrated into our smartphone obviously associated with compatible credit cards. But let's try to shed some light.

What are the features to satisfy in order to make a payment with NFC with the samrtphone:

un POS compatible (all new POS accept contactless payments especially the most innovative services such as SumUP, here you will find the explanation of how it works);
un digital payment service (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay, Fitbit Pay e tanti altri);
a credit or debit card belonging to a banking group supported from the services mentioned above.

If you want to understand if your cards can work with Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, you can consult the list below:

Apple Pay: supported banks
Google Pay: supported banks
Samsung Pay: supported banks
Fitbit Pay: supported banks
Garmin Pay: supported banks

If you are an American Express card holder, know for now this circuit is supported only and exclusively by Apple Pay.

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If you are young and a little "sgam" our suggestion is to try to use one of the banks for smartphones that are so fashionable today:

Hype: supporta Google Pay, Apple Pay
buddybank: supporta Apple Pay
Revolut: supporta Apple Pay, Google Pay e Fitbit Pay
N26: supporta Apple Pay, Google Pay

So in summary: once you arrive at a shopkeeper with compatible POS you can pay directly with your smartphone using NFC technology.

You can obviously do the same thing with some vending machines and with some automatic parking machines.

Pay for public transport with NFC

Last but not least is the possibility of using public transport without paying the paper ticket or through the application. In fact, smart turnstiles have recently been introduced in Milan and Rome that allow you to use carte, smartphone e SmartWatch simply by placing them on the turnstile to pay.

This will allow you to no longer queue to buy tickets at a kiosk. Simply place your smartphone on the turnstile and that's it. As we said in Italy, contactless technology on means of transport is only available in Milan and Rome. In the rest of the world, however, these are the cities where you can feel "in the future":

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