NFC: Six Ways To Use Near Field Contact On Your Mobile

For a few years now, we have been dealing with Near Field Contact (NFC) technology on our mobile phones. Many users did not know how this technology worked, and many still do not know how NFC works and what it is for.

Its operation is really simple. A device with active NFC is responsible for creating a magnetic field through which different actions can be carried out (which we are going to talk about in the article), while there is another device that is responsible for receiving the actions, which may have technology Active NFC (creating the magnetic field) and passive.

As its name indicates, it is necessary for the computers that use this feature to be close to each other. For this reason, when you see someone use this technology, you will be able to see how they bring their device closer to another terminal to be able to carry out the action they have planned.

Make payments with your mobile

Without a doubt, the greatest use that this technology has had in recent years is to function as a ‘mobile card’. Thanks to NFC technology and the recent applications many companies have launched, such as Samsung Pay or Apple Pay, payment can be made with your mobile phone.

What do you have to do to be able to pay with your Smartphone? This is something fundamental. After installing an application that allows you to use the card, it is necessary to enter the credit/debit card information in the app so that it can verify it. Once this is done, you simply have to bring the device closer to any dataphone when paying. You don’t need to open the payment app for it to be made since the dataphone will issue the payment order, and the mobile’s NFC will recognize it and directly open the application to pay.

As a security method, many applications can use the fingerprint to prevent anyone who has access to the mobile phone from being able to pay with it. It is a useful feature, especially when you are careless or your device is lost or stolen.

Thanks to this feature, since most establishments have dataphones with NFC technology, carrying cards in your wallet is no longer necessary, so it is only required to have your cell phone to make payments.

Withdraw money from ATMs

Everyone has been updating to adopt new technologies for a few years now. The banks too. That is why you can see many ATMs with NFC technology today; in the same way, the new bank cards all include an NFC chip to make payments using contactless, both in establishments and for withdrawals.

In the same way, you can make payments thanks to this technology with your mobile; you can withdraw money from an ATM. All you have to do is configure the bank card in a mobile payment app and bring the device closer to the ATM to withdraw the money after selecting the desired card. Remember that, on this occasion, you will have to enter the PIN code of the bank card to withdraw the money from your account.

Transfer files

At the time when BlackBerrys dominated the mobile device market, you could see how their users brought their phones closer to them on many occasions, for what? Simple: to transfer music, photos or videos.

One of the first uses of NFC technology in mobile devices was to transfer files between devices. An alternative to Bluetooth and infrared that is already integrated into the terminals. Of course, the devices must always be nearby until the file transfer is completed. If they left the magnetic field, the transfer was cancelled.

This task can still be carried out through mobile phones with Near Field Contact technology. Simply enable it on the device and approach another to send the files you want to transfer.

NFC tags

You may not know them, but NFC tags are one of the best ways to integrate this technology into smart mobile phones. These tags (sometimes adhesive) with NFC technology allow different tasks to be carried out automatically when the device comes into contact with them. For example, having one on the wall at home that deactivates GPS and enables Wi Fi and Bluetooth when you bring your phone closer. Likewise, a tag inside the car could enable GPS or a tag on the desk at work to change the profile to a “meeting” one.

These labels have seen their price reduced in recent times, and there are also a large number of guides on the Internet that, little by little, are expanding the possibilities they offer, being able to create all types of actions. Just Google “uses for NFC tags” to find hundreds of results to give you ideas.

Share Wi-Fi

Have you gone to a bar with your friends and one of them has the Wi-Fi password on their phone but doesn’t remember it? It is a very common situation. All establishments, as well as homes, have Wi-Fi and offer it for free today. However, they may need help remembering the password, or it may be very long or difficult. Fortunately, you can easily share access data to the Wi-Fi network using NFC technology.

On iPhone, it can be done natively from mobile to mobile; on Android, it is necessary to use an application like InstaWifi to share said information automatically from one mobile to another. Of course, at home, for example, you can use an NFC tag to connect any device to the home Wi-Fi network simply by bringing your mobile phone close to the tag.

Identify yourself at events

Tickets or IDs will become obsolete sooner or later. Many mass events already rely on using NFC to identify people’s tickets, so it is optional to have them physically. Bring the device close to the label that is responsible for identifying the user; the doors will open.

Thanks to this technology, we may see how traditional tickets to concerts, sporting events or shows disappear and give way to mobile phones as a means of identification.

This provides many advantages, starting with the fact that the queues will be greatly streamlined and that it will not be necessary to worry about having located or having lost the ticket to the event since it will always be on us as it is stored on the phone. 

These are some of the most popular and useful uses that can be carried out with Near Field Contact technology, but they are not the only ones. You can also use NFC to enhance communication, synchronize devices, etc. Furthermore, as technology advances, new uses will be created for these magnetic fields in which all that is needed is to bring the device closer to another to act. Who knows what the future may hold for NFC technology and how long (or how little) it will take before we can enjoy a new series of uses with our mobile phones or other new devices that may hit the market?

Also Read : How To Use Payment Links and Forms For Your Travel and Hospitality Business