Today, technologies allow people to pay not only with cash and a bank card, but also with a smartphone.
Contactless payments and mobile payment systems are the future, they are becoming popular every day. Google for its operating system has created Android Pay (now), Samsung and Apple - systems of the same name with the Pay prefix. They work according to the same principle - it is enough to bring the switched on unlocked smartphone to the contactless terminal.
Today we will tell you in detail how to use NFC, how to set up this function, and what is needed for this.
Smartphone with NFC
First and foremost, the device must be equipped. It is he who is responsible for contactless operations. If the gadget does not have NFC, unfortunately,. The operating system version must be Android 4.4 or higher.
How to find out if there is NFC:
- Our.
- Official websites of manufacturers with a list of technical specifications.
- Settings - More / Additional / Additional functions (depends on the version of Android and proprietary shell). This section should contain NFC and Android Beam features that need to be activated.
Supported card
This is the second most important condition. If the card does not support contactless payments or the bank for some reason gives an error when setting up the card, it will not work to bind it to the smartphone and Android Pay, an error will appear. In this case, you can either contact the bank with a request to reissue the card, or order a new one.
Almost all modern cards, including Sberbank (except Maestro), Alfa, Tinkov and others, support contactless payments. If you see such designations, then in most cases everything is fine.
Download the application depending on the brand of the smartphone. As is clear, all devices except Samsung and Apple need a program (now called Google Pay). It is on her example that we will show how contactless payment via NFC works.
After installing the application, you need to get a bank card in it: you can scan it through the gadget's camera or enter the number manually. You also need to fill in the expiration date, the owner's name and the CSV code (three numbers on the back) with your hands. Then the entered data must be confirmed - an SMS message with a code will be sent to the phone number to which the card is linked.
When this operation is completed, the bank card will appear in the Android Pay interface. At this stage, the application will definitely require you to configure a screen lock - these are Google's policies. You need to set a PIN, pattern, or password. In the future, it will be possible with a fingerprint scanner, the main thing is that the device is unlocked.
It stands for Near field communication, which can be translated as "near field communication" or as "near contactless communication". As the name suggests, it is a technology for short-range wireless communication.
NFC technology can be used for a wide variety of tasks. For example, you can use NFC to pay for purchases, verify your identity, set up wireless connections, and more.
In this article, you will learn how to enable NFC on an Android smartphone, as well as what Android Beam is, how to enable and use it.
In order to enable NFC on an Android smartphone, you need to open the settings and go to the section with additional settings for wireless networks. This section is usually called "More" and is located immediately after the sections "Wi-Fi", "Bluetooth", and "Data transfer".
After opening the "More" section, you will see additional settings for wireless networks. If your Android smartphone supports NFC technology, then there will be a corresponding switch that allows you to disable and enable NFC.
How to enable Android Beam
Android Beam is a technology from Google that allows you to transfer web pages, contacts, coordinates, routes, as well as photos and videos from one Android device to another using NFC technology.
The process of transferring data via Android Beam is very simple. All you have to do is unlock the two smartphones and attach them to each other with the back panels. After that, the devices will automatically detect each other and an offer to send data will appear on the screen.
In order to enable Android Beam technology, you must first enable NFC, as described above. After enabling NFC, the section "Android Beam" will be available just below.
If you open the section "Android Beam", then there will be a switch with which you can enable or disable this function.
Near Field Communication, or simply NFC, is a short-range wireless communication technology that allows data to be exchanged between devices. More and more often found on smartphones, however, for some reason, predominantly more expensive price segment. At the same time, it is surprising that some smartphones of the "upper echelon" do without NFC at all, although this particular wireless technology is one of the most popular.
Some users do not know at all if their smartphone has NFC technology. How to find out? You will find out now.
Does your smartphone support NFC?
The first method is the simplest: swipe from the top of the window to the bottom to bring up the Quick Access Toolbar. Like this:
Look for the NFC item. Found it? Congratulations, your smartphone supports this technology.
If there is no such item, all is not lost. Open the settings.
Tap on the "More" line of the "Wireless networks" section.
See the NFC line with the toggle? Congratulations, the technology is supported by your smartphone.
If all else fails, you can try using a third-party application. In the Play Market, in the search, write nfc check.
Choose an application, let it be NFC Check by Tapkey. Install.
After installation, run and immediately see the result: in our example, the NFC module is installed, but not activated at the current time.
Is it worth believing the specs? It is possible, but there are nuances: the same smartphone model can either be equipped with an NFC module or not. Be careful.
It seems that the days when you could notice the wide eyes of the salesperson at the checkout if you decided to pay for your purchase with your smartphone are already gone. Over the past few years, NFC technology has actively stepped into the masses (Apple played its role here with its iPhone), but its main plus turned out to be that the function is available not only to expensive smartphones, but also to devices of the middle price segment. Let's look at some of them and see how this technology works.
NFC is a high-frequency wireless communication technology with a short (no more than 10 cm) range. It works thanks to radio frequency identification (RFID): using radio signals, data from transponders are read and written. The connection establishment time between devices does not exceed 0.1 seconds. The operating frequency for NFC is 13.56 MHz, the maximum data exchange rate does not exceed 400 Kbps.
How NFC works
NFC is based on electromagnetic induction: at a frequency of 13.56 MHz, the reader's transmitter constantly emits a sinusoidal signal using an antenna. The sensor also has an antenna, and when the sensor and reader are within a range of NFC operation, a magnetic field is generated by an alternating current in the coil of the reader. After that, the current is created in the second coil - the sensor. This energy is easily enough for the latter to work, so NFC is able to work with passive devices.
In passive mode, the reader creates an electromagnetic field, the NFC tag modulates it and forms a response. That is, the tag does not have to be connected to a power source or have a built-in battery, so its size can be reduced to a minimum.
In smartphones, the NFC antenna is usually fixed under the back cover for a stronger signal. It allows the device to become not only a means of payment and a travel ticket, but also a key or a store loyalty card. Moreover, the technology is available, including budget smartphones: there is an NFC chip, for example, in, and.
What is NFC for
There are currently three main areas of application for NFC. The first and most common is card emulation for contactless payments. An NFC-enabled smartphone can impersonate a bank card or metro pass. At the same time, the data of bank cards are not stored in the phone's memory, but on a special chip, similar to that used in cards of the EMV standard. It encrypts all data, manages the authentication process, and launches payment transactions. The means of payment can be or more.
The second area of application for NFC is reader mode. In this mode, the smartphone acts as a scanner for NFC tags containing various additional information. Recently, NFC tags have begun to replace barcodes in Western stores. They can be found on groceries in supermarkets and by holding an NFC-enabled device to find out the expiration date and composition of the product. NFC tags are also used to display interactive advertising information.
The modern mobile industry offers the user of smartphones of any price category a lot of technologies that he really needs. However, not everyone knows about NFC technology, and even more of those who do not even use it. But this module is extremely important and convenient.
What is the essence of near-field technology?
Most fully it is called "near field communication" - this is a literal interpretation of the English phrase "near field communication" or NFC for short. This technology is based on wireless transmission of information. It has a limited range of operation, so data transfer from device to device occurs at a distance not exceeding 10 cm. In simpler terms, using NFC, gadgets exchange data contactlessly. The main thing is that at this moment they are at a close distance from each other.
NFC is an extension of the ISO 14443 standard for contactless cards. This technology has combined the interface of a smart card and a reader into one device. Operates at an operating frequency of 13.56 MHz. Supports the minimum time required to establish a connection between exchanging devices - no more than 0.1 fractions of a second.
The physical components that support NFC are very compact in size and have low power consumption. Therefore, the "near field" is actively used even in modest-sized mobile devices. So that users do not have difficulties using NFC in practice (not everyone understands which side to put the gadget on so that the technology works), the location of the chip is often indicated on the device with a special sticker.
How to understand if there is NFC in your gadget?
Due to its small size, communication is used in many gadgets, and not only in phones: for example, in payment terminals; occurs in cards that are intended for payments for travel; is present in banking plastic. Now they even began to produce household appliances equipped with near-field technology, in particular, Smart refrigerators.
But how to understand that NFC is present, for example, in a mobile phone?
First of all, it is worth examining the gadget itself. Manufacturers often leave an indication on the body of equipment in the form of an emblem resembling an antenna. A similar icon will appear in the mobile phone's pop-up menu.
In addition, you can look into the settings by selecting the "Wireless networks" section. Then you need to click on "More" - and if there is an indication of the presence of NFC, then you should put a tick in front of its icon to activate.
Applications NFC
Today, there are 3 main industries where "near-field communication" is in demand:
- Contactless payments. To do this, you need to bind a bank card to a smartphone, so that later you can only attach the gadget to the payment terminal to write off money from the account. As a result, you will not need to carry payment plastic with you. In addition, this payment method is considered one of the safest, since NFC has a very small range. This means that attackers will not be able to intercept the signal.
It is very easy to activate this technology for payments:
- there must be a bank card that supports the "paypass" mode;
- you need to install the appropriate application from the issuing bank;
- after that, you need to enter the "Personal Account" and there select the item "NFC";
- then a bank card is applied to the back cover of the device so that all information on it can be read by the sensor.
- Information exchange. To implement this function, you need to install a special application, in particular, "Android Beam". It will allow you to transfer a variety of files from one device to another. But don't forget that the transfer rate via NFC is quite slow. Therefore, it is better to send only links and not the files themselves.
- Reading labels. To do this, you also need to install a special application. It can be found on the Play Market. As a result, the user gets the opportunity to find out, for example, the composition of food products and their expiration date, only by bringing the gadget with NFC to read the barcode from the goods.
Despite this limited scope, NFC has proven to be very convenient. And therefore, it is now actively being introduced into budget gadgets, expanding their list every year.
