Although at first it was a feature that we didn’t pay much attention to, today NFC on iPhone is one of the most important features for any smartphone user.
Do you know everything about the use of NFC on iPhone? We teach you what this chip is and the advantages that having it provides you.
What is NFC?
He NFC or Near Field Communicationis a short-range wireless technology that It helps us to exchange data between devices that are very close to each other (a few centimeters, in fact), without us having to do anything extra.
If we focus on the origins of this technology, we have to look at Radio Frequency Identification or RFID, which is used to identify and track objects.
And although they are based on the same principles, the uses could not be more different: among the main applications of NFC we could highlight the possibility of exchanging information (such as contacts, photos or files)easy pairing of Bluetooth devices, contactless mobile payment (like our familiar Apple Pay)entry to events using NFC cards or wristbands, or the automation of tasks through programmable NFC tags, among others.
What uses does NFC have on an iPhone?
You can pay with NFC with your iPhone
For many models ago, the iPhone all come with an NFC chip that allows us to make payments through it, using the services of the banks themselves or with Apple Pay as a general gateway.
These systems work based on purses or Wallets, where the data of our credit or debit cards are stored so that we can later use them to pay for products and services.
We are going to use Apple Pay as a basic example: the first thing we should do is configure our card either by scanning it with our iPhone’s camera or by manually entering its data.
It is highly probable that for the record you will ask us for a verification with the banking application. If this happens, don’t worry, it is part of the security protocol to verify that you are indeed the user and that someone else does not have your card.
Once it is configured, you must go to a store that accepts NFC in its POS, which practically all of them today support it. And simply you can bring your iPhone and make the payment for the product you have purchased, using the NFC of the mobile.
The charge will be reflected in your card statement as a purchase made with Apple Pay, because you will have another means of monitoring the purchase in addition to the receipt of the store itself and your history in the application.
The other big advantage of Apple Pay is that, If you are an Apple Watch user, you can make NFC payments using your watch. A very comfortable action since it will free you from having to use your mobile terminal to make payments and, without a doubt, it will save you time.
Share content with NFC from your iPhone
Do you remember that a while ago we talked about AirDrop here at SoydeMac? Precisely one of the features that take advantage of NFC on your iPhone is to be able to share files using this protocol.
And although AirDrop is independent of NFC, it can be used to make contact between the two devices that we want to pair to send the file quickly and easily, “causing them to collide” so that you can establish contact with them.
Once we activate the Airdrop functionality, we have to choose the file we want to send by selecting that content. When we have selected it, we will have to click Share and we will get the option to detect nearby devices. And this is where NFC comes in. letting us pair our devices for file sharing.
In this phase, the recipient will be able to accept or reject the transfer and in a short period of time (depending on the size of what you want to send), they will have the desired file on their phone.
Of course, it is important to note that whenever you do AirDrop, if possible, do it over a Wi-Fi network. Otherwise, the protocol you will use will be bluetooth, which can be extremely slow for large files, as well as not very stable.
Read NFC tags with your iPhone
Another implicit functionality with the use of NFC and our iPhone is the ability to read NFC tagswhich allow us to activate actions that have those labels on our phone.
To do so, we need to have two things:
- The NFC tag itself, which will have some predefined function.
- A program that is capable of interacting with that label if its use is not included in the base functionalities of the phone.
Let’s assume a use, such as reserving a table in a workplace where this entire process is based on using NFC.
To reserve that job, you have to download an application that allows you to assign a table to your user, but it is not validated until the NFC is scanned.
Therefore, if we want to be able to have the table and prevent another user from reserving it for later, we have to go to it, activate the program and let our iPhone establish a connection with that NFC tag, which will validate the reservation. and will make it impossible for someone else to reserve it.
The same applies to concerts or similar events, where the ticket can be recorded in a specific application that the organizers can scan from our phone, avoiding having to use uncomfortable stamps or typical bracelets.
And although these uses seem very complex, there are situations in which you will not even have to download any application to interact with an NFC tag: for example, in many museums there is the possibility of reading an NFC tag which will automatically open a web page in Safari with information about the work we are viewing that may be of interest to us.
Quickly set up devices with NFC
Another use where NFC can make our lives easier is in the fast device pairingusing this protocol.
There are numerous devices such as smartwatches or speakers that have an NFC chip that helps with quick configuration so that we can use our devices without much difficulty.
And although it seems a very trivial issue (since anyone can activate bluetooth in these situations), NFC pairing is crucial in certain devices that are linked to healthsuch as the Glimp app with FreeStyle Libre glucose meters.
These skin patches connect via bluetooth to our iPhone, but for security they usually require pairing to be done via NFC, since we are talking about serious health data that can save a diabetic person’s life by giving them measurements in real time How are you if you feel any discomfort?
In conclusion, you now know what NFC is and some of the uses it has on the iPhone. Can you think of anything else that is noteworthy? If so, feel free to leave it in comments!
