When buying a new mobile, we must take into account, in addition to the needs you may have in terms of performance, storage and cameras, that the device has a chip NFC, to make payments in shops and public transport mainly in addition to, to transfer data between devices in an encrypted way
It is an important requirement as it is quite complicated add NFC to a mobile if this does not have it from the factory. Although it is true that some banks and credit institutions launched stickers that this chip a few years ago, today practically very few continue to maintain it.
What is NFC
Abbreviations NFC come from Near-Field Communication, a short-range encrypted wireless communication protocol that allows exchange data between two devices.
The NFC communication protocol was born from the alliance of Nokia, Philips and Sony in 2004, a protocol that is currently used by practically all smartphone manufacturers in the world, including Apple, although it does not call it that.
But, it is not only available in the majority of smartphones that reach the market, but, in addition, its use has been expanding to other devices such as quantifying bracelets, Smart watches and even tablets like the iPad, although it doesn't make much sense (like using it to take pictures ...).
The first smartphone to hit the market with an NFC chip was the Nokia C7 in 2011However, it was previously already available on some mobile phones from the same manufacturer.
What is NFC technology for and how does it work?
The main use made of NFC technology is related to the payment through mobile devicesAlthough during its early years, it was used mainly to share content between devices, Sony being one of the first companies to get the most out of it.
With the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the use of this technology was greatly accelerated, since it avoided having to give the credit or debit card to the cashier to make purchases and thus reduce the chances of getting infected.
To pay with the NFC of a mobile device, we just have to have it activated on our device, be it smartphone, smart watch or tablet and bring it closer to the reader.
At that moment, the device will request that we identify ourselves in the terminal with our fingerprint, face or pattern to verify that we are the legitimate owners of the terminal with which we are paying.
As we can see from its operation, this technology is completely safe. We need the terminal to be located near the payment POS, without having to physically come into contact, hence the name Contactless that credit and debit cards that integrate an NFC chip receive.
Uses of NFC technology
In addition to being used to make payments securely, NFC technology is also widely used to activate certain functions on a mobile device via NFC tags.
For example, we can use an NFC tag so that when we get home, when passing the mobile through the tag, let's deactivate the sound of our smartphone or activate the do not disturb mode, let's turn off mobile data and have a playlist play.
In addition, we can also integrate it with the home automation of our home. In this way, we can put an NFC tag next to the bedside table for when we go to bed, all the lights go out or when we get up, the bathroom stove and the light in the hall are turned on ...
We can also configure it so that when we get into our vehicle, Bluetooth is activated so that it connects to our vehicle and plays a playlist, podcast ...
This technology is also widely used at trade shows and conventions to quickly identify attendees avoiding the need to show our personal identification.
The latest advances in this technology allow us to use our smartphone to open our vehicle, although at the time of publishing this article, November 2021, only BMW has implemented this possibility in some of its vehicles.
I can put NFC on my mobile if you don't have it
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, put NFC on a mobile that does not incorporate it from the factory it's practically mission impossible. When banks began to promote the use of this technology, in 2015, many offered a sticker with this technology to stick the mobile and thus have a built-in NFC chip for those who did not have it.
However, at present, very few banks continue to offer this type of technology And those who used it, such as BBVA, stopped offering support at the end of 2019, something logical considering that most smartphones on the market come with an NFC chip.
How to know if my mobile has NFC
There are several methods to check if our smartphone has NFC.
Notifications panel
By sliding the notification panel of an Android terminal, we must look for an icon that the title NFC.
Through the configuration options
If our smartphone does not show that icon in the notification panel, we must access the Settings of our terminal and In the search box, type NFC.
Through an application
Seeing what the Play Store has become in recent years, it should not surprise us to see how in the Google application store we can also find an application that lets us know if our device has NFC.
In certain cases, especially on Chinese mobilesSome terminals do incorporate an NFC chip, a chip that is not available outside of Asian territory, although it is possible to activate it on certain mobiles.
How to pay with your mobile if you don't have NFC
Bizum
If your mobile does not have NFC, depending on the type of establishment where you are buying, it is likely that the seller offers you the possibility of pay for purchases via Bizum.
Obviously, this payment method will only be available in small businesses. Don't wait to get to Carrefour or Mercadona and ask the Bizum to make the payment for the purchase you are making.
PayPal
Although it is not so used in the day to day, but more for purchases over the internet, If you are making a purchase in a small establishment, you may be able to provide the email of the account associated with PayPal and make the payment of the purchase there.
