Near Field Communication or NFC technology allows two devices or tags to communicate with each other when they are close together, typically no more than a few centimeters. It is the next generation of RFID technology which in turn has been around for a decade.
Nowadays, NFC is a widely used technology in many different applications such as contactless payments, ticketing, quick pairing, gaming, home automation, and data transfer. Almost all the latest smartphones and smartwatches come with an NFC chip on board, be it iPhone 13, Google Pixel 6, or Apple Watch 7.
NFC is enabled and works by default and can’t be turned off or on manually. So it is kind of tricky to test if the NFC is working on your smartphone or smartwatch.
In this guide, we will be sharing a few methods with you to check if the NFC is working on your device or not.
So without further ado, let’s get started.
How To Test If NFC Is Working On My Smartphone Or Smartwatch?
On all compatible Apple devices, the NFC turns on and off automatically when you use features like Apple Pay or any NFC encoding app.
Whereas on Android devices, you would have to turn it on manually through the settings app (Settings>>Connected Devices/’Network and Sharing’>>NFC). It is often in the quick access menu of the latest Android Phones.
Related Post: 7 Best Smartwatches With NFC Payment in 2022
There are a few methods you can use to test if the NFC is working on your device or not.
Method 1: Through an NFC Terminal
If you’re using an iPhone, open the Wallet app and hold your phone near an NFC terminal. You will know that the NFC is working when your ask for a fingerprint or passcode pops up.
Alternatively, If you’re using an Android device, open the Google Pay app and hold your phone near the contactless payment terminal. Again, you will know it is working if you see a notification on the screen that most probably asks you to authenticate your credentials.
Method 2: Through an App
If you don’t have an NFC terminal nearby, you can still test if your device’s NFC is working on your smartphone by using an app. There are many apps that you can download from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store that will allow you to test if your NFC is working.
We have personally tested the NFC Check app on our Android Phone, and you can also download the app on your phone by following the link.
Once you have downloaded an NFC Check app, open the app and navigate to the NFC check section. A green checkmark is often shown if your NFC is working.
Which smartwatch has NFC?
There is a ton of smartwatches that come with NFC built-in these days. However, in most of them, the technology is limited only to contactless payment. To name a few NFC compatible smartwatches:
- Apple Watch Series 7
- Galaxy Watch 4
- Ticwatch Pro 3
- Fossil Gen 6
- Fitbit Sense
- Garmin Fenix 7
Does having NFC on drain your battery?
Yes, having NFC does drain your battery because it is constantly active and scanning for devices. NFC uses very little power so it shouldn’t have a major impact on your battery life, but if you want to save every drop of juice then go ahead and switch it off.
You can turn it off on most Android Phones, but on iPhone and iWatch there is no way to turn off NFC.
Can NFC Add to a Phone?
You can not install or add NFC to your smartphone as it is not software or an app. Your phone must have an NFC chip to be able to use NFC technology. The good news is that almost all modern smartphones have an NFC chip.
To name a few:
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Series
- OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
- OnePlus Nord 3 5G
- LG V60 ThinQ 5G
NFC vs Bluetooth: Which is Better?
Both wireless data transferring technologies serve different purposes. The main difference between NFC and Bluetooth is the speed of connectivity. NFC connects with lightning speed, but Bluetooth once connected can transfer data at a much higher speed.
NFC is data transferring technology between two devices that are physically close to each other, typically no more than 10cm apart. Bluetooth has a much wider range than this, at a minimum of 30m.
NFC technology takes precedence over Bluetooth in the scenarios (like contactless payments) where we need a quick and secure transfer of small data is required between two devices. Bluetooth is more suited for transferring larger amounts of data between devices that are not necessarily in close proximity to each other.
Can NFC Work without internet or Bluetooth?
NFC can work without the internet or Bluetooth, as it works independently from these technologies. However, in order for NFC to work, both devices must be equipped with an NFC chip and must be in close range.
Does iPhone 13 Come With NFC?
Yes, all models of the iPhone 13 series (namely the iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, and 13 mini) come with NFC. This allows these smartphones to make cashless payments via Apple pay, read and encode NFC tags, recognize MagSafe Accessories, and more.
The NFC technology was first introduced in the iPhone back in 2016 when the iPhone 6 and 6S smartphones entered the market. So all the later models like iPhone 7, iPhone X, iPhone 11, and iPhone 12 come with NFC onboard.
Final Words:
By following the above-mentioned methods, you can easily test whether NFC is working on your iPhone, iWatch, or Android devices. To recap, we’ve seen that there are several ways of testing for an NFC chip. These include methods like using third-party apps, reading the device’s specifications, and moving it closer to an NFC reader.
We hope you found this article helpful. If you have any further questions or want to contribute to this post, please feel free to contact us.