NFC 101: Everything you need to know about using NFC on Android

BY Rajesh Pandey

Published 10 Mar 2014

nfc

Over the last week, we explained to our readers the different facets of NFC — a relatively unknown feature in today’s Android devices that can come in extremely handy in day-to-day use. Below is a quick recap of the whole series, just in case you would like to refresh your memory or share a single article with your friends. 

4 uses of NFC: in this article, we explain that there is more to Near Field Communication technology than just mobile payments. It allows you to automate tasks, transfer files, easily pairing with other devices and more.

Android Beam: a tutorial about using this quick and efficient built-in NFC way to transfer files between Android devices (and other platforms as well).

Transfer any kind of file using NFC: by default, Android Beam only supports limited file types and transfers them over Bluetooth. However, we show you how you can use third-party apps to transfer files at speeds of nearly 45Mbps thanks to NFC and Wi-Fi Direct.

NFC tags 101: these small tags can come in extremely handy. In this article, we explain where to buy them and what you can use them for, including checking in on Foursquare, automating trivial tasks, toggling the radios on your phone and more.

Automating tasks using NFC: a quick guide on how you can automate trivial tasks like toggling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Silent mode and more on your Android device using NFC tags and an app called Trigger.

NFC is still in its infant stages but the technology is sure to catch up and become a commonplace within the coming decade. With time, NFC is bound to become more powerful and its uses will grow dramatically as well so we will keep an eye on that and add to our tutorials as more options and possibilities arise from it.