NFC means “Near Field Communication” and is used for mobile payments on smartphones. But what exactly is NFC and how does the payment method work?

How Enable NFC in Android?

Opens Settings .
Tap on “ Connections ”.
Activates the switch for “ NFC and contactless payments ”.

Alternatively, drag the notification bar down from the top and look for the NFC symbol , which looks like a squiggly “N”. If you can’t find it, tap the pencil icon in Quick Settings or tap Edit to see currently hidden Quick Settings. If you still can’t find the NFC symbol, your smartphone probably doesn’t have NFC integrated.

How Activate NFC on the iPhone?

NFC only works from the iPhone 6 onwards. NFC is already integrated into the iPhone XR, XS, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15. You can find the NFC symbol in the control center. Tap it to activate NFC. On older iPhone models you must first install an NFC reader app in order to use NFC:

Installs an NFC app such as “ NFC.cool Tools for iPhone ”.
Opens the Wallet app .
Tap the plus symbol at the top .
Confirm with “ Continue ” and follow the instructions.

Pay at Cash Registers with NFC

If you have activated NFC and entered your bank details on your smartphone, you can pay using NFC at most supermarket checkouts. To do this, you need a virtual bank card (current debit or credit card) on your smartphone. For example, you can use Google Pay to load your bank details into your smartphone and then use it to pay at cash registers using NFC.

At the checkout, hold your smartphone with activated NFC up to the NFC reader and confirm the debit using a code, PIN or fingerprint. In most cases, the security code is not required for less amounts. Keep in mind that the range of NFC is very short.

Do you use NFC technology regularly or have you just heard about it for the first time? What do you think of the radio standard? Feel free to write it to us in the comments.