Near Field Communication, better known as 'NFC', is a technology that enables contactless exchange of information between two devices that are within a short range of each other. This can be between two smartphones, for example, but also between a smartphone and a payment terminal, an access gate or another NFC tag. If your iPhone is equipped with an NFC chip, you can also use this technology.
Apple Pay and NFC
If you have an iPhone 6 or later, your phone probably has an NFC chip. NFC can be used for several purposes. One of the most common purposes is Apple Pay . By holding your iPhone in front of a payment terminal, you can make contactless payments with NFC. You don't even have to unlock your iPhone: you simply hold the top of your iPhone near the payment terminal, and the payment is automatically made.
Turn on NFC on your iPhone
If you want to enable NFC for this, you can follow the steps below:
- Open 'Settings'
- Go to 'Wallet and Apple Pay'
- Select 'Add card'
- Select 'Debit card or credit card'
- Choose your bank
- Select the card type
- Download your bank's app and log in here
- Follow the steps shown in the Banking app
After this, your payment card will be linked and you can pay contactless via NFC.
NFC tag and other applications
In addition to Apple Pay, there are plenty of other ways to use NFC. For example, you can share files between two iPhones, or pair your iPhone with an NFC-compatible speaker or headphones. With the latest iPhone models, you can even program your own NFC tags! All you need is an iPhone and another device with an NFC tag. These tags can be purchased separately and you can stick them on devices yourself, for example if you want to control smart devices in your home from your smartphone. To do this, take the following steps:
- Open the 'Assignments' app
- Go to the 'Automation' tab
- Select 'Personal automation'
- Scroll down and select 'NFC'
- Click 'Scan' next to 'NFC tag'
- Hold your iPhone over the relevant NFC tag and give it a name
- Click 'Next' at the top right and select 'Add action'
- Scroll through the list of actions and choose which action you want to perform when your NFC tag is scanned
These iPhones have an NFC tag
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7
- iPhone 7 Plus
Want to know more?
Then check out even more tips for using NFC !
