Frequently Asked Question about Near Field Communication (NFC)

What is NFC?
NFC (Near Field Communication) is a technology that enables devices (e.g. smartphones) to interact with the physical world by touching, tapping or waving near a tag. No swiping, inserting or pin entry needed and there's no need to download an app or visit a website.

What is an NFC tag?
An NFC tag can be placed on or in various items, e.g. sticker, posters or wristbands. It contains a microchip which stores a small amount of information for transfer to an NFC device, such as a smartphone.

What can I use NFC for?
Touching your smartphone to an NFC tag can initiate different types of actions including a Facebook like, Twitter follow, voucher download, digital tickets, opening a web page or video, entering a competition, prompting a call or SMS with a phone number or a Foursquare check in.

What information can an NFC tag store?
NFC tags can store different types of data for example a URL (web address) or phone number. The amount of data you can store depends on the type of NFC tag – different tags have different memory capacities but this is usually between 40 and 130 characters.

Where can I buy NFC tags?
You can choose from a selection of NFC tags at the ZipNFC shop.

How do I program an NFC tag?
There are apps available for Android and Windows mobiles and tablets which enable you to program NFC tags.

Could someone else change my NFC tag?
NFC tags can be locked so that once data has been written, it cannot be altered. Tags can be reprogrammed numerous times but once they are locked, they can't be reprogrammed. You can also set passwords for reading and writing on the latest NXP range of chips that have the NTAG21x name.

Do all phones have NFC?
Older phones don't have NFC built in so there's still a way to go before everyone has an NFC device in their pocket. However, many new phones have NFC including new Blackberries, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, new HTCs and Nokias. A full list can be found at NFC World. Apple does NFC inside their iPhone6 and iPhone6s models but it can only be used for payments.

Isn't NFC about making payments?
You've probably seen articles in the press about NFC and mobile payments. NFC is now becoming a standard with the implementation of Apple Pay and Google Pay, but NFC has a great deal of other uses such as security, marketing, tracking etc. From a personal view it is great at automating tasks on your mobile related to you physical location.

What's the different between NFC tags and QR codes?
Most smartphones don't come with a built in QR reader so require the user to download an app in order to scan the code. With many new smartphones, NFC is built in so an app isn't required to read the tags.

A QR code is a barcode that can be generated for free and printed wherever you like whereas NFC requires the placement of physical tag within the poster, sticker etc. QR codes aren't attractive whereas NFC tags can take on any design including, if appropriate, being completely hidden.

QR codes require good light conditions to work whereas NFC tags work in any lighting.

NFC has many more potential uses than a QR code. For example, friends could transfer photos between NFC-enabled devices by touching them together. NFC technology can enable customers to purchase products at shops using their smartphones. NFC could also be used to store personal IDs and drivers' licenses and to exchange phone numbers and other contact information between mobile phones with minimal typing.

Do NFC tags need batteries?
NFC tags don't need batteries – they get their charge from being near an NFC-enabled device, for example a smartphone.