Is your phone screen showing an N at the top, near the time? This logo is important in several situations. Here’s what you need to know about it to make the most of it.
You have probably already noticed: the upper area of your smartphone screen has several icons and mentions, all intended to inform you about the status of the device and in particular the activation of certain functions. So, in addition to the time and the type of mobile network (4G or 5G) with the signal strength (the famous bars which indicate the quality of the mobile network), you can also see if the Wi-Fi is activated with the The waves icon, as well as the Bluetooth status, with the B icon, to use your headphones or a wireless speaker, for example.
But this area, called the “status area”, also sometimes displays elements that may intrigue you because you have no idea about their function. This is the case of the N logo which sometimes appears, next to the clock and the mobile network. This N corresponds to NFC: when it is displayed, it means that the NFC function of your smartphone is activated.
NFC is a short-range wireless communication technology (it is designed for proximity communication, hence its full name, Near Field Communication). Its main use is linked to mobile payments and transport tickets: each time you bring your phone close to a payment terminal or ticket control device, you are using NFC. And if the N does not appear in the status box, you may have the option disabled. But be careful, some recent mobiles do not display this icon, even when NFC is activated.
Having NFC permanently activated has no significant impact on the battery life of your smartphone because the function consumes very little energy. And it doesn’t present any risks either: no one will debit your bank account by holding a device close to your phone. You can therefore leave the NFC constantly active. It will be more comfortable and faster to make contactless payments or to validate a transport ticket.
However, if you do not want to leave it permanently, you can very easily activate and deactivate it according to your needs. Here’s how to do it.
Go to your phone settings. Open the Connect & Share or Connected Devices section (the name may change depending on the brand and model). If you don’t like poking around in settings, just type NFC in the search box at the top of the settings, you’ll find the option quicker. Once you find it, simply toggle the switch next to NFC to turn the feature on or off. You can also enable or disable it from the quick settings, the buttons that appear when pulling down the notifications area. If you don’t have NFC there, add it from the options, by tapping the pencil or gear icon.
Finally, note that the N icon only concerns Android smartphones. Apple iPhones have all been equipped with NFC since the iPhone 7, but they do not display any logo to indicate the status of this function. NFC is enabled by default in iOS, but you can disable it if you wish by going to the settings.