Have you seen a n symbol that appears at the top of your smartphone’s screen? Know that it can offer advantages that you may not know.
The screen of our smartphones is made up of many icons, some more familiar than others. They are generally found in the area called “status bar”, Visible when you slide the home screen from top to bottom with your finger. In addition to basic shortcuts like the time or the type of mobile package, we can also see if the Bluetooth is activated, if the connection sharing is in progress, or if the “energy saving” mode acts on the battery.
In addition to the usual symbols located in the status bar, other icons can sometimes appear on the screen without knowing the real meaning. This is particularly the case with logo N, no longer commonly known as NFC. NFC, acronym of English “Near Field Communication“(Communication in the near field), allows you to share short-range wireless data between compatible devices. This technology is mainly used for contactless payment and validation of transport securities. Thus, approaching your mobile of a payment terminal or a ticket control device, you use NFC technology. Many Android and iOS smartphones are now equipped, but you still have to know how to use it.
To activate the NFC on Android, start by going to your phone settings. Once in the application, select the “Connection” and “Sharing” or “connected devices” menu depending on the model of your device. Then press “connection preferences” then on “NFC”. Finally, just switch the switch to activate or deactivate the option according to your needs.
As for iOS users, the option is already integrated from the release of the iPhone 6 model. This is surely why the icon does not appear at the top of your screen. And like any option, it is possible to deactivate it by going to the settings of your device. Note in any case that most recent smartphones offer a shortcut to activate and deactivate the NFC. You can find it by browsing the notifications panel located at the top of your screen.
Please note, using the NFC includes risks. Its use is very secure, but the risk of being the victim of a data theft is never excluded. Some malicious individuals bypass the problem of proximity to the devices using sophisticated means, such as hidden antennas behind stickers, the extension of the field or the installation of viruses. As a safety measure, we recommend that you deactivate the NFC when you do not use it.