Does my phone have NFC? How to check, and how to turn it on
Most phones sold in recent years have NFC. Whether it is switched on, and whether it reads a tag when you want it to, is a separate question, and it is the one this answers.
Short answer: every iPhone from the XS and XR onwards reads NFC tags with no app and nothing to switch on, and most Android phones have NFC, though it can be turned off in Settings. If a phone has no NFC at all, the camera does the same job with a QR code.
What NFC on a phone is
NFC, near field communication, is a short-range radio link that works over a few centimetres. It is what makes contactless payment work, and the same hardware reads NFC tags: small chips in cards, labels and posters that hold a short piece of data, usually a web address. Hold the phone close and it reads the tag; move it away and nothing happens, which is the point.
Does my phone have NFC?
iPhone
Every iPhone from the iPhone 7 onwards can read NFC tags. From the XS and XR onwards it does it in the background: with the screen on, hold the top of the phone near the tag and tap the notification that appears. Apple's own note says it plainly: iPhone XS and later support background tag reading. On an iPhone 7, 8 or X, tags are read from an app instead.
Android
Most Android phones have NFC, and those that do read tags without an app once it is switched on. Some lower-priced models have none. The quickest check is the one Google gives: open Settings and search for NFC. If an NFC switch comes up, the phone has it.
How to turn on NFC on Android
- Open the Settings app.
- Type NFC in the search bar at the top.
- Open the NFC setting and make sure it is switched on.
Menus differ between manufacturers, which is why searching beats following a path. Those are the steps on Google's own help page, which also notes that they may differ on your device.
How to use NFC on an iPhone
There is no NFC switch to turn on. With the screen on and the phone in use, hold the top edge near the tag, and tap the notification to open the link. If the phone is locked it asks you to unlock it first. Apple lists the times background reading is unavailable, and they are the usual reasons a tap does nothing on an iPhone: while the camera is in use, while Apple Pay or Wallet is in use, in aeroplane mode, and on a phone that has not been unlocked since it was switched on.
Where the NFC spot is on your phone
On an iPhone the reader is at the top edge. On most Android phones it is somewhere on the back, often near the middle or upper part. If a tap does nothing, move the tag slowly across the back of the phone rather than tapping harder.
Why a tap sometimes does nothing
- NFC is switched off (Android).
- The screen is off, or the iPhone is locked and waiting to be unlocked.
- The camera, Apple Pay or Wallet is open (iPhone).
- A thick case, or one with metal in it, sits between the phone and the tag.
- It is a work phone and the employer has turned NFC off.
- The tag is not near the phone's reading spot.
No NFC? Use the camera
A phone camera that reads QR codes opens the same link from a printed code: point it at the code and tap the link that appears. That is why every UniversalContacts touchpoint carries a printed QR as well as its NFC chip, so it works either way. Do NFC cards work without NFC? goes into that in more detail, and NFC business cards explains what ours carry.
Questions
How do I know if my phone has NFC?
On Android, open Settings and search for NFC: if a switch appears, the phone has it. Every iPhone from the iPhone 7 onwards can read NFC tags.
How do I turn on NFC on Android?
Open Settings, search for NFC, and switch it on. The exact menu differs between manufacturers.
Do I need to turn on NFC on an iPhone?
No. There is no NFC switch. From the XS and XR onwards an iPhone reads tags whenever the screen is on and the phone is in use.
What if my phone has no NFC?
Scan the printed QR code with the camera instead. A good NFC card carries one for exactly that reason.