9 NFC Hacks You Should Know

By Ankit

| Published: Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 17:46 [IST]

NFC or Near Field Communication is a relatively new wireless technology that allows you to send and receive files on devices at a fast speed. Apple and other manufacturers have had it on their smartphone for the past 3-4 years now but it hasn't found much use yet.

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If you are part of the lot that doesn't quite get the hype and usage of NFC in your smartphone, here are the top 8 ways in which you can use NFC to work out some great hacks.

#1

If you are tired of putting in long passwords to login into your friends' or public Wi-Fi networks, worry no more. Just go into Settings>Wi-Fi and long press it to reveal the Trigger option for NFC. Now, tap your device on an NFC tag and anyone can then login to the specific network without the hassles of logging in.

#2

With our lives transforming onto the digital world, handing out physical business cards is passé. Carrying such cards with you every time is cumbersome; here is when NFC is a great idea to create digital business cards. Take a NFC tag and fill in all your contact information - Name, Address, Number etc. Providing access to your business card will now be as simple as tapping on the recipient's smartphone.

#3

There are circumstances where you need to direct someone to a specific URL, and not just a general website. Instead of having them type out the entire webpage link, you can just encode it onto a NFC tag and hand it over to them for accessing the link conveniently. When tapped, it loads the user's mobile browser and directs them straight to the site you wanted.

#4

With NFC tags, the possibilities are endless and one of them is creating a personalized experience every time you enter a car to drive somewhere. Set up an NFC tag with multiple actions like opening up Google Maps, setting the volume to full and turning the Bluetooth on. Upon entering the car, just tap the tag onto your smartphone and enjoy automated responses while you cruise along the highway.

#5

Reddit user Captainmathmo found out a great way to enable you to pre-boot your computer, before you enter home, with the use of NFC tags. While the process is a bit complex, setting it up will lead to a lot of comfort once you are back home from work.

You do need to have a computer capable of receiving Wake-On-LAN requests, as well as apps to set up the WLAN. If you are interested, check out this Reddit post out for a full setup guide.

#6

A lot of us use alarms on our smartphones to wake up every day, for work or college. Almost all of us end up hitting the snooze button everyday, leading to a lot of delays on some days. Worry no more, because some clock apps on the app stores have support for NFC. Just connect a tag to the app and place it a place far away from your bed. This will force you to leave bed in the morning and tap it to switch off the alarm.

#7

There are a lot of actions on your phone that could probably be managed with the help of some shortcuts. Calling a friend, setting a reminder and many such tasks can now be managed with NFC tags. An app called DIMPLE.IO has a simple way to operate such actions and make your smartphone experience better.

#8

There are currently a lot of games that offer NFC support for better gameplay. Disney's Infinity, Activision's Skylander and Nintendo's Amiibo are some of the best alternatives that are compatible with NFC tags. They have special smart toys that enhance the overall gaming experience.

#9

A futuristic technology, NFC Smart Clothing, is all set to hit stores as Samsung is one of the first players in the market with their ‘Smart Suit'. Special buttons on jackets will act as NFC tags and allow you to make use of the NFC feature in smartphones.