NFC Android app. How to Program NFC Tags– Android and iOS

How to Program NFC Tags– Android and iOS

Learning how to program NFC tags is crucial if you’re to enjoy optimal NFC benefits. Luckily, the NFC programming process is pretty simple, and by the end of this article, you’ll be able to do it without much hassle!

But first things first: where do you buy NFC tags, and what are they?

What are NFC Tags?

NFC stands for Near Field Communication. This technology allows two NFC-enabled devices to exchange information when they are close (usually 4 inches apart).

If you want to get the best out of technology, you will need an NFC tag. What are NFC Tags? These tags contain a microchip that stores data. Programming this tag means writing the data on a blank NFC tag.

Are you wondering where you can get the tags? Well, these tags are available in both online and offline stores. You can order it online, and If you need wholesale NFC tags, you can contact us. Let’s now delve into how to program the tags once you acquire them.

What is NFC Tag Programming?

NFC is one of the most useful features for Android and iOS phones. However, you must write on your NFC tags to tap the benefits. So, what exactly is NFC tag programming?

This is an exercise where you write on an NFC tag to perform specific tasks you desire. For example, you can program the tag to share Wi-Fi passwords fast, switch on/off your lights, and identify counterfeit products.

Additionally, tag programming will enable you to delete data from a tag or update it. This way, you will always have current data on your tags, which makes them highly flexible, The Smart NFC phone is an NFC reader and writer.

Requirements of NFC Programming – What You Will Need

If you’re to program your NFC tags successfully, there are specific requirements that you must meet. You must have the following:

• A Blank NFC Tag. This is a chip that will store your data. They are affordable and readily available in online stores.
• NFC-Compatible Device. Modern Android/iOS devices have incorporated NFC technology. If you are wondering how to check whether your phone is NFC-enabled, you should go to SettingsWireless and Networks. If your phone is enabled, you will find the option. If the option is not there, then your phone is not NFC-enabled.
• An NFC Programming Application. There are various apps that you can use to write your NFC tags. Most of them are free on Google Play Store and iOS App Store. NFC Android AppsToos：1.NFC TagWriter by NXP, 2. NFC Tools. NFC iOS Apps (iPhone and iPad): 1. NFC Tools, 2.NFC TagWriter by NXP, 3. Smart NFC

When you have all these requirements, You should be able to write NFC tags on your Android/iOS smartphone in less than 5 minutes.

NFC Programming for an Android Device

Programming an NFC tag means writing commands that will enable you to perform various activities using the tag. To achieve this, you should follow the following steps:

Preparation for Writing the NFC Tag

• Turn On NFC on Your Android Device. To switch on your NFC, you should visit settingsBluetooth Connections Connection Preferences NFC Toggle and click ON. In some devices, you may get the NFC settings under the “Network and Sharing” option (the location of NFC may vary from one device to another).
• Install an NFC Tag Writing Application. After turning on your NFC, you should head to the Google Play Store and install your ideal NFC tag writer app. Some of the most commonly used apps are listed above (for this article, we will use NFC Writer by Trigger).
• Launch the Trigger App. After the installation is complete, you’ll be prompted to launch it. Press YES. This will open the app, enabling you to continue with tag writing. Click on the positive sign located on the extreme bottom right of your phone’s screen. This action will create a new task, which is the initial stage of writing the NFC tag.

Program the NFC Tag Writer Application (NFC Tools)

• Open NFC Tools APP. Choose NFC Write since you want to act on the tag.
• Add a record, You will see many different options for what to write to your tags. Let’s take the URL as an example, so select the URL/URI option to enter a URL.
• Enter Your URL, We recommend “Select the protocol “https://”, and fill in the URL you want to write: https://www.google.com. Then click OK.
• Click Write, and Choose Write.
• Write the Tag, Now, place the prepared NFC tag on the phone’s NFC chip location, then you have just written the URL to the NFC tag successfully.
• Erase Tag and others, In addition, you can do more than just write. For example, in this interface, you can erase tags, lock tags, copy tags, set passwords, remove passwords, and other operations. Anyway, it is very simple and convenient.
• Add a Task, And in this interface, you can add preset tasks. There are many task options, you can choose what you want. But you have to download NFC Tasks APP, it’s very simple, you just follow the prompts.
• Read a Tag, Now put your phone approach the NFC tag to experience the charm of NFC technology.
• Read Tag Details, If you want to know more details about the tag, you can scan it and you will know the tag type, serial number, size, memory information, data format, etc. conveniently.

NFC Programming for an iPhone

If you’re wondering how you can automate your iPhone with NFC tags, then follow these simple guidelines.

NFC Tag Writing for iPhone – Requirements

• An iPhone 7 or newer version
• iOS 13 or newer
• Blank NFC tag
• NFC tag writing app

First, you need to install an NFC tag-writing app from Apple Store. You can use NFC Tools or NFC writer by NXP. In this guide, we will use NFC Tools.

• After the installation, ensure that you open the NFC tool application. You’ll be prompted to select WRITE. Click on it.
• On the next screen, you’ll be prompted to create a record. Click on it to enter the data you need to write on your NFC tag.
• Add your record. There is a myriad of records you can add depending on your needs. For example, you can add a website’s URL, a command (If the Wi-Fi is off/turn it on, otherwise, turn it off), or any other information you want to store in your NFC tag.
• Confirm Your Data. Once you confirm that you’ve included every piece of information you need, it’s time to write your NFC tag.
• Prepare the NFC Tag. Once you confirm, you should place your blank NFC tag on your iPhone’s NFC chip location. You should then click on WRITE.
• Process Complete! You’ll get a prompt telling you that your writing was successful.

Once you complete the process, you’ll be able to scan the NFC tag using your NFC-enabled iPhone and execute actions without any struggle.

You can place the NFC tag in an easily accessible location for convenience. For example, a tag for starting your desktop should be placed on your working desk, while switching on/off lights should be placed close to the exit door.

Additionally, it is essential to note that you will need a blank NFC tag for every activity you want to automate.

How to Erase NFC Tag using iPhone

If you no longer need to automate an activity, you can erase the information and write different details. This flexibility makes the use of NFC economical and flexible.

To erase an NFC tag, you will choose ERASE TAG from the main menu. Once you access the tab, you should place the NFC tag in the same location as when writing it.

Once the tag is in the right location (NFC chip location), press ERASE TAG. You’ll get a prompt informing you that the erasing process was a success.

What kind of data can be encoded by an NFC tag?

NFC tags have the ability to encode data such as URLs, and text messages, send SMS, send Email, Wi-Fi fast connection, Bluetooth connection, and GPS coordinates. Businesses commonly use them to quickly transfer websites or promotional material to customers.

Additionally, they can also store product information such as serial numbers, prices, or warranty details. Furthermore, they can even be used to unlock doors and launch specific apps on smartphones or other NFC-enabled devices. With the right tag encoding tools, users can easily create NFC tags that can store any type of data imaginable.

How to Use Programmable NFC Tags

Unlock the power of NFC tags and make your daily life easier with these practical tips! From automating processes to tracking items, discover how this cutting-edge technology can help you reach new heights.

Here we list a few common NFC Tags used, if you want to know more about NFC tag ideas, you can check 29 cool NFC Tag uses.

• At home: Make your home even smarter with programmable NFC tags! Stick them on your door or desk to easily control Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and lights. Attach one directly to your nightstand for a more personal touch – it can turn off sound, switch on the alarm clock in the morning, disable auto-sync light alerts when you need some extra restful sleep.
• As NFC Business Cards: Greet contacts at any conference, event, or networking session with a sophisticated NFC business card. Transform your traditional paper cards into all-encompassing NFC tags, programmed just for you! Compact and convenient – simply tap to share contact details including personal website addresses, social media accounts, and more in an instant. Innovative technology is revolutionizing the way we network faster than ever before — make sure you don’t miss out on this modern advantage!
• In the car: Now that many cars are equipped with NFC keys to open doors, you can also make an NFC tag and stick it near the dashboard or center control skin to help you quickly connect to your car’s Bluetooth and play your favorite songs. You can also navigate home and to the office

At WXR, our NFC and RFID solutions are ready to open the door of possibilities. Whether you want more information on how programmable NFC tags work or RFID knowledge about unlocking various uses for them – we specialize in providing answers! Tap into your inner innovator today with help from the experts at WXR.

Related articles：

• What is the NDEF format?
• NFC Tags: Your Ultimate Guide
• The Reason Why Everyone Love NFC Wristband
• 12 Best NFC Tag Uses That Will Make Your Life Fun
• How to Create Your Own Amiibo Card in 3 Simple Steps
• The Beginner’s Guide To Radio Frequency Identification
• What Is NFC? Everything You Need To Know
• What is NFC Payment And How Do It Work?
• How to use NFC on iPhone?
• 5 NFC Forum Tags Tyeps You Need to Know
• 6 Outstanding NFC Payment Apps for Android

Working with NFC tags on Android

In this post, I will show you how to read and write an NFC tag on an Android device. We would be using Android’s NFC capabilities to read and write a tag. In a different post, I will illustrate how APDU commands could be used to talk directly with an NFC tag.

Prerequisites

You will need an NFC capable Android device and NFC tags before you get started with this tutorial.

In my experience, I found Mifare Ultralight C to be suitable in most of the standard use-cases. Here’s a link to its datasheet which you might use when you start digging deeper into its specifications. If you are just getting started then you can buy the 10 pack of Mifare Ultralight C from Amazon or if you want to order in bulk then get the 100 pack instead.

Apart from Ultralight C, I found Mifare Classic 1k to be a great choice for some scenarios when your data size is larger. Here’s a link to its datasheet for more details. You can easily get a pack of 100 cards from Amazon.

Introduction

Earlier I talked about the structure of NDEF messages. You can go through this post to understand the format of NDEF messages.

Broadly these actions are performed when a tag is tapped on an Android device:

• NFC tag is handled with the tag dispatch system, which analyses discovered NFC tags
• it categorizes the data and starts an application that is interested in the categorized data
• an application that wants to handle the scanned NFC tag can declare an intent filter and request to handle the data

Request NFC access for your app

Firstly, to access NFC hardware you need to add the following permission in AndroidManifest.xml

Note: If you want your application to show up only for devices with NFC hardware then add the following uses-feature element in the manifest file.

Setup Foreground Dispatch

You need to register foreground dispatch so that your activity can handle the NFC intents.

Initialize NFC Adapter

First, init the NFCAdapter in the onCreate method of the Activity or a similar Fragment lifecycle method.

private var adapter: NfcAdapter? = null override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) super.onCreate(savedInstanceState) setContentView(R.layout.activity_main). initNfcAdapter private fun initNfcAdapter

Enable Foreground Dispatch

Next, call enableForegroundDispatch to enable foreground dispatch of the NFCAdapter. You can call this method in the onResume lifecycle method of the activity.

override fun onResume super.onResume enableNfcForegroundDispatch private fun enableNfcForegroundDispatch try val intent = Intent(this, javaClass).addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_SINGLE_TOP) val nfcPendingIntent = PendingIntent.getActivity(this, 0, intent, 0) adapter?enableForegroundDispatch(this, nfcPendingIntent, null, null) catch (ex: IllegalStateException) Log.e(getTag, Error enabling NFC foreground dispatch, ex)

Disable Foreground Dispatch

When the activity is paused or destroyed, make sure that you disable the foreground dispatch.

override fun onPause disableNfcForegroundDispatch super.onPause private fun disableNfcForegroundDispatch try adapter?disableForegroundDispatch(this) catch (ex: IllegalStateException) Log.e(getTag, Error disabling NFC foreground dispatch, ex)

Prepare your NDEF records

We will take the example from the previous post and try to write the same data on an NFC tag.

Custom data

• tnf: TNF_MIME_MEDIA,
• type: application/vnd.com.tickets [in bytes]
• ID: null
• payload: cxwwhcfxympwbbonxymwritcqytcnfvgmwcnzfanqytc [in bytes]

val typeBytes = mimeType.toByteArray val payload = tagData.toByteArray val r1 = NdefRecord(TNF_MIME_MEDIA, typeBytes, null, payload)

Android Application Record(AAR)

• tnf: TNF_EXTERNAL_TYPE
• type: Android.com:pkg [in bytes]
• ID: null
• payload: com.example.tickets [in bytes]

val r2 = NdefRecord.createApplicationRecord(context.packageName)

Construct your NdefMessage using both the records.

NdefMessage(arrayOf(record1, record2))

Write NDEF message to the NFC tag

Now, that we have the foreground dispatch setup and the NDEF message prepared, we are ready to write the message on the NFC tag.

Listen to NFC intent

Listen to NFC intent and when a EXTRA_TAG data is present in the incoming intent, handle it to write to an NFC tag.

val tagFromIntent = intent.getParcelableExtra(NfcAdapter.EXTRA_TAG) try tag = WritableTag(tagFromIntent) catch (e: FormatException)

Write the NDEF messages

The final step is to actually write the information on the tag. I have extracted out all the code to a helper class called WritableTag to abstract out all the logic of writing on an NFC tag to a separate class.

class WritableTag @Throws(FormatException::class) constructor(tag: Tag) private val NDEF = Ndef::class.java.canonicalName private val NDEF_FORMATABLE = NdefFormatable::class.java.canonicalName private val ndef: Ndef? private val ndefFormatable: NdefFormatable? val tagId: String? get if (ndef != null) return bytesToHexString(ndef.tag.ID) else if (ndefFormatable != null) return bytesToHexString(ndefFormatable.tag.ID) return null init val technologies = tag.techList val tagTechs = Arrays.asList(technologies) if (tagTechs.contains(NDEF)) Log.i(WritableTag, contains ndef) ndef = Ndef.get(tag) ndefFormatable = null else if (tagTechs.contains(NDEF_FORMATABLE)) Log.i(WritableTag, contains ndef_formatable) ndefFormatable = NdefFormatable.get(tag) ndef = null else throw FormatException(Tag doesn’t support ndef) @Throws(IOException::class, FormatException::class) fun writeData(tagId: String, message: NdefMessage): Boolean if (tagId != tagId) return false if (ndef != null) ndef.connect if (ndef.isConnected) ndef.writeNdefMessage(message) return true else if (ndefFormatable != null) ndefFormatable.connect if (ndefFormatable.isConnected) ndefFormatable.format(message) return true return false @Throws(IOException::class) private fun close ndef?close ?: ndefFormatable?close companion object fun bytesToHexString(src: ByteArray): String? if (ByteUtils.isNullOrEmpty(src)) return null val sb = StringBuilder for (b in src) sb.append(String.format(%02X, b)) return sb.toString

• When the tag is read, we iterate through all the supported technologies of the tag to check if it supports NDEF or NDEF_FORMATABLE. If not, we throw a FormatException as we can’t write a NDEF message on an unsupported tag.
• You can check if your tag supports NFC or not by using any of the NFC reader apps from the play store. I prefer this app.
• If the tag is compatible, we simple connect to the tag and call writeNdefMessage to write the message on the tag.

Reading NDEF message from an NFC Tag

Now that we have written our NDEF message on the NFC tag, we would probably want to read it. Also, it might be useful to read the tag UID for uniquely identifying the tag. Let us see how to do that.

Handle NFC Intent

To read the NFC tag, the app needs to register for handling ACTION_NDEF_DISCOVERED intent. Registering this intent will let your app handle any NFC tag that is tapped to the Android device.

if (NfcAdapter.ACTION_NDEF_DISCOVERED intent.action) val rawMsgs = intent.getParcelableArrayExtra(NfcAdapter.EXTRA_NDEF_MESSAGES) if (rawMsgs != null) onTagTapped(NfcUtils.getUID(intent), NfcUtils.getData(rawMsgs))

If you wish to handle only those tags that belong to your application then you can add a filter. Earlier we created an application record while writing the tag. We can use the same package name as the filter if the app needs to handle only those tags that have that particular application record(AAR).

fun getIntentFilters: Array val ndefFilter = IntentFilter(NfcAdapter.ACTION_NDEF_DISCOVERED) try ndefFilter.addDataType(application/vnd.com.tickets) catch (e: IntentFilter.MalformedMimeTypeException) Log.e(NfcUtils, Problem in parsing mime type for NFC reading, e) return arrayOf(ndefFilter)

Reading Tag UID

You can read the tag ID of the tag using the following method.

fun getUID(intent: Intent): String val myTag = intent.getParcelableExtra(NfcAdapter.EXTRA_TAG) return BaseEncoding.base16.encode(myTag.ID)

Read Tag Data

You can read all the NDEF records using the following code snippet.

fun getData(rawMsgs: Array): String val msgs = arrayOfNulls(rawMsgs.size) for (i in rawMsgs.indices) msgs[i] = rawMsgs[i] as NdefMessage val records = msgs[0]. records var recordData = for (record in records) recordData = record.toString \n return recordData

Conclusion

Android makes it quite easy to read and write NFC tags and it supports a variety of tags and tag technologies. Once you understand the basics, you can build your own NFC supported app within a few hours.

You can find the complete source code of the example that I have used in this article on Github.

You can buy me a coffee if this post really helped you learn something or fix a nagging issue!

Written on March 16, 2020 by Vivek Maskara.

Vivek Maskara

SDE @ Remitly

SDE @ Remitly | Graduated from MS CS @ ASU | Ex-Morgan, Amazon, Zeta

The Coolest Ways To Use NFC On Your Android Phone

By now, most people are used to the idea of tapping your phone to a payment terminal to complete a transaction. It feels like living in the future to pay for a pint of Ben Jerry’s with your phone. And in New York City, subway riders can now tap their phone to enter a Metro platform. But the technology powering that futuristic checkout experience has been with us for a while. It’s called NFC, which stands for near-field communication, and it has infinite applications on Android beyond being a fancy new way to spend your money.

NFC is nifty because it’s a relatively simple technology that unlocks some powerful solutions to everyday problems. It works by using tags and devices that can read them. The tag is made up of an incredibly thin copper coil wrapped around a microchip, which can store small amounts of data. The reader is most commonly a smartphone.

Android phones have been equipped with NFC for over a decade, since the Samsung Nexus S phone was released in 2010, but the Panasonic P506iC had that capability all the way back in 2004. Let’s be gentle to our good comrades with iPhones, who only got this Bush-era technology in 2014. In fairness to Apple, its adoption of the technology is likely what helped NFC to achieve its current ubiquity in American payment terminals.

Though NFC may be an aging technology, its usefulness has only increased over the years. Today, you can turn yourself into a minor superhero using nothing but your Android phone and a pack of NFC stickers which will run you less than 10. Here are some of the coolest ways to implement NFC in your life.

NFC tasks: The basics

In order to get the most out of NFC technology, you’ll first need a set of NFC tags, to state the obvious. Equally important, you’ll need an app on your NFC-enabled Android phone capable of reading NFC tags and executing routines of varying complexity.

If you own a newer Samsung Galaxy phone running One UI 5.0 or above, you’re in luck: Your device comes with Samsung’s Modes and Routines app preinstalled, and it provides a user-friendly way to easily create if/then scenarios that can be triggered via NFC, along with impressive access to Samsung’s suite of apps, settings, and features. For everyone else, or for those who want to get a bit more granular with their NFC controls, a few options are available.

One of the most popular apps for this purpose is NFC Tools. To use it for NFC tasks, you’ll need to install its companion app, the aptly named NFC Tasks. The developer even has a handy YouTube playlist explaining how to use the app. A handful of other apps will get the job done as well, and you can integrate them with a larger constellation of apps like Trigger, Tasker, or IFTTT for even more functionality. Whichever you pick, you’ll need to set it up by giving it access to a laundry list of permissions, which will enable the app to control your phone when triggered by an NFC tap.

Once you have your preferred NFC tasks app set up and running, you’re ready to begin automating your life with NFC.

Get ready for bed without getting out of it

Have you ever snuggled under the covers at night only to remember that you forgot to turn off the downstairs lights or adjust the thermostat? There’s nothing worse than having to leave the warmth of your bed and amble around the house. Okay, there are a lot of worse things, but it sucks.

Lucky for you, NFC is more than able to solve that problem, provided you’ve invested in a Smart home setup. Simply stick an NFC tag on the spot you tend to put your phone at bedtime, then set up a bedtime routine to be triggered when you do so. You may wish to set alarms for the morning, turn off the lights across your entire home, set your Smart thermostat to a certain temperature, and pause your notifications. If you’re the kind of person who falls asleep to nature sounds, white noise, or music, you can have that audio cue up from apps that support it, and even connect to a particular Bluetooth speaker. And if you’re in the habit of sending a goodnight text to any of your loved ones, you can automate that, too.

As with many suggestions in this list, bedtime routines for NFC can be extra convenient when the tag is placed on a wireless charging pad. Just drop your phone on the charger and your head on the pillow.

Get yourself out of bed in the morning

Is anyone actually a morning person? For those who answer with an emphatic, Hell no! NFC can be the perfect way to drag yourself out from under the covers. If you use your Android phone as an alarm clock, it’s all too easy to tap the dismiss button and get back to that sweet dream you were having. (You know, the one where you managed to get your hands on a new gadget that you can’t wait to review for SlashGear. Is that just us?) Over the years, we’ve seen alarm apps that make you do math, solve puzzles, or shake your phone for several minutes before it shuts up. But speaking from experience, you can go right back to sleep after doing math.

With NFC tags, you can make your alarm force you out of bed. Some alarm apps (Sleep as Android is among the most popular) can take advantage of NFC to make you scan a tag before they will shut off. Put that tag near your coffee machine or in the bathroom and you’ll be forced in that direction when it’s time to wake up.

While you’re there, you might consider adding a second tag next to the alarm disabling one. This can be set to initiate a morning routine that turns on the lights, plays your favorite news briefing, and more.

Leave home with away routines

Getting out of the house can be a never-ending to-do list, but with the power of NFC, you can bend your house or apartment to your will with a single tap. assuming you’ve already invested in a Smart home setup. NFC isn’t the only way to automate your home, but it may be the most reliable. Smart home apps on Android commonly use geolocation perimeters to detect when you’ve left home, or timers you can base on your common routines. But the former option requires giving those apps location permissions and having your GPS enabled, which risks privacy and drains your phone’s battery. With NFC, all you need to do is remember to tap your phone to the tag or sticker when you leave.

Put an NFC tag on or near your front door and set it to trigger a routine that turns off lights, TVs, and air conditioning. If you have Smart appliances like dishwashers or washing machines, you can trigger them to start as well. And, of course, if there’s anything else you need done before leaving and that can be automated for your own personal needs, you can add them to the same routine.

Set modes for work, entertainment, and more

NFC stickers are dirt cheap. You can get dozens of them for less than the cost of a breakfast bagel, so there’s no reason not to slap a few in various places of convenience around your home and office, especially in rooms that tend to be used for specific purposes.

For instance, you can set an NFC-triggered routine to turn on Do Not Disturb mode, which itself can be configured to allow only notifications from work apps like Slack, and attach it to your desk at work. You can put one on the table in your home theater set to dim the lights and fire up your TV or jump straight into Netflix (the latter of which can be accomplished with a Google Assistant command if you have a Smart home-enabled TV). Or, you can set a routine to start timers, fire up a podcast, or start Smart kitchen appliances while you’re cooking. One savvy Reddit user even created a laminated chart full of NFC tags to trigger various kitchen-related activities.

We’ve got even more helpful suggestions to NFC-ify your home in our list of the best around-the-home uses for NFC.

Make your drive a breeze

Are you wasting time each time you get in your car by cuing up podcasts and getting to your navigation app before you actually pull out of the garage? All that extra work can be circumvented with a single NFC sticker. Wherever you normally dock your phone, simply stick an NFC tag in that spot and set it to automate your phone’s driving related functionality.

For instance, you can set things up so that, when you dock your phone in the car, it automatically launches Spotify and turns the volume to your preferred level, then opens Google Maps with a route set to your home and turns up your screen brightness so you can see the map. For cars with finnicky Bluetooth systems, you can append a step to the beginning of the routine that automatically connects your phone to that device. And for truly distraction free driving, you can turn on Do Not Disturb mode.

For even more convenience, you can set another routine to trigger every time your phone disconnects from your car’s Bluetooth, reverting all the changed settings back to normal when you’re done driving.

Take advantage of charge time

The harsh reality of current smartphones is that they use a lot of power. Whereas the comparatively less Smart flip phones of the pre-smartphone era could often last for days, if not weeks on a charge, even the best smartphones struggle to last more than a single day with heavy use. That’s why it can be incredibly useful to have your Android phone complete some of its most intensive tasks while connected to power. And you can batch many of them together by putting an NFC tag on the spot you usually drop your phone while charging it, then assigning that tag to trigger a routine.

There are some tasks, like auto-updating your Play Store apps, that are already set to trigger when your phone has been charging, but you may find it useful to trigger additional ones with NFC. For example, you can connect to a specific Wi-Fi network while charging so those app updates don’t gobble up your mobile data, or you can trigger certain Cloud storage services to back up your device.

Exercise without interruption

For cycling, hiking, climbing, and more, you may enjoy listening to music while using an app like Strava or Google Fit to track your activity on Android. However, you probably don’t enjoy fiddling with your phone for minutes at a time when all you really want to do is get your blood pumping.

From NFC Tools, you can make Strava open to the Record page when you tap a programmed NFC tag, while on Samsung Modes and Routines, the best you can do is open the app itself. On both, however, you can also cue up Spotify playlists and turn on Do Not Disturb. If you’re a cyclist, you can grab a bike mount for your phone and place the tag there. Or you can attach one to your hiking pack, climbing gear, or ski helmet. The options are pretty much limitless, so you’ll just need to consider the best use case for your particular sport.

If your workouts take place inside a gym rather than the great outdoors, consider putting an NFC tag in your locker to silence notifications or cue up your workout mix.

Make a dumb Bluetooth speaker smarter

Bluetooth speakers have become ubiquitous items found in almost every home, and for good reason. They’re incredibly portable, reasonably inexpensive, and often rugged ways to experience audio that sounds better than your phone’s speakers wherever you like. But some Bluetooth speakers are more convenient than others. For example, certain models of speakers come equipped with embedded NFC tags that will automatically connect your phone to the speaker when tapped. This simple feature circumvents the tedious process of putting the speaker in pairing mode and finding it in your phone’s Bluetooth menu to connect. It’s one tap and done, and it’s the sort of feature you won’t think is important until you’ve experienced it and then have to live without it.

However, you can add precisely that functionality to any Bluetooth device, from speakers to keyboards, using a dirt-cheap NFC tag. Simply use your NFC reading and writing app to write that Bluetooth connection onto a tag, then stick that tag on a smooth, flat surface of the device. It’s an easy way to make your Bluetooth devices a little bit smarter and a lot more convenient.

Easily let guests connect to your Wi-Fi

How many times have you had to check the label on your router when a guest asks for your home Wi-Fi password? Even if you know it by heart, it can be a pain to relay when you find yourself saying things like, Okay, so the first ‘O’ is a zero and the second ‘I’ is capitalized.

It may be time to put those days of analog communication behind you with NFC by writing a tag to automatically connect devices that scan it directly to your Wi-Fi network. Not only does it simplify things for both you and your guests, but this simple hack is also an impressive party trick. When your friends simply tap their phone to your coffee table and are instantly given the gift of an internet connection, their jaws will drop.

The one caveat here is that this won’t work for your iPhone-owning guests, at least until Apple decides to build that functionality into iOS.

Top 5 Best NFC Apps for Android Smartphones

People often think that Google Wallet is the first thing that adopted the NFC Technology for the payment system. But there are few other app developed which support the NFC. The NFC tags are the best thing available in the market where you can assign your task to it. These NFC tags are one such when your phone gets connected to it, the task assigned to it is automatically performed. If you are in search of such NFC application then here is the list of Top 5 NFC Apps available on Google Play Store.

Trigger

The Trigger is most powerful Android app that allows you to perform numerous tasks and scripts on your smartphone based on the variety of triggers like NFC tags. These NFC tags are helpful either by changing your sound profile or else connecting or disconnecting the Wi-Fi. It interacts along with your surroundings to configure settings on your phone automatically. Innovative users can perform a wide range of tasks using the NFC tag, such as you can turn your phone to silent mode by placing the phone on the NFC tag at your work desk. While traveling in car Bluetooth can be used as a trigger to turn off Wi-Fi, open GPS and launch your favorite music app.

Price: Free

Tasker

Tasker is one of the best Android automation tool, along with Trigger. This application has the additional locale NFC plug-in, where a user can use NFC tags as Trigger to initiate tasks of the Tasker. It is one such app that performs complete automation from settings to SMS. Various triggers of this app include time, day, location, widget, timer, plug-in. This app helps in designing your screen overlays. The app has four ribbons in the menu tab, i.e., Profile, Tasks, Scenes, and Variables. Each ribbon holds their functions. The only disadvantage with this app is that it is a paid app in Google play store. Price: 3.15

InstaWiFi

InstaWiFi is an app that helps you to share Wi-Fi network along with friends and family instantly through the use of NFC and QR codes. In this, you can simply tap your phone on an NFC sticker or else scan a QR code to connect to a Wi-Fi. This app is only needed to generate the QR code for your Wi-Fi network, and then any Smart phone with QR code reader app can scan the QR code and get connected to the network. Price: Free

Puzzle Alarm Clock

Puzzle Alarm Clock is one of the best alarm application that Supports NFC Tag option to stop alarm or else to Snooze it. Along with NFC tag and QR code, it also comes with a variety of random puzzles like a math equation, Captcha, Rearrange photos. The best place to keep the NFC tag is right next to your washroom sink so that you can start your day freshening up early in the morning. The alarm in this application won’t stop until and unless you solve the puzzle on the screen.

Price: Free

NFC Tasks

NFC Tasks is one of the apps that execute the tasks recorded by NFC Tools. This app is different from NFC Tools but acquires all the tags of the NFC Tools. The applications that are performed by NFC tasks is Configuration of the sound profile. It also set the alarm; Launch apps; configures Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile data; set the volume of the alarm, ringer, media, and auto rotate.

Price: Free