As technology continues to evolve, people are relying on their mobile devices on a daily — or even hourly — basis. More reliability means apps for transportation, food delivery service and paying with your phone by simply tapping it at the debit card machine. 

But NFC or Near-Field Communications technology — and how it interacts with your Android device — is rapidly changing the way you interact daily with technology. 

NFC is the technology that allows users to make contactless payments through their mobile apps quickly and securely. Within seconds, users can make purchases with the swipe of a smartphone or the tap of a wearable device. 

Fast transactions bring more sales, thus adding more revenue overall. It’s available on both Apple and Android phones, but Google Pay is dominating the NFC market at the moment. 

According to Guaraná Technologies, an unrivaled android app developer with years of industry experience, Google Pay is raising the bar for NFC mobile payment, because it is:

• Supported by most major North American banks, and is connected to several mobile banking apps worldwide

• Accepted buy more stores worldwide than Apple Pay

• Available in over 28 countries.

• Protected by several complex layers of security, preventing cyber attacks and fraud

But as much as NFC is a convenient mobile payment method, it isn’t just used for that one purpose. Instead, it continues to pave the way in different areas. 

 

NFC has widely been adopted in the world of sports and sports apparel. Adidas, for example, found a creative way to get in on the business of NFC in a new way. Their SMARTRAC tech uses NFC chips inside their shoe models to provide key data back to Adidas through the use of their app. 

This data will help users give feedback to the company on how the shoes fit and perform in specific conditions, and the more shoes Adidas sells, the more feedback they receive to improve performance.

Connecting to Wifi or pairing Bluetooth devices can be a hassle, but with the convenience of NFC, tap-to-pair tags eliminate the need for users to navigate their way through extensive lists of connections to manually enter a password. Companies like Bose are using NFC to make Bluetooth connectivity hiccups a thing of the past, allowing you to sync your device quickly and start your workout routine without interruption.

Apple meanwhile uses NFC to pair its Watch with gym equipment. Like the Adidas sneakers, the Apple app can monitor and report on heart rate and calories burned between the Watch and your elliptical or rowing machine. 

As the awareness of technology increases, these examples show how valuable and important NFC is — beyond simple mobile purchases. 

As the sports and fitness apparel world slowly picks up on the opportunities afforded by NFC, the advantages this tech provides will continue to be explored in years to come by more and more pioneering companies. As more and more industries explore this space, NFC will continue to expand as a creative retail and user engagement technology.