Tap to pay and other smartphone, smartwatch features to be improved with NFC Release 15
The range of NFC is rising by a factor of 4 with the NFC 15 Update making tap to pay faster and more precise.
Near Field Communication (NFC), the short-distance connectivity platform used for tap-to-pay platforms like Apple Pay, to pair accessories with smartphones and more, is getting a range boost and more. The distance that NFC signals travel will increase by a factor of four from .5 cm to 2 cm with NFC Release 15. The announcement made by the NFC Forum states that the update will be "supporting faster, more reliable contactless interactions across a growing number of use cases such as wireless charging, kitchen appliances, wearables, and digital keys."
NFC Release 15 will "extend" the range which is also known as operating volume, of contactless interactions. This means that connections will start sooner and the device being used for a contactless payment won't have to be as precisely aligned. This makes NFC quicker, easier, and more reliable to use.
"NFC technology makes our lives more convenient, secure, and connected every single day. NFC Release 15 will continue to extend contactless simplicity into an ever-expanding list of use cases – including sustainability – and redefine the baseline for performance standards,” continues McCamon. “NFC Forum is committed to helping organizations deliver secure, reliable, and convenient proximity-based connections, driven by user intent. Through NFC Release 15, we are proud to enable these NFC interactions as the technology, its applications and ability to drive a more connected, sustainable future show no signs of slowing."
-Mike McCamon, Executive Director, NFC Forum
NFC Forum has an impressive list of companies that are members of its board. In alphabetical order, these firms include tech giants like Apple, Google, Huawei, Identiv, Infineon, NXP, Sony, and ST Microelectronics. The goal of the NFC Forum is to help organizations throughout the world deliver secure and seamless contactless interactions to users around the world.
NFC 15 will extend the range of NFC from .5 cm to 2 cm. | Image credit-NFC Forum
Mike McCamon, the Executive Director of NFC Forum, revealed that extending the range of the connectivity feature was part of the organization's five-year roadmap. McCamon also noted that, "Extending the range of NFC contactless connections was one of the key priorities outlined in the NFC Forum Five-Year Roadmap, to meet changing market needs and deliver faster, easier transactions across all NFC enabled devices – including smaller form factors such as wearables or smartphones."
NFC Release 15 will add new user cases for NFC connectivity including using mobile devices as payment terminals. The new release will also "optimize NFC usability across a variety of sectors, including automotive, transit and access control."
In case you were wondering, the first iPhones to support NFC connectivity were the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The only functionality NFC had on those 2014 models was to make sure that Apple Pay worked like it was supposed to. Three years later with iOS 11 in 2017, Apple opened up NFC to allow iPhone 7 and later models to read NFC Tags. Full background NFC Tag reading without opening an app became available with iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR in 2018.
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