Smartphone shows puzzling "N" emblem: unveiling its cryptic significance
In today's digital world, Near Field Communication (NFC) has become a common feature in many smartphones. This technology enables wireless communication between devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and compatible accessories, over short distances, typically less than 4 centimeters. It's used for various purposes, including contactless payment with a smartphone, retrieving prescriptions from health insurance cards using mobile apps, and contactless payment with bank cards.
However, not all users may be aware of this feature or may want to turn it off for battery conservation or privacy concerns. This article provides a simple guide on how to turn off NFC on popular Android phone brands.
Samsung
- Swipe down from the top to open the Quick Settings panel, then tap the NFC icon to turn it off. If not visible, edit Quick Settings to add it first.
- Or go to Settings > Connections > NFC and contactless payments, then toggle it off.
Huawei
Go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > NFC, then toggle the Use NFC switch off.
Xiaomi
Swipe down for Quick Settings and tap the NFC icon to disable it or go to Settings > Connection & sharing > NFC, then toggle it off.
Google Pixel
- Swipe down from the top to open Quick Settings, tap the NFC icon to disable NFC.
- Or go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > NFC, then toggle it off.
On Google Pixel devices, the screen must be unlocked first for NFC to be used, and the options for controlling NFC are under Settings > Connected Devices > Connection Settings > NFC.
It's important to note that not all manufacturers display the N symbol for NFC; Google Pixel uses a symbol resembling a labyrinth instead. The Nothing Phone also uses an alternative symbol for NFC.
When NFC is activated, the symbol "N" may appear in a smartphone's status bar, indicating the presence of NFC functionality. However, on iPhone, NFC is always active and can only be turned off by enabling flight mode, with no N symbol appearing.
Using NFC for contactless payment or other purposes involves the risk of unauthorized access or data theft if security measures are not properly implemented. Therefore, it's crucial to ensure that your device is secure before using NFC for sensitive transactions.
This approach is consistent across Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, and Google Pixel phones with minor interface naming differences. Remember that turning off NFC may save battery power, potentially increasing the overall battery life of your device.
Here are the sentences that include the given words:
- To turn off NFC on a Samsung phone, users can swipe down from the top to open the Quick Settings panel, then tap the NFC icon.
- On the Huawei device, users can go to Settings > Connected devices > Connection preferences > NFC to turn off the feature.
