Near-field communication (NFC) is a set of communication protocols that enable two electronic devices, one of which is usually a portable device such as a smartphone, to establish communication by bringing them within 4 cm (1​¹⁄₂ in) of each other.

Android NFC

Android-powered devices with NFC simultaneously support three main modes of operation:

1. Reader/writer mode, allowing the NFC device to read and/or write passive NFC tags and stickers.
2. P2P mode, allowing the NFC device to exchange data with other NFC peers; this operation mode is used by Android Beam.
3. Card emulation mode, allowing the NFC device itself to act as an NFC card. The emulated NFC card can then be accessed by an external NFC reader, such as an NFC point-of-sale terminal.

iOS NFC

iOS apps running on supported devices can use NFC scanning to read data from electronic tags attached to real-world objects.

An app can enable single- or multiple-object scanning when the app is active, and display a scanning sheet whenever the user is expected to scan something.

Near Field Communication may be unfamiliar to some people. To make it approachable, avoid referring to technical, developer-oriented terms like NFC, Core NFC, Near Field Communication, and tag. Instead, use friendly, conversational terms that most people will understand.