What is the current state of NFC with Windows Phone

[rhapdog]

I have finally obtained a Windows Phone with NFC capabilities. I noticed threads on the boards here from 2013 complaining about the OS not being open enough to allow certain types of functionality to be properly carried out, and these were Windows Phone 8 complaints, not 8.1.

I've got a Lumia 640 now with WP 8.1 Update 2 Denim, and was wondering if the NFC situation has changed.

What I'm wanting to know if I can do, and this is BEFORE I invest in NFC tags, is if I can tap a tag, have it launch my Night Stand Clock app and turn on Quiet Hours, and toggle Data Off for the night. I don't want to turn on airplane mode, because I do want my inner circle to break through if there is an emergency.

Is this possible? Or will it only open each setting for me to have to do it myself? Will I have to confirm each action?

 

[Guytronic]

I've never been able to connect thru NFC from Windows to Android.
I get the tone, yet it never actually connects

NFC does connect easily to all my Sony devices with bluetooth that have NFC available.

Edit:
I have the 640 also and a 925 and the 1020...

 

[michail71]

I've never been able to get it to work with android phones either. It acts like everything is fine, just nothing happens.

 

[rhapdog]

What I'm really looking for here is how it works with the NFC tags, and can I change settings without having to confirm or without it just taking me to the settings page and making me do it myself.

I don't ever connect to other people's phones. On a rare occasion, I will Bluetooth a photo, buy everyone I've done that with can get my full resolution photo easier through MMS, and we all have unlimited there that doesn't charge against data, and I've found it faster and easier than Bluetooth to transfer a photo or two. For a bunch of photos/files, I plug two phones into my laptop. Always carry extra cables in my laptop bag.

 

[RumoredNow]

I've got some tags around somewhere from when I had a Nexus 4. I can try and dig them up and test functions.

What did you want to have set up? Maybe a tag on the computer to toggle Internet Sharing?

https://gototags.com/

NFC Stickers, Software, Products, and more since 2011 ? tagstand

 

[rhapdog]

What did you want to have set up? Maybe a tag on the computer to toggle Internet Sharing?

Yes, for one. Right next to the Intel Inside sticker.

One NFC app in the store says it can do profiles. NFC Toolkit. I don't know how well it works. It would be worth the $1.49 if it works as advertised, and if I don't have to do anything but tap to activate all the stuff it says it can do. Supposed to have a 10-day trial, or so it says in the description.

Basically, it says profiles is where it can be triggered to do multiple actions. Tap the NFC sticker at the Night Stand by the bed, and it can turn on quiet hours, turn off Bluetooth, turn off Wi-Fi, turn off Cellular Data (so it doesn't download stuff I don't want updated while I sleep), and launch Night Stand Clock. I plan to set up a cradle on my nightstand with an NFC sticker if it will work.

I don't know if all the profiles are pre-defined or if you can make your own, but kind of useless for me to try since I don't have any stickers, and I don't want to invest if it isn't going to work right.

 

[tgp]

I have had W10M on my 920 for awhile so I'm not sure where NFC on WP8.1 is at, or I'd test it for you. The last I knew, settings could not be changed by NFC like you want to do. However, it may have changed since then.

I read on a forum that NFC Toolkit isn't as capable as it makes it sound, mainly due to WP's restrictions in NFC. NFC tags are used a lot by Android users to do exactly what you want to do: turn on quiet hours, toggle Bluetooth and WiFi, and so on. WP requires direct user action to actually turn them on or off. At most an NFC tag would open the applicable setting.

I don't know if all the profiles are pre-defined or if you can make your own, but kind of useless for me to try since I don't have any stickers, and I don't want to invest if it isn't going to work right.

I bought a large pack of NFC tags because the price was about the same as buying a couple of them. I've only used a couple of them. I'd be more than happy to send you a few. The cost would be a postage stamp, which I'd donate! :smile: Feel free to PM me if you're interested.

 

[rhapdog]

I was just browsing through the reviews on the NFC Toolkit for Windows Phone, and have discovered something important.

#1: Review from Seon on 12/22/2013.
Excellent! Only limitation is the OS itself for not being able to toggle the settings automatically.

#2: Review from Dominic on 5/22/2014.
Awesome NFC app! So great with WP8.1 now that that annoying app open confirmation has been removed!

#3: review from Francisco Javier on 3/20/2014.
La mejor App de nfc. Solo faltar?a que el sistema operativo les deje modificar funciones (apagar wifi, encender red, bajar brillo, etc) y no solo abrir la configuraci?n.

And #3 using machine translation to English:
Best NFC App. Just missing the operating system to let them modify functions (turn off wifi, network switch, lower brightness, etc.) and not just open the configuration.

Question is, did something happen between March and May of 2014 to make it start working? Or is that just for app open and not for actual settings? That I need to know. Could have been someone upgrading to Cyan or Denim? I don't know the timelines there.

Anyway, I'd like to test it, and report back. So, yeah, I sent you a PM, tgp.

 

[tgp]

Anyway, I'd like to test it, and report back. So, yeah, I sent you a PM, tgp.

Replied to your PM. The tags are already in the mailbox.

 

[rhapdog]

Replied to your PM. The tags are already in the mailbox.

Yay!

 

[rhapdog]

I've tested the tags, tgp. Thanks.

So here's what I've found. Tags are convenient for a lot of different things.

The first time you have it open an app, you will have to answer the prompt on whether or not you want it to happen.

The second time you have it open the same app, you will have to answer the prompt again, but will have a check box that you can tell the phone that it is a trusted app and not to ask again.

You can't directly toggle a setting. It can only open a settings page. This is a restriction in the Windows Phone 8/8.1 API. I am hoping Windows 10 for Mobile will change this.

Works great for vCard Business Cards, Web Addresses, Map Locations, etc.

Make sure you get an "on-metal" tag if you plan on sticking it on a metal surface. I wanted to put one on my laptop to open up Internet Sharing, but I have a metal frame, and metal causes interference with the tag. You have to get a special tag made to put on metal, which costs a bit more.

All-in-all, I'm happy. I plan on ordering a set of on-metal tags.

If anyone knows if Windows 10 Mobile has any problems with NFC currently or if it has opened up and allows direct settings toggles, please respond back and let me know.

 

[fdruid]

I came to this thread to see whether this has changed in W10M. I hoped someone would try NFC automationn for settings and report. I'm on the latest W10M preview (10572, for reference purposes) and I'll investigate as soon as I can find NFC tags. I'll come back to report to this thread for the sake of organization.

 

[rhapdog]

Well, fdruid, I can tell you that the NFC tag still just opens the settings, and you have to do the toggle yourself.

Of course, that's coming off the same NFC tag that was programmed for 8.1. You have to provide a launch ID to open the settings. Perhaps Microsoft will provide some sort of way to do this in the future, or perhaps the API is there and we just need to know how to properly program the NFC. I don't really know. Someone will have to search the Windows 10 APIs in order to know for sure at this point.