Android's NFC support is kinda lame

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ultimatebob

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,134
2,450
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I was playing with the NFC support on my phone and my wife's phone, and found that it's kinda lame. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, and my wife has a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean.

Sharing pictures between these two phones using NFC should work great like it does in the Samsung commercials... right? Nope. When I try to beam a picture from my wife's Nexus to mine using the Gallery app, I get an error saying that the other phone doesn't support large file transfers. When I try the other way and send a file from my S3 to the Nexus, I get a message stating that a text tag was transferred, but the image itself never transfers successfully.

I then tried transferring an image using the Facebook app (I figured that would be something your average end user would try), but that did nothing at all. I guess that the Facebook app doesn't support NFC yet.

The only NFC transfer I could get to work right was a web address transfer using the Browser app.

I'm not an Apple fan, but something tells me that they will do a better job of implimenting this feature if/when they add it to their phones.
 
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A

Arca

Junior Member
Jan 11, 2011
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While I'm a fan of NFC pronciple i've not been able to find a valid use for it yet.
 
shortylickens

shortylickens

No Lifer
Jul 15, 2003
80,287
17,081
136
Arca said:
While I'm a fan of NFC pronciple i've not been able to find a valid use for it yet.
Click to expand...

It was supposed to be an alternative to credit cards but its actually been used more for headsets and speakers and such. Which is weird cuz we already have Bluetooth for that.

I havent seen any stores that accept NFC yet. Of course, I dont go out to shop except for groceries. Amazon takes care of everything else.
 
zerocool84

zerocool84

Lifer
Nov 11, 2004
36,041
472
126
shortylickens said:
It was supposed to be an alternative to credit cards but its actually been used more for headsets and speakers and such. Which is weird cuz we already have Bluetooth for that.

I havent seen any stores that accept NFC yet. Of course, I dont go out to shop except for groceries. Amazon takes care of everything else.
Click to expand...

I've used Google Wallet to buy things but it's definitely not more convenient than using your card.

The NFC is simply used for pairing the bluetooth on those accessories.

The problem the op has is that the program the GS3 uses to transfer stuff is only for other GS3 phones.
 
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ilkhan

ilkhan

Golden Member
Jul 21, 2006
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ultimatebob said:
I was playing with the NFC support on my phone and my wife's phone, and found that it's kinda lame. I have a Samsung Galaxy S3, and my wife has a Samsung Galaxy Nexus running Jelly Bean.

Sharing pictures between these two phones using NFC should work great like it does in the Samsung commercials... right? Nope. When I try to beam a picture from my wife's Nexus to mine using the Gallery app, I get an error saying that the other phone doesn't support large file transfers. When I try the other way and send a file from my S3 to the Nexus, I get a message stating that a text tag was transferred, but the image itself never transfers successfully.

I then tried transferring an image using the Facebook app (I figured that would be something your average end user would try), but that did nothing at all. I guess that the Facebook app doesn't support NFC yet.

The only NFC transfer I could get to work right was a web address transfer using the Browser app.

I'm not an Apple fan, but something tells me that they will do a better job of implimenting this feature if/when they add it to their phones.
Click to expand...
Android->Android works.
S3->S3 works.
Blame Samsung for wanting to "add" to the experience.
 
M

mosco

Senior member
Sep 24, 2002
940
1
76
Even for payments, I would much rather support a company LevelUp that actually benefits both the merchant and the user. And you don't need NFC to do that.
 
R

rumpleforeskin

Senior member
Nov 3, 2008
380
13
81
Smartphone NFC is still in its infancy, which is why its mostly a gimmick or just crap. But technology moves fast and many people buy a phone on 2 year contract.

So at the end of 2014 its quite possible that NFC payments and NFC negotiated pairing of devices is far more common and user friendly. At which point you may be happier that you have a device that can make use of this technology.
 
ponyo

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
100% success rate with Android Beam for me. About 5 pictures, couple different web pages, and YouTube videos. Galaxy Nexus to Nexus 7 and vice versa. Pictures take couple of seconds to finish but web pages and YouTube videos transferred instantly. I was surprised how easy it was. It's definitely cool.
 
B

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
zerocool84 said:
I've used Google Wallet to buy things but it's definitely not more convenient than using your card.
Click to expand...

I thought it was way more convenient than using my card, but I would always unlock the google wallet app before while I was in line before I got to the terminal so that it always worked when I tapped it.

But, yes, Samsung is definitely the one to blame here. My going joke with the S3 commercials is that if you meet another GS3 owner, you HAVE to try out the NFC send, because when in the heck are you going to meet another S3 owner?! (Granted, it probably pretty easy on major cities, but not ones like Charlotte. Though I do know one GS3 owner.)

When Apple finally does NFC, it will be perceived to work better simply because there will be a lot of people capable of doing it.
 
ponyo

ponyo

Lifer
Feb 14, 2002
19,688
2,811
126
Fingolfin269 said:
But, NFC! It's because Apple hasn't adopted that it doesn't work of course.
Click to expand...

I think it's the most Apple like technology I've seen on Android. Super easy to use and extremely cool. I don't understand OP difficulty.
 
sciwizam

sciwizam

Golden Member
Oct 22, 2004
1,953
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The S3's S-Beam "augments" the normal Android Beam, by using Wifi-Direct for large files instead of using bluetooth. I'll guess in the next version of Android, Google adds the Wifi-Direct support to the native Android Beam.
 
R

runawayprisoner

Platinum Member
Apr 2, 2008
2,496
0
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ultimatebob said:
I'm not an Apple fan, but something tells me that they will do a better job of implimenting this feature if/when they add it to their phones.
Click to expand...

I think it's precisely because the technology isn't widely supported by vendors yet that Apple hasn't implemented it.

But think about that... they have to go out and ask every retailer to include NFC in their stores... for each cashier stand...

Looks to me like a pretty ridiculous suggestion to make.

As for other uses for NFC... the only cool thing that I have been able to consistently get it to do is by tapping a point of interest and get location information, or a piece of map.
 
Zaap

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
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I've only used it twice, but no problem transmitting pictures and files between an HTC Evo 4G and my SGS3 using Android Beam, and from SGS3 to SGS3 using S-Beam.

It works, but it's not really something I care too much if I ever use again or not.
 
WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
32,901
11,038
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bearxor said:
I thought it was way more convenient than using my card, but I would always unlock the google wallet app before while I was in line before I got to the terminal so that it always worked when I tapped it.

But, yes, Samsung is definitely the one to blame here. My going joke with the S3 commercials is that if you meet another GS3 owner, you HAVE to try out the NFC send, because when in the heck are you going to meet another S3 owner?! (Granted, it probably pretty easy on major cities, but not ones like Charlotte. Though I do know one GS3 owner.)

When Apple finally does NFC, it will be perceived to work better simply because there will be a lot of people capable of doing it.
Click to expand...

I've met loads at work, but that may be a UK thing. Probably more S3 owners that iPhone owners TBH.

Not "beamed" anything to anyone however.
 
D

dagamer34

Platinum Member
Aug 15, 2005
2,591
0
71
I'd separate the technology from it's implementation. NFC != mobile payments and mobile payments != NFC, however it does make transactions a LOT easier because it doesn't drain battery when inactive or require setup when implemented properly.
 
Phokus

Phokus

Lifer
Nov 20, 1999
22,994
779
126
Arca said:
While I'm a fan of NFC pronciple i've not been able to find a valid use for it yet.
Click to expand...

NFC tags. You guys need to stop thinking NFC is only used for payments or touching phones to each other.
 
M

mikegg

Golden Member
Jan 30, 2010
1,942
543
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Phokus said:
NFC tags. You guys need to stop thinking NFC is only used for payments or touching phones to each other.
Click to expand...
What are NFC tags? I have a Nexus and I didn't even know what NFC was until a few weeks ago. Haven't found a use for it yet. Most of my friends/family use iPhones.
 
B

bearxor

Diamond Member
Jul 8, 2001
6,605
3
81
Yeah, I don't have any reason to use NFC tags myself. But I won't argue against their usefulness for certain markets. In my building, they use them as security makes rounds so they can tell where they were/when.

It would be nice if the little security cards we had were the right frequency so that I could replace my key car with my phone. But they're a couple MHz off, if I remember correctly.
 
O

obidamnkenobi

Golden Member
Sep 16, 2010
1,407
423
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Phokus said:
NFC tags. You guys need to stop thinking NFC is only used for payments or touching phones to each other.
Click to expand...

I bought a bunch of them, and although cool, haven't really found and real use for it.

Most of the disable/enable this or that I do based on location with the Llama app anyway. On/off bluetooth in the car might have been neat if my car had BT though. My current car mode NFC tag is not terribly useful.
 
S

Suspicious-Teach8788

Lifer
Feb 19, 2001
20,155
23
81
So essentially NFC tags are for a small minority. Sharing is maybe ok, but payments, the biggest thing has been a flop due to horrible implementation.

So what does this mean about NFC? That it's been a fail overall.
 
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