Overview
- The small N in the status bar means the phone’s Near Field Communication feature is turned on.
- NFC enables tap-to-pay with Google Wallet or Apple Wallet, quick pairing, reading ID chips, and using a phone as a transit card.
- On Android, a payment works only after you confirm in the wallet app with a fingerprint, face, or PIN.
- The radio operates at very short range and uses little power, so leaving it on has a negligible effect on battery life.
- Security experts caution about close-range eavesdropping and malicious tags in crowded places, and you can disable NFC or hide the icon in settings.