NFC, or near field communication, is a popular wireless technology that allows you to transfer data between two devices that are in close proximity to each other. It's often used as a faster and more secure alternative to QR codes for other short-range applications like mobile payments.

That said, NFC tags are surprisingly versatile and tend to be useful in situations where you might want to transfer small amounts of data effortlessly. After all, tapping a surface takes less time and effort than using Bluetooth pairing or entering Wi-Fi passwords. Many digital cameras and headphones have embedded NFC tags these days that you can simply tap to quickly initiate a wireless connection.

If you’ve ever wondered how NFC tags and readers work, this article is for you. In the following sections, we’ll take a quick look at how they work as well as how you can read and write data to a tag using your smartphone.