NFC payments will soon be truly ‘contactless’ – Times of India

You are out there making a contactless payment, and a thought comes to your mind that contactless payments are not entirely contactless, but why? This is because near-field communication (NFC) technology works at a very short distance, so your device needs to touch another device. However, this might change in the coming years, as the NFC forum plans some significant changes for the technology.
The NFC Forum, founded by Sony, NXP Semiconductors, and Nokia in 2004 to enhance NFC technology, has released a roadmap for NFC technology that spans from now until 2028.
This roadmap, developed by representatives from Apple, Google, and other companies, outlines five essential initiatives for the future of the technology within the next two to five years. One of these initiatives aims to expand the range of NFC connections, enabling wireless charging for small devices like earbuds, among others.
At the moment, NFC connections are limited to a distance of just 5mm. The Forum has plans to increase this distance by four to six times, which would make contactless payments truly contactless, as well as faster and more convenient. But how? The increase in range would reduce the need for precise antenna alignment.
Another objective is to enable multiple actions with a single tap. They also plan to provide NFC-enabled smartphones with Point-of-Sale functionality and the ability to share recycling information for products.
Apple introduced a Tap to Pay API last year, which allows developers to use iPhones as payment terminals. With the new NFC standards, this feature would become native, and accessible to more devices, allowing businesses and individuals to receive payments anywhere.
Another feature, called the “multi-purpose tap,” is under development, which would allow multiple actions to be completed with just one tap.
Apart from making payments easier, the NFC Forum is also working on increasing wireless charging power from 1W to 3W, making it more practical for everyday use. While this is less than the Qi standard’s maximum of 15W, the group believes it will enable wireless power and charging for smaller devices, such as earbuds.