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I am trying to read NFC tags but the antenna location is different for different mobiles. Users typically don't know where exactly to tap the phone on a tag. So I want to know the location of the NFC antenna within my app. I would then want to notify the user through a some info graphic/image about how to best place their prone on a tag. Is this possible? How?

Michael Roland
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sravani
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    Welcome to SO. Questions about general computing hardware and software are off-topic for Stack Overflow unless they directly involve tools used primarily for programming. You may be able to get help on [Super User](https://superuser.com). – Phantômaxx Mar 12 '18 at 08:36
  • @KlingKlang Could you please clarify your reasoning behind rolling back my changes? Also just to be clear: NFC is an RF communication interface (just like WiFi or Bluetooth, except for its more focused antenna beam). It's certainly not a sensor. – Michael Roland Mar 12 '18 at 15:40
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    I reworded your post title to be more clear. – Phantômaxx Mar 12 '18 at 15:55
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    Samsung has a nice [NFC detection area overview](https://www.samsung.com/hk_en/nfc-support/#devicelist) for their phones. – vlp Nov 21 '20 at 17:18

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Since you asked this on SO, I assume you are trying to find a programmatic way to display the position in your app.

Unfortunately, there is no generic way to find the "sweet spot" (i.e. the antenna location or the spot where NFC tags are best placed on your phone). Android does not provide an API for this. So the only option woud be to get all the devices your users typically use (or dig into teardowns, etc. of those devices) and create a databse on your own.

Michael Roland
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To know where the NFC antenna is located on the smartphone, here is a helpful description about this question :

First of all, not every smartphone has NFC although most of the modern devices do.

NFC stands for Near Field Communication.

If you are not sure if your smartphone is NFC-enabled or not, this list may help you: https://www.unitag.io/nfc/is-my-phone-compatible-with-nfc

Depending on which brand of smartphone and which model you are using, the NFC antenna may be located somewhere else on the device.

Below you will find links to the manufacturers’ homepages with more helpful information. If you have any questions with regards to the NFC technology, please get in touch with the manufacturer of your phone.

Please keep in mind that you need at least iOS 13.0 in order to be able to use the NFC antenna.

Some general information:

  • Please keep in mind that smartphone cases can make it difficult to establish a NFC connection. If possible please remove the cases of your smartphone before starting to use NFC.
  • The distance you should have between your smartphone and the device you would like - to establish a connection with, can be different for different mobile phones.
  • No matter which smartphone model you are using, it is really important to hold the devices stable during the upload. Otherwise there is a risk of losing connection.
  • If you have any questions with regards to NFC on your phone, always contact the manufacturer.
  • In order to be able to use NFC on your phone your display may not be locked.
  • Keep in mind that NFC needs to be enabled in the menu settings on some devices.

Finally it's arrived In Android 14, there new API added provided the physical location of the NFC antenna in Android : https://developer.android.com/reference/android/nfc/NfcAntennaInfo enter image description here

Sofien Rahmouni
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