The Pixel 11 just made this daily task much easier — Explained
The Google Pixel 11 has made one tiny tweak that could power up your daily interactions.
Following Google’s Made by Google event and the wealth of commentary that has followed it, you might be cynically buying into the idea that Google’s new Pixel 11 series offers nothing new to meaningfully improve your life.
Not so! One easy-to-miss addition is an updated NFC tag, which has been repositioned from the centre of the device in the Google Pixel 10 series to the top of the Pixel 11.
I don’t know about you, but figuring out the sweet spot where your phone’s NFC point can interact with a shop or stall’s payment point is a whole new area of awkward social interaction that I didn’t need in my life.
It seems the Pixel 11 goes some way to mitigating that, at least on the user’s side. The change should also make it quicker and smoother for time-sensitive taps like going through public transport barriers.
Tap to Share finally here
We mention this repositioned NFC tag for another reason. Besides easier contactless payments, it should also optimise a new feature that has been rumoured since last year – and it’s one that we’ve been rather excited about.
Tap to Share is essentially Google and Android’s version of Apple’s NameDrop on iOS. It lets you exchange contact information, photos, videos, and more simply by tapping your phone to another.
It works via the Quick Share framework, and while it’s starting out on Pixel devices (Pixel 6 onwards), Google says that it’s coming soon to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8.
What’s more, it’ll be expanding to “more Android devices by the end of the year.”
