How to send and receive files using Near Field Communication (NFC) on a BlackBerry 7.1 OS smartphone using BlackBerry Tag

The release of BlackBerry® 7.1 OS included the introduction of BlackBerry® Tag which is designed to offer the capability of sending and receiving files. Here’s a quick overview of how to do this using NFC on a BlackBerry 7.1 OS smartphone.

Before we begin, in order to use NFC, you must be using a BlackBerry® Bold™ 9900/9930 smartphone or a BlackBerry® Curve™ 9350/9360/9370 smartphone. Also, NFC may not be available for all BlackBerry 7.1 OS smartphones. Check with your local wireless service provider for more information.

Step One – Enabling NFC

To get started with NFC, you’ll need to turn it on first, and when it isn’t being used I’d recommend turning it off to save battery life. You can tell when NFC is enabled because an icon will show up in the connection details that appear on the top-right corner of your home screen (in the red box below). To enable NFC, complete the following:

1. Select “Manage Connections” from the home screen
2. Toggle Near Field Communication to “On”.

Step Two – Sending Files

After enabling NFC, to send a file (such as a picture in the example below) to another NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphone, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Pictures app
2. Highlight or open a photo you’d like to send
3. Press the Menu key and select “Send” followed by “Tag”

4. As per the prompt, align the backs of the two NFC- enabled smartphones to send the file.

5. On the receiving BlackBerry smartphone, accept the prompt to start receiving the file.

Let us know what you think, and if you have any questions, tell us and we will do our best to help!