Card Emulation Mode

In card emulation mode, the NFC device behaves as a contactless smart card, responding to commands from an external NFC reader. This mode powers mobile payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay), transit card emulation, and digital access credentials. The device's secure element or host card emulation (HCE) software handles cryptographic operations for payment and identity verification transactions.

Descripción técnica

The device responds passively to an external reader's RF field, behaving as an ISO 14443 target. In hardware-based card emulation, a secure element (SE) or embedded SE (eSE) handles APDU commands independently. In host card emulation (HCE, Android 4.4+), the device CPU processes APDUs via software. The SE/HCE generates dynamic EMV cryptograms for each transaction, ensuring payment security without exposing card credentials.