Strange NFC problems

[Android Central Question]

I've had this issue since having my S8 edge, or maybe only after installing nougat. It's rather hard to tell; however android beam worked fine when I first booted up the phone and transferred old files, now it (and other features such as reading NFC tags, or connecting to NFC headphones) won't work.
However I feel the issue may be a software one, mainly because with NFC turned on it will "activate" other NFC devices, mainly a pair of Sony headphones; by turning them on however the phone won't try to connect to the headphones, not does it "acknowledge" they are there with the "nfc device found" popup.
Another thing that leads me to feel that it is software based is that after some updates it would find the headphones and connect to them, with a little coaxing and things like android beam would work.
Now if I bring the back of my old Xperia Z2 to my phone I get the "NFC beep" from it, but nothing from my phone, however disabling NFC on my s7 edge makes it "NFC invisible" to the Sony, turning NFC back on immediately gets the Sony to detect it again.

I'm no expert when it comes to electronics, but shouldn't the above mean that something in the phone's software is stopping it from fully interacting with NFC devices and tags but the fact that it can be turned off and on (causing my older Sony to not detect it or vice versa) mean that the NFC hardware is working okay, right?

Has anyone else experienced this, or does someone know what might be causing this to happen?

Thanks

 

[Rukbat]

NFC headphones? Maybe you mean Bluetooth headphones? NFC may enable some headphones to make the Bluetooth connection, but I don't think NFC has any way of transferring audio.

 

[David Daivdson]

@Rukbat
OP here, by "NFC" headphones naturally I mean Bluetooth headphones with an NFC component that when you swipe your phone by then they power on, your phone detects the NFC chip in them; knows that they are headphones then sets up a connection via Bluetooth. Maybe I should have been a little clearer on that, sorry.
With some headphones I can power them on and they connect immediately to my phone but what I loved with the NFC ones was that you just put them on, turned your phone screen on (usually to select a track or playlist) then swiped them.over the NFC part of the headphones and they were powered on and connected.
The model in question are a pair of Sony MDR ZX330BT, feel free to look them up.

At first I thought it might be a Sony issue since my last phone was a Sony, but a friend's S8+ has no problem powering them on (which my phone does) then detecting them by displaying "detected NFC device - MDR-ZX330BT" in the NFC popup window then a second "connecting to MDR-ZX330BT" then a third "connected".

It's not just the headphones that are what bothers me either, the phone fails to read contacted cards (credit and bus; both are encrypted so a phone just gives the usual NFC beep) other NFC enabled things like easy connect systems for the rent-a-bike system they have in my city and I would assume it would also fail at android pay or any other NFC based thing.

What bothers me though is the NFC powers the headphones on, when the NFC setting is switched off other phones won't detect it and such so it's like the NFC system is saying "Hey; I'm here" to anything it comes into contact with but doesn't hear the "oh hai, how's things; wanna.do some NFC stuff?" from the other NFC equipped device.

 

[Rukbat]

When the NFC is turned off, it's off, it's not supposed to work. It has to be enabled to work. What am I missing here?

 

[David Daivdson]

You might want to re-read things, no offence; I may have worded things poorly.
The issue is that the NFC on my s7 edge, when turned on does not work completely. It will be visible to other devices but the phone itself will act as if NFC is off, or that it is 'ignoring' any signal from another NFC device.

For example if you made an NFC tag that read "NFC Tag one" on your phone when you scanned it and had a red LED on the NFC tag that would light when it was scanned my phone would cause the LED to light, but not activate the tag.

Or if I have NFC and android beam on, then touch the back to another phone to mine (both with cases removed) only the other phone would detect an NFC device but since my phone won't "respond" to it's request to initiate android.beam (which is turned on in settings and has been double checked, disabled, the phone restarted; then re-enabled to try and get it to work on "my end") between updates/different versions of nougat I have been able to get android beam to work and with a few attempts; got the phone to recognize the headphones as an accessory and connect quickly via Bluetooth.

However after this most recent firmware update the phone refuses to "acknowledge" any NFC devices, even if they "acknowledge" it. My most cited example being the fact the phone powers a pair of headphones on (which unless they run NFC constantly; something (which I doubt since they have worked a month after not charging at full capacity) suggesting that my NFC chip is "energizing" the chip in the headphones which causes them to switch on but when the headphones try to send a "handshake" signal back to my phone and initiate a Bluetooth connection my phone either ignores this, or is unable to "see"/"hear" it.

To further break things down:
Another example phone (my friend's S8+):
- Bring back of example phone close to headphones.
-Headphones turn on
-phone detects that an NFC connection has been made and displays appropriate info boxes
-Example phone then connects via Bluetooth

My phone:
-Move phone over NFC chip on headphones
-Headphones power on
-Phone, despite powering them on refuses to acknowledge they exist.

Hope that helped clear things up for you and thanks for taking your time to help.