Pro1X, Nfc only working for some tag-types

[Stt_ryan 8]

some oddities so far, but the most concerning is that the nfc reader does not appear to be working on Android. i have a yubikey for a lot of security items. I cannot get the phone to detect the yubikey.

any ideas?

[EskeRahn 5,350]

Is this Pro1 or Pro1X?

[Benni 183]

AFAIK the NFC Antenna is near the camera at the top - are you trying to read it there?

[EskeRahn 5,350]

The reader is working on my Pro1 with Stock Android.
And yes,at the top (seen in portrait) I believe it is between the logo and the camera

[VaZso 1,988]

1 minute ago, EskeRahn said:

The reader is working on my Pro1 with Stock Android.
And yes,at the top (seen in portrait) I believe it is between the logo and the camera

Right, it also works for me under Pro1 on LineageOS (also worked under stock Android).
It works perfectly well for NFC payment but it needs to be positioned near cameras).

As of Pro1-X, I would think it is also near camera but we have no experience yet...

[Stt_ryan 8]

Thank you everyone for your assistance. I am happy to be joining what appears to be a very friendly and supportive community.
With the exception of this issue I am extremely happy with the Pro1-X. It is fast, the keyboard is really nice, the hinge is really high quality, and the overall build quality is very impressive. Yes, it is a little heavy but I actually prefer that as I tend to drop lighter objects.

Now back to the point:
I am using the Pro1-X. I have specifically tried near the camera, the logo, everywhere in-between. I have tried the Yubikey all over the phone. Absolutely no response.
Because everyone is too polite to ask (thank you) and I didn't mention it before, NFC is turned on in the settings.

(2 hours, side-by-side comparison with old phone, and thorough research later...)
I tried the same on my old phone (still my primary phone, Unihertz Titan Pocket, good phone odd screen size) and it had no issues. So I know the issue is not with the Yubikey.

After extensive testing and the installation of other NFC tools, I am beginning to suspect that there is a security item in Android 11 that I cannot see/control from the system settings. I see multiple comments of people having trouble with Yubikeys on Android 11 due to a new separation of access.
Since I am not able to use this as my daily phone yet, I am willing to test this theory.
For those who have installed LineageOS, would this be an effective guide (https://slions.net/threads/lineage-os-for-f-x-tec-pro1.90/) or is there a more recent recommended approach.
I acknowledge any mistakes I make are my own responsibility.

[Hook 2,821]

13 minutes ago, Stt_ryan said:

For those who have installed LineageOS, would this be an effective guide (https://slions.net/threads/lineage-os-for-f-x-tec-pro1.90/) or is there a more recent recommended approach.

There isn't yet a Lineage version for the Pro1x.  You'll have to wait for that.  The version for the Pro1 will not work.  You probably are aware of that, but wanted to make sure, not insult your intelligence.  😉

[Stt_ryan 8]

57 minutes ago, Hook said:

There isn't yet a Lineage version for the Pro1x.  You'll have to wait for that.  The version for the Pro1 will not work.  You probably are aware of that, but wanted to make sure, not insult your intelligence.  😉

🙂 Thank you. I thought I saw it was ready, but I was certainly wrong. Ubuntu Touch kind of is, but is in the community channel (not sure how I mixed that up).
Appreciated.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

Just to be sure, have you tried other nfc-items? That is do we know if it is general or specific to yubikey ?
I tried my Titan slim on Android 11, and nfc works out of the box.

I will try to install installed AICP-R and AICP S, on my test unit Pro1 to see it it is related to Android 11 / 12
ADD I, just tried AICP-R on a Pro1, and it worked out of the box installing "NFC tools" for test.
ADD II, just tried the broken AICP-S on a Pro1, and it worked out of the box (well after the boot-loop) installing "NFC tools" for test.

So the issues seems to be related to Pro1X, (or your specific specimen?) - best case some other setting that is needed somewhere??

Will test more once I get a Pro1X myself, if you have not found a solution by then...
.
(Have tried with two completely different tags, none of them 'yubikey ')

[frantisek.rezac 6]

Have anyone successfully used some NFC tag or gadget on Pro1X? I have tried using Yubikey NEO that's working on another phone via OpenKeychain and when it was not working I have tried some plain NFC tag with URL and none of them worked. I have tried puttin it to all possible places on the phone but nothing. NFC is turned on in settings so I don't know what may be wrong...

[Benni 183]

I successfully read a tag that stored a Wifi config. Try using the top left of the phone

Edited August 20, 2022 by Benni

[EskeRahn 5,350]

I also read a NFC-tag on the late sample Pro1X.
I have two other tags that can be read by the Pro1, but NOT the Pro1X.

I edited the title slightly.

This tag works on Pro1X, Pro1 (and Titan Slim also on stock Android 11)

 

This tag I only managed to get to work once(!) a few times with the Pro1X after maybe once every 100 retry. Else i get "NFC read error. Try again." (Pro1 & Slim OK)

 

 

Have not been able a really hard time to get this one to work at all on the Pro1X. (Pro1 & Slim OK)
But I CAN get it working, holding it exactly right!

[EskeRahn 5,350]

I tried to look a little closer at the antennas

The simple foil tag (outer circle about 25mm):

 

Put light through the travellers card and the credit cards to see antenna structure of the two cards. (and recreated in paint, not exact measurements at all)

This is the one that is seen but is really hard to get working

 

And this one with a fairly complex antenna loop is usually completely ignored, but I CAN get it working, holding it exactly right!

(all three works flawlessly on the Pro1)

[EskeRahn 5,350]

I got all three working, after studying the antennas, and it is really picky on how it is placed for the credit cards with the 'large' antennas.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

Danish passports with chips has an antenna like the travellers card above, and has the same issues. Can be read by the Pro1X, but not easily.

I would guess it is the same system for all (or at the least many) countries with passports with chips.

[frantisek.rezac 6]

On 8/20/2022 at 9:22 PM, frantisek.rezac said:

Have anyone successfully used some NFC tag or gadget on Pro1X? I have tried using Yubikey NEO that's working on another phone via OpenKeychain and when it was not working I have tried some plain NFC tag with URL and none of them worked. I have tried puttin it to all possible places on the phone but nothing. NFC is turned on in settings so I don't know what may be wrong...

I got all tags working after a hint here about the placement and I can confirm that the phone is very picky about the location - the tags were read only when placed on the camera sensor or very close to it according to their own position of the antenna. That's the trick.

[frantisek.rezac 6]

On 8/21/2022 at 11:14 PM, frantisek.rezac said:

I got all tags working after a hint here about the placement and I can confirm that the phone is very picky about the location - the tags were read only when placed on the camera sensor or very close to it according to their own position of the antenna. That's the trick.

I was too quick in announcing the success :(. After I had success with old Yubikey NEO I bought a new Yubikey 5C NFC (NEO is not capable to hold my PGP keys) and that don't work no matter the position of the tap (I spent a nice day trying today, so I'm sure). Since it works on other phone and other tags work on Pro1X there is no room for other explanation that the NFC field is as bad on Pro1X as other radio - wifi and gsm. I wonder if it's because of the metalic body of the phone and if yes then if changing it for a plastic one would help. I would gladly sacrifice design for functionality although I like the blue a lot.

[EskeRahn 5,350]

1 hour ago, frantisek.rezac said:

I was too quick in announcing the success :(. After I had success with old Yubikey NEO I bought a new Yubikey 5C NFC (NEO is not capable to hold my PGP keys) and that don't work no matter the position of the tap (I spent a nice day trying today, so I'm sure). Since it works on other phone and other tags work on Pro1X there is no room for other explanation that the NFC field is as bad on Pro1X as other radio - wifi and gsm. I wonder if it's because of the metalic body of the phone and if yes then if changing it for a plastic one would help. I would gladly sacrifice design for functionality although I like the blue a lot.

There surely is some difference, but for the tags where it works flawless they are detected at the same distance as on the Pro1, so unlikely to be a signal strength issue.

On the bank card with the weird loop I sketched above, the reader have to be precisely over the red three-wire 'centre-line' if I move just 1-2 mm above or below it does not see it! Nor does it If I turn the card.

The Pro1 sees it when insider the inner (four windings) loop, not the outer one winding, and is indifferent to the angle.

[BufferBear 9]

On 8/3/2022 at 4:43 AM, Stt_ryan said:

some oddities so far, but the most concerning is that the nfc reader does not appear to be working on Android. i have a yubikey for a lot of security items. I cannot get the phone to detect the yubikey.

any ideas?

Me too.  My yubikey (5 C) doesn't work on my Pro1 X.  Very frustrating being locked out of my accounts   not a techie so I do not follow the technical aspects of the discussion but I will attempt to place my keys in the positions suggested.

On 8/20/2022 at 8:22 PM, frantisek.rezac said:

Have anyone successfully used some NFC tag or gadget on Pro1X? I have tried using Yubikey NEO that's working on another phone via OpenKeychain and when it was not working I have tried some plain NFC tag with URL and none of them worked. I have tried puttin it to all possible places on the phone but nothing. NFC is turned on in settings so I don't know what may be wrong...

As above.

 

New issues:

fingerprint sensor has given up the ghost. 👻 It's not the end of the world as I kept touching it accidently resting in being locked at.  

The speakers are unpredictable when using landscape with the volume coming from apparently different locations from tim to time and at varying volumes.

Also, the volume is not v loud.  However, if I plug in earphones and press in the jack to the first point of connection)resistance the volume is crisp and loud.  When I fully push in the jack, the volume lowers. 🤔

Additionally, as I no longer have sensor access,  there are times that the button for alternative access does not to respond (screen remains black) I.e. activate the pin screen for long periods which means I cannot use the phone. 😳

🤔

Edited September 2, 2022 by BufferBear
Added last point

[EskeRahn 5,350]

9 hours ago, BufferBear said:

New issues:

It would be better to have these issues in separate threads, as others are unlikely to find them in an nfc thread... Thread on the pro1x speakers already exists.

[Maz 7]

It's specific to the yubikey which is a crypto token, not just a basic nfc tag. I have thousands of nfc tags and can get them all to scan reliably but not any of my 3 yubikeys.

Yubikeys are used as 2fa tokens so if you have it set up and the phone doesn't handle it, it makes it very hard to use the phone.

[lxvd 5]

My Google account is protected by the USB/NFC U2F tokens. When I turned on new Pro1x for the first time, it asked me to tap the token but there was no reaction on it. I had to confirm login on the other phone. Later I found that credit card reader app is able to read NFC cards, but Yubikey 5 and Google Titan keys are unreadable. I also cannot use yubico authenticator, even with OTG USB dongle.

[Benni 183]

5 hours ago, lxvd said:

My Google account is protected by the USB/NFC U2F tokens. When I turned on new Pro1x for the first time, it asked me to tap the token but there was no reaction on it. I had to confirm login on the other phone. Later I found that credit card reader app is able to read NFC cards, but Yubikey 5 and Google Titan keys are unreadable. I also cannot use yubico authenticator, even with OTG USB dongle.

AFAIK USB OTG is broken in the current firmware. This might be fixed with the current beta firmware.

[lxvd 5]

On 11/20/2022 at 11:28 PM, Benni said:

AFAIK USB OTG is broken in the current firmware. This might be fixed with the current beta firmware.

How can I get access to beta?

[Hook 2,821]

39 minutes ago, lxvd said:

How can I get access to beta?