GX7 NFC operation

Richard Gilyead wrote:

Trying to get my new GX7 to talk to my Android phone using NFC. GX7 manual says "(on the camera) Set [NFC Operation] to [ON] but I can't find this option in any menu. Can anyone help?

How well NFC works depends on which phone you have (and which OS version). I have a Galaxy S3 and GX7, and the only issue I have had was when I set up my phone incorrectly. :-\

The two phone settings that messed me up were the NFC on/off (duh), and the "Auto network switch" setting that was added when I updated to 4.3 (from 4.1.x). NFC needs to be on, and "Auto network switch" has to be off. This might be called something else on different phones; it checks how good the internet connection is, and if bad, switches to a different network. However, since GX7 private network doesn't connect to the internet, my phone automatically switches back to the other network (WiFi or celluar). So turn this off!

To turn on NFC on my android phone, I just go into my Settings, and NFC is on the first tab. As long as it's enabled, or on, or checked, that's all that's needed. However Samsung has changed the Settings layout from the Nexus plain layout, and HTC and old phones also changed it (I hear current Motorola and I think Sony are pretty close to the Nexus look/feel in general). My older phone I rooted with CyanodenMod, so it's closer to Nexus standard, but the phone doesn't have NFC hardware, so NFC is not in the Settings at all. If you posted which phone you have, hopefully someone with that phone can help you with the details.

The Panasonic app, Image App, also needs to have just started running and nothing done yet. Don't press Wi-Fi, QR code or Cancel. Also be casreful, Panasonic has a few other apps for other cameras that look just like the Image App designed for the GX7, but as far as I know don't work with the GX7, and I believe one is called "Media App" as you mentioned in another part of this thread.

Yeah on my GF6 and the G6 we have on the house I don't need to touch anything at all after opening the app, but I do have to do that first, then just touch the phone to the camera and they'll connect.

The one thing that will definitely trip this up is if you're already connected to another Wi-Fi network, like your home network (or if your phone decides to connect to a public hotspot before the app/NFC takes over).

If the NFC process didn't require me to open the app first it'd be a lot more seamless, as it stands it's barely any quicker than the QR scanning system or manual connection selection schemes used by others. I hardly miss it on my GM1/E-M5 II, tho it was cool on paper.