With the NFC-enabled Google Wallet app arriving on more devices, more phones coming with NFC, and batteries not getting any bigger, is is safe to upgrade your battery? Given the fact that batteries in these phones have a message on them that indicate they include NFC inside the battery itself, can you you simply swap your battery? Will doing so make Google Wallet stop working? How does all this magical NFC stuff work, anyway?

We'll answer that, and more, in today's episode of the Android Guy Weekly!

What is NFC?

NFC, or Near Field Communication, is essentially just another transceiver inside your phone or tablet. NFC can let you share information between phones, read information from a sticker or sign, or even buy good and services as easily as you would with a credit card.

What differentiates NFC from your Bluetooth, WiFi, or cellular radios is primarily the distance it can cover, and the power it requires to run. NFC runs on a ridiculously little amount of power, but requires a fairly large antenna to work. That's where your battery comes in to play.

NFC in Your Battery?

Your battery has a large surface area which some manufacturers have decided is a good place to put an NFC antenna. Notice I said this was just the antenna, not the chip. The chip itself is integrated into your phone. Yes, you can safely replace or upgrade your battery — as long as it's made for your phone, and includes the necessary NFC innards.

For more details, check out the video.