Google is removing the NFC Smart Unlock feature from Android only for people who are making a new connection.
It's not uncommon for Google to remove features from Android. In fact, this has happened many times when it's time to rehabilitate or retire technology that's no longer relevant to the current generation of users.
Removing NFC Smart Unlock for new connections is a strange decision because it doesn't really fit the established pattern. It wasn't an old technology, it's still a relatively new addition, and it's quite possible that most users didn't even know it existed.
The feature allowed phones to act as a true security token based on NFC technology, eliminating the need for a third-party device.
The fact that Google is removing NFC Smart Unlock isn't the real problem. It's their product and they can do whatever they want, but it would be good if they gave users some explanation as to why it was removed.
A Reddit user has put together a comprehensive description of the problem, but the possible motivations for the decision are still unclear. What we do know is that NFC Smart Unlock is no longer available for people who will now log in to Android, but users who are currently logged in will continue to use it.
The developers have yet to say why this feature is no longer available, and it was just mentioned in a report from the Google Issue Tracker: “The SmartLock NFC feature has been removed for new users. If you are not already an NFC user, you will not see this option.”
One possible explanation is that NFC Smart Unlock has some kind of vulnerability that can't be fixed immediately via a software update, and the easiest solution is to simply remove it. Since this is a new technology, it's likely that we'll see something similar arrive in the near future to replace it.
