How To Use Nfc On The iPhone
Depending on the iPhone model, there are different ways to use the NFC function. Starting with iOS 14, the NFC Tag Reader function is available by default to all users who have at least an iPhone 7. So if you own an iPhone 7 or newer, you no longer need a third-party app to read NFC tags. You can turn this feature on by tapping the NFC button in the control center and hold your iPhone near an NFC tag to trigger an action.
If the button is not visible on your screen, you may need to add it to the Control Center. Proceed as follows:
The iPhone XS , iPhone XR, iPhone 11 as well as iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone SE models, on the other hand, feature the so-called Background Tag Reading function. NFC tags can thus be read automatically as soon as the iPhone screen is switched on without having to start the NFC Tag Reader first. The iPhone then looks for corresponding signals in the background. When a tag is detected, a notification appears on the display, prompting the user to open the item in the respective NFC app.
Since iOS 13 and from iPhone 7 on, it is no longer only possible to read NFC tags, but also to write them using an NFC app. Within such an app, tags can also be written by the user and linked to actions .
Create Custom Nfc Automations Using Shortcuts
Which iPhones Support Nfc
Although the first NFC-enabled smartphones were introduced in 2008, NFC support at Apple only started with the iPhone 6 in 2014. Since then, Apple has equipped all models with NFC support, making contactless payment and other features possible for Apple users.
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How To Trigger Shortcuts With Nfc Tags
To trigger the action you created, place your device on top of the NFC tag, and you will receive a notification that the action is being run .
Figure B
If the action requires that the Shortcuts app is open, you will see a small arrow icon in the notification. Tapping the notification opens the Shortcuts app and runs the actions that you set up.
Why This Is Important

For a large number of use cases such as access control, authentication, round management, asset management and so on, it’s never been a significant problem that Apple phones didn’t fully support NFC. However, for widespread consumer use, NFC was never going to take hold without the iPhone. When Apple launched the iPhone Xr and Xs with background tag scanning this was clearly a step forward, but at the time, many users were still on older iPhones. While it was it possible for the older phones to scan tags, realistically an App download creates a significant barrier.
The release of iOS 14 and the inclusion of a native NFC tag reader changes this. From now, users will be able to scan NFC tags from the iPhone 7 onwards without any additional requirements. This opens up a substantial market for NFC in marketing and product tagging.
In addition, it also increases awareness. Many users may never have been aware of NFC but will now start to see the new icon and discover how NFC and scanning NFC tags might help them. It might be scanning an NFC tag to view a contactless restaurant menu or tapping a tag in a shop window to see details of a job or a property. Or perhaps scanning an NFC tag in clothing to see it’s history or a tag in a product to download an instruction manual. All these use cases become easier to implement with native tag reading.
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How To Activate Nfc On iPhone
How to activate NFC en iPhone. You have a iPhone, Apple’s popular smartphone, and you have learned to master many of its features. However, there is one that simply eludes you, but might actually be useful in some situations: it’s the NFC, that chip that you have heard so much about in the field of electronic payments but that you seem to understand can also be used to carry out other operations. Well, if that’s the case and you want to know more about the iPhone’s compatibility with the technology NFC, I’d say you don’t have to worry as you’ve come to the right place!
In fact, in today’s tutorial I will explain how to activate NFC on iPhone. In case you were wondering, I will analyze this chip in detail, illustrating what activities it can be useful for and indicating the procedure to activate it on your smartphone.
I also won’t stop providing you with all the case details on how you can actually use it, once enabled on your iPhone. In summary, I am going to analyze the subject in 360 degrees.
Best iPhone Nfc Apps To Program Nfc Tags
For the tutorial purpose, we used the NFC Tools app from App Store to read and write NFC tags on my iPhone. There are plenty of other NFC programming apps available to write data on NFC tags right from your iPhone. Here are some of them.
- NFC for iPhone
- NFC Tag Manager
Most of these apps are free to use the basic functions of NFC. You can get premium versions for more advanced features.
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What If My Phone Does Not Have Nfc
But not every Android phone does support NFC, and many are actively released without it. If you dont have one, you may not have Near-Field Communication .
To check for sure, head to settings and look for NFC in the wireless device settings, or just search for it.
Last Words -:
The Last Word is quite simple -: All you have to do is tap your iPhone to another device thats NFC-enabled. Or simply hold the top back of your iPhone close to an NFC tag. Then, the iPhone reads the NFC tag and displays a notification on its screen.
How To Set Up The Nfc Tag Trigger In Ios 13
The Apple Shortcuts app is already installed on your iOS 13 devices and is used to create custom automations for your iOS devices. With iOS 13, Apple added the ability to create custom automations using various triggers. One of the new triggers in the app is using NFC tags to trigger shortcuts when your device is near one of the tags. Youll find this feature in the new Automation tab of the Shortcuts app.
Figure A
Use any of the actions in the Shortcuts app when setting up this automation, HomeKit actions included.
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Can Nfc Be Hacked
Different types of attacks
However, for the past ten years, much university research has shown that it is possible to listen to a 13.56MHz NFC or RFID communication up to a distance of 30 to 40m. . The second hacker then holds his own smartphone in front of your companys badge reader or in front of a NFC payment device.
How To Turn On Nfc On iPhone :
If youre wondering how to activate NFC on your iPhone Xs, the good news is that there are several ways to do so. First, you should check to see if your phone is already enabled. Then, go to your phones settings and find NFC. Depending on your model, you can find NFC under the wireless or network settings. If its not, you may need to download the app to enable NFC.
If you havent tried using NFC, you should start by reading the manual that came with your phone. Many Apple products include the chip, but you cannot turn it off. The iPhone will only activate it when you use it and will turn it off automatically when youre not using it. To use the NFC chip, make sure the card is near the top of your phone. This will ensure that your phone can read the tag or text field on the card.
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Does My iPhone Have Nfc What iPhones Are Nfc
All the iPhones released in recent years have NFC. In fact, every iPhone since iPhone 6, which came out in 2014, has a built-in NFC chip. If you need details just to be sure, heres the whole list of iPhones that are NFC-enabled:
- iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE
- iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus
- iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone SE
iPhone 13 has NFC built-in
TIP: If youre not sure about your model, read our guide to find out what iPhone you have.
The first generation of iPhones with NFC – the iPhone 6 models – limited this functionality to just payments via Apple Pay. However, iPhone 7 and newer models allow the use of NFC for reading NFC tags as well, using 3rd party apps.
Furthermore, starting with iOS 13 and the release of iPhone XS and XR, iPhones can also encode blank NFC tags using third-party NFC apps such as NFC for iPhone or NFC TagWriter by NXP.
And, finally, starting with iPhone XS and going all the way to iPhone 12 and iPhone 13, these smartphones are also able to read NFC tags in the background. In other words, you no longer have to install 3rd party apps and manually read NFC tags: just tap your iPhone to an NFC tag, and it will automatically identify it.
iPhone NFC compatibility and features
Why Is My Nfc Not Working On iPhone

Its possible that even if an Apple Pay-ready terminal will work with your phone, its NFC reader hasnt properly detected Apple Pay. If you find that simply holding your phone up to the terminal doesnt work, try selecting a card manually. To do this, go into the Wallet app, then select the card you want to use.
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How To Use Nfc Tag Reader On iPhone
Did you know that your iPhone is equipped with an NFC chip that enables compatible iOS apps to connect with and read data from real-world objects? This has a range of uses, from payments to instant wireless connections and more. If youre curious about this technology, lets check out what exactly is involved and how to use the NFC tag reader on iPhone.
Nfc Tags For The Apple iPhone 11
The table below illustrates the available NFC tags and their compatibility with your phone. As phone specifications can change without notice and also vary from region to region, we strongly advise testing tags before any purchase.
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
ST25TN512 | Yes |
Note for iPhone users: The ICODE SLIX and ICODE SLIX2 tags need to have already been encoded before some iPhone Apps will be able to encode them. We suggest using the NFC Tools app with these chips for encoding or ask Seritag to encode something onto the tags without locking.
How much memory do I need ?
Depending on what information you need to store on your NFC tags, you will have different memory requirements. NFC Tags have a very limited memory so getting a tag that will store everything you need is important. Seritag have put together some information on how much memory you will need in your NFC Tag.
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The Best Ways To Use Nfc
Once you’ve got a compatible smartphone, rewritable NFC tags, and downloaded a tag writing app, you can then begin to make the most of what NFC can offer. As the tags can be rewritten, you can experiment with your own automated setup. That said, there are plenty of NFC uses that you can get started with right away.
Where Is The Nfc Button On iPhone 11
The iPhone 11 comes with an embedded NFC chip, but you can still use this feature without touching the button. If you have an older model of the iPhone, the embedded NFC chip is still a great option for making mobile payments. In addition, iOS 11 supports background tag reading. When you are out and about, you can read the NFC tag on an album jacket. Then, just sign out and back in to use your iPhone to make a mobile payment.
The iPhone also comes with an NFC reader. It is located in the Control Center. Just swipe up to activate the NFC reader. After activating it, tap gently on the tag to read its content. The iPhone then displays the information on the tag. If you do not want to use the NFC reader, you can choose to use the traditional Bluetooth connection. The Bluetooth pairing process is a little more complicated and requires a Bluetooth connection. However, if you dont have Bluetooth, you can still use your iPhone with an NFC tag reader.
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Hold Your Phone Close To An Nfc Tag To Read It
How Can You Tell If Someone Is Spying On Your Phone
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Password Protect Nfc Tag Using iPhone
There is no limit to the number of times you can rewrite data on an NFC tag. That means if you program an NFC tag and install in a public place, anybody can rewrite and add something else to it. The best measure to prevent this is to lock the NFC card. However, it will permanently disable the NFC tag from rewriting ever again. Hopefully, we can password protect an NFC tag temporarily.
Once you set a password to the NFC tag, no one else will be able to write anything to the NFC tag unless the password is removed. You can remove passwords with NFC programming apps like NFC Tools, but you need to know the password first.
How To Read Nfc Tags On iPhone

NFC is not a new technology and has existed on both Android and iPhones for a couple of years now. You can pay for stuff, exchange data, authenticate devices, and share your contact among other things using NFC. NFC tags are super versatile little objects that can store information that can be read by any iPhone equipped with NFC. Lets understand how you can read NFC tags on iPhone in more detail.
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Hugeapple Releases Nfc App Clips Feature For Ios 14
With Apple’s newest released iOS 14, users with iPhone X and higher are able to quickly access NFC enabled applications without users having to download them to their device. What’s this mean? It means that a quick touch of NFC may instantly connect you to menu’s, music, rentals, simple payments, etc… without having to download an each for each service.