NFC · 13.56 MHz · nothing to install
It's not a setting. It's a spot.
On every iPhone since 2018, NFC is always on — there is no switch to hunt for. On Android there is one, and it takes about six seconds. Either way, most taps fail for a simpler reason: the antenna is a coin-sized coil in one specific place on the back of your phone, and the tag has to sit over it.
- Wake the screen and unlock it. A locked phone will not read a tag. And switch NFC on — see below.
- Lay the marked spot flat on the tag. Not the middle of the phone. On iPhone it's the top of the back, right around the cameras.On most Android phones it's the centre or upper half of the back — it varies by model. If nothing happens, slide the phone slowly across the card until it catches.
- Hold still for two seconds. A banner drops down from the top. Tap the banner to open it — it won't open by itself.
Range ≈ 1 cm · works through paper, wood, glass, plastic · blocked by metal
iPhone — it's already on
Apple doesn't give you an NFC switch, because it never turns off. Find your model:
Just unlock and tap
Nothing to enable, nothing to download. Unlock the screen, hold the top of the phone to the tag, wait for the banner, tap it.
Add the reader to Control Center first
These models read tags, but only when you ask them to. Go to Settings › Control Center and add NFC Tag Reader. Then swipe into Control Center, tap NFC Tag Reader, and hold the phone to the tag. Needs iOS 14 or later.
These can't read tags at all
The NFC chip in them is wired for Apple Pay and nothing else — there's no setting or app that changes it. Ask a member of staff for the link instead.
Android — one switch, six seconds
Android hides NFC in a different menu on every brand. Skip the hunt:
Search your Settings for "NFC"
Open Settings, tap the magnifying glass, type NFC, tap the result, switch it on. Faster than any menu path. Or pull down twice from the top of the screen and look for an NFC tile in Quick Settings.
Prefer the long way? Four paths cover every Android phone:
The tap does nothing
In order of how often it's the culprit:
The case is in the way
Thick, metal, or magnetic cases, card wallets and PopSockets all kill the signal. Take the phone out and tap again.
You're tapping the middle
The coil is smaller than a coin. Move the phone slowly over the tag instead of holding it in one guess.
You moved too fast
It's not a card reader. Rest the phone on the tag and count to two.
The banner came and went
The tap worked — the banner just needs a tap of its own. Try again and watch the top of the screen.
The screen was off
Locked phones don't read tags, on any operating system. Wake it, unlock it, tap.
It's sitting on metal
A card on a metal counter or under a metal tray won't read. Move it onto wood, paper, or plastic.
For business owners
Getting more taps out of every tag
- Keep it off metal. Standard tags go dead against a metal surface. Table edges, card machines and metal stands need an on-metal tag with a ferrite layer.
- Don't stack tags. Two tags within a few centimetres of each other confuse the reader and neither will fire.
- Height matters more than placement. A card flat on the table gets ignored. Angled at eye level, right where people pay, is where taps actually happen.
- Say the gesture out loud. "Tap your phone here" beats any icon. Staff asking is the single biggest lift in review volume.
- Roughly 1 in 10 customers can't tap. Older iPhones, budget Androids, thick cases. Keep your review link somewhere staff can reach in a second, so a failed tap doesn't become a lost review.