Two ways to use it
What it shows others, and what it does for you
A link, for any phone
Write a URL on the chip. Anyone with an NFC phone taps it, screen on: Android opens the page, iPhone shows a banner to tap. No app on their side (iPhone XS and later).
A trigger, for your phone
Your own phone can recognise the tag and run an automation: change mode, start a timer, open an app. On iPhone this uses the Shortcuts app, on Android an automation app.
On iPhone, and on Android with Tasker, the automation is tied to the tag's serial number, so the link you wrote still works for everyone else. Your own iPhone shows the link banner as well as running the automation; just dismiss it. MacroDroid and NFC Tasks write their own data onto the chip and erase the link, so use a second tag for those.
For SEOs
Put your entity on a keyring
Your slides
On stage: tap at the end of the talk, get the deck.
Count your taps
Add ?src=tag to the link on the chip and your analytics show how many conversations the tag started.
An audit offer
A page made for prospects you meet in person, with a code that tells you where they came from.
Phone modes by colour
One colour, one setting
Stick or hang a tag where the moment happens. Tap your phone on it and it switches to the right mode. With tags in different colours, you know which is which at a glance. Pair each colour with a word on the back, or keep to two or three colours that differ in lightness.
Car
Driving focus on, Bluetooth on, directions home, your podcast resumes. A second tag on the dashboard can save where you parked.
Bedside
Do not disturb, alarm set, screen dimmed, charging reminder.
Desk
Work focus, start a time tracker for the client you bill, open your dashboards.
Conference or meeting
Silent mode, a note opened with the session title, the timer for your talk.
Gym or run
Workout started, playlist on, notifications off.
Colours shown are examples from the tag colour studies.
Travel and lost items
So that what you lose can find its way back
Luggage
Hang a tag on your bag with a page that says how to reach you: phone, email, the city you live in. A finder taps, you get your bag back.
Keys
A "found these keys?" page with a contact. Nothing that identifies the lock.
Laptop and camera bag
Same idea, plus a reward line. People are kinder when they know someone is waiting.
Emergency contact
On a bag or a child's backpack, a page with one phone number to call and nothing else. Same rule as the luggage page: no home address.
Trip folder
Your own tag in your pocket: tickets, booking, the hotel address, ready in one tap at the desk.
Prefer a page you control over raw details written on the chip: you can update it, and you can take it offline. Avoid your home address on a bag, it tells everyone the house is empty.
Home and office
Small rituals, one tap each
Front door
Leaving: lights off, heating down. Coming home: your evening scene.
Guest Wi-Fi
Android phones can join a network written on the tag. For iPhones, link a page with the password or a Wi-Fi QR code.
Kitchen
Start a timer, open the shopping list, log the coffee you just made.
Plants, pets, medicine
Tap to log "done" in a note or a habit app. No more "did someone already…?".
Your pet's collar
A "found me?" page with your number, updated from your phone when you travel.
Meeting room
Book the room, open the call, start the recorder.
Holiday rental
For hosts: the house guide, checkout time and local tips behind one tap.
How to set it up
Write a link
- Install a free NFC writer, for example NFC Tools (iPhone or Android).
- Write, Add a record, URL, paste your link, then Write.
- Hold the tag to the top edge of an iPhone, or the middle of the back of an Android phone, until it confirms. Test it with another phone.
Use it as a trigger
iPhone: Shortcuts app
Automation, New, NFC, scan the tag, name it, then add actions: focus mode, Bluetooth, timer, open an app. Choose Run immediately to skip the confirmation. Your link on the chip stays intact.
Android: Tasker, MacroDroid or NFC Tasks
Create an NFC trigger for this tag, then the actions: sound profile, Bluetooth, app launch. Tasker keeps your link; MacroDroid and NFC Tasks overwrite it. Wi-Fi switching needs a helper app on Android 10 and later.
How much fits: a web address of up to about 130 characters is safe on any tag. Longer links, with tracking parameters for instance, should go through a short link. A full contact card does not fit; point the tag to a hosted .vcf file instead.
Keep it safe
A tag in public can be rewritten
An unlocked tag can be rewritten by anyone with an NFC writer. On a tag you carry in public, set a write password in NFC Tools (Other, Set password) so only you can change it. The password stops rewriting, not reading: anything on the chip stays readable, so never write a Wi-Fi key or personal details you would not print on the tag. Locking is the other option: permanent, it can never be changed again. Automations live on your own phone only; they expose nothing to whoever taps your tag.