Does an NFC review card work on iPhone?
The short answer. Yes. iPhone XS, iPhone XR and every iPhone released since then read an NFC review card with no app: hold the top of the phone to the card, then tap the notification that appears. Older iPhones, back to iPhone 7, can only read NFC through a Control Centre button most people never use, so for them the printed QR code is the way in.
Which iPhones can tap an NFC review card?
- iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and every iPhone since. They read NFC cards in the background. No app, and nothing to open first.
- iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Only through the NFC Tag Reader button in Control Centre, on iOS 14 or later, which most people have never added or used. In practice these customers scan the QR code.
- iPhone 6s and older. They cannot read NFC cards at all, but their camera reads a QR code.
Where do you tap an NFC card on an iPhone?
Hold the top edge of the iPhone, near the camera, to the card. The iPhone’s NFC reader is at the top, so touching the card with the middle or the bottom of the phone does nothing. This catches people out, because on most Android phones the reader is in the middle of the back.
What does the customer see after tapping?
A notification drops down from the top of the screen with the card’s link. Tapping it opens the page in Safari. For a review card that page is the Google review box. Nothing is installed, and the iPhone opens nothing until the customer taps the notification.
Why does an iPhone sometimes not read the card?
- The screen is off. Background reading only works while the screen is on.
- The camera app is open, or Apple Pay or Wallet is in use.
- Airplane Mode is on.
- The phone is held with its middle or bottom to the card, not its top.
- A thick case, a metal plate or cards in a wallet case sit between the phone and the card.
- The phone is older than the iPhone XS.
In every one of these cases the printed QR code on the same card still works, which is why a review card for a shop counter should always carry one.
Does the customer need an app on iPhone?
No. Reading NFC cards is built into iOS on iPhone XS and later, and the iPhone camera reads QR codes by itself. The customer needs nothing beyond the phone in their hand and a Google account to post the review.
Is it safe to tap an NFC review card?
A review card holds a web link and nothing else, the same as a QR code. It cannot read the phone’s contacts, photos or payment cards, and the iPhone asks before it opens anything, by way of the notification.
And on Android phones?
Android phones with NFC read the card while the screen is unlocked. On most of them the reader is in the middle of the back, near the camera. NFC has to be switched on in settings. Some phones ship with it off, and some budget models have no NFC at all. The QR code covers all of them. For the fuller comparison, see NFC or QR code for Google reviews.
Who wrote this guide?
Tap2Review, which makes NFC and QR review plates for Indian shops, cafés, salons and clinics. Each plate has an NFC chip inside and a printed QR code on the face, and both open the shop’s Google review page. Plates start at ₹699, paid once, or come free with the Pro plan at ₹99 a month. Made and tested by hand in Pune. Shipped free across India. See the plans, or see what a customer sees.
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