Start with the phone
The phone is locked or asleep
Wake and unlock it. Android usually looks for tags while the screen is unlocked. An iPhone needs to be in use, and one that has just restarted won't read a tag until it has been unlocked once.
The camera or Wallet is open
On a supported iPhone, background reading is off while the camera or Apple Pay Wallet is in use, while another app is using NFC, and in Airplane Mode. Close them and try again.
NFC is switched off on Android
Samsung: Settings, Connections, NFC and contactless payments. Pixel: Settings, Connected devices, Connection preferences, NFC, Use NFC. On other brands, search for "NFC" in Settings.
A banner appeared and nobody noticed
iPhones show a banner that has to be tapped, and Android's documentation says Android 17 shows a notification for web links. The tag worked, and the page is one more tap away.
It is an older iPhone
iPhone 7, 8 and X need the NFC reader turned on from Control Center. Older models are not on Apple's list. Use the QR code. See the full list of phones.
The phone has no NFC at all
Some phones don't have it, and nothing appears when they touch a tag, because a tag has no power of its own to show an error. Use the QR code.
Then the contact between phone and tag
The phone is in the wrong spot
The antenna's position varies. Google says it could be near the top or the middle of the phone. Hold the phone flat against the tag and move it slowly.
The case is too thick or magnetic
Google warns about thick cases, and Samsung about thick or magnetic cases and LED covers. Take the case off and try again. If that fixes it, the case was the cause.
Then the tag and what is under it
If several phones fail on the same tag, stop checking phones and look at the tag.
It is sitting on metal
Standard passive tags may perform poorly or not at all on metal, according to NXP. A common fix, according to the tag maker Avery Dennison, is a ferrite-backed tag, because the ferrite keeps the radio field off the metal. Watch out for metal hidden under a wood or stone top.
It is on glass, stone, wood or plastic
We have not found a primary source saying these work, and coated or mirrored glass might behave more like metal. Try the tag in place before you stick it down.
The tag opens the wrong page
The chip is working, so look at what it holds. An unlocked tag can be rewritten, and a sticker can be placed over a real one. Check nothing has been stuck on top, and ask your supplier whether your tags are locked. Then check that the link itself still works.
The tag opens a page that won't load
The chip only holds the link. The guest still needs signal or Wi-Fi to load the page, so try on mobile data. If it still fails, the problem is the link, not the tag.
If you run the venue
- Test every tile with an iPhone and an Android phone, before opening and after moving furniture.
- Keep a QR code in reach. A tile is tap only, and some guests will never get NFC to work.
- Tell staff the one-line fix: "Unlock your phone and hold it flat on the tile."
Planning a whole room? See Planning NFC table tiles.
Sources
- Apple Developer: background tag reading
- Apple: iPhone models and the NFC reader (iOS 15 guide)
- Android Developers: NFC basics
- Google Pixel Help: NFC settings
- Samsung UAE: NFC issues on Galaxy devices
- Google Wallet Help: antenna position and phone cases
- NXP: AN12339, antenna design guide for NTAG 5 Boost (its introduction, on metal environments)
- Avery Dennison: NFC tags on metal
- NXP: NTAG213/215/216 datasheet
- W3C Web NFC mailing list: stickers over tags, and writable tags