Do NFC business cards work on iPhone and Android?

Yes. NFC business cards work on iPhone XS, iPhone XR and every iPhone released since, with no app: the phone reads the card in the background and offers to open the profile. They also work on most modern Android phones, as long as NFC is switched on. iPhone 7, 8 and X can read cards too, but only through the NFC tag reader in Control Centre, so the QR code is usually quicker on those. Any phone that cannot read NFC at all can scan the QR code printed on the card.

Below are the questions people actually ask when they hand over an NFC card, answered one at a time.

01Which iPhones read NFC business cards?

Apple added background tag reading with iPhone XS and XR. On those models and everything newer, the phone listens for NFC tags whenever the screen is on, without opening an app. When it finds a card, a banner appears at the top of the screen. Tap the banner and Safari opens the profile.

02Which Android phones work?

Most Android phones from the last several years have NFC, since it is what makes tap-to-pay work. Android reads NFC tags natively, so there is nothing to install. The catch is that NFC can be switched off, and some budget models leave the chip out entirely. Models and menus vary a lot between makers, so the safest way to know is to check the phone itself.

1. 1

   Open Settings

   Search for "NFC" in the settings search bar. This is faster than hunting through menus, which differ between brands.

2. 2

   Switch NFC on

   The setting usually sits under connections, connected devices or more connection settings. If there is no NFC option at all, the phone probably has no NFC chip.

3. 3

   Wake and unlock the phone

   Android generally reads tags only when the screen is on and unlocked.

4. 4

   Hold the card to the back

   The page opens straight away or a notification appears, depending on the phone.

03Where exactly should you tap?

NFC only reaches a few centimetres, so where you hold the card matters more than how hard you tap. You do not need to touch the screen; the antenna is on the back.

• iPhone: the top edge of the back, near the camera. Bring the card to the top of the phone as if touching it to the camera bump.
• Android: usually the middle of the back, a little above centre. On some models it sits higher, near the camera.
• Folding phones: the position varies by model; try the centre of the back of whichever half faces you.

04Do phone cases block NFC?

Most ordinary cases are fine. NFC passes through thin plastic, silicone and leather without trouble. Problems usually come from:

• Very thick rugged cases that add distance
• Cases with metal plates or magnetic mounts on the back
• Wallet cases with bank or transit cards behind the phone, which can confuse the reader
• Pop-out grips stuck right over the antenna

If a case seems to block the card, try tapping a different part of the back, or take the phone out of the case once to confirm. And keep the QR code in mind: it ignores cases entirely.

05Do metal NFC cards work as well as plastic ones?

Metal and radio do not mix naturally, because metal reflects and absorbs the field the chip relies on. Metal NFC cards are therefore built differently from PVC ones, so the chip can still be read. In everyday use they work, but the reading distance can be a little shorter, so it helps to hold the card flat against the phone rather than hovering it nearby.

If you like the weight of metal, it is a perfectly practical choice. If you want the most forgiving read on every phone, PVC and wood are the easiest. You can compare all three on the cards page, or look closer at metal cards.

06What should you do if nothing happens?

Most failed taps come down to one of a few things. Work through them in order, and if the first two do not help within a few seconds, switch to the QR code. Nobody wants a troubleshooting session in the middle of an introduction.

07Does the other person need an app?

No. Supported iPhones and Android phones read the card with software built into the phone, and the profile opens in the normal browser. On older phones, the built-in camera app scans QR codes on its own on most models. The person you meet does not need an account either; they see your profile and can save you to their contacts with one tap.

08Does it matter which card brand I use?

For compatibility, much less than you might think. Phones read standard NFC tags the same way regardless of who made the card. What differs between brands is what happens after the tap: whether the profile loads quickly, whether it saves a proper contact, whether you can edit it, and whether you can re-point the card later.

With Nexus, each card links to a permanent address, so you can change your profile or move the card to a different profile without it ever going dead, and the printed QR code follows along. If you want the background on the technology itself, read how NFC business cards work.

The tap is the easy part. What matters is what opens, and whether it is still right a year from now.