Simply NFC - Tag Writer/Reader

Category

Description of App

Simply NFC is the most powerful and simple NFC reader available. Simply tap the “Read NFC” button to start scanning for NFC tags and then place the back of your phone to the tag. It’s that simple! No external hardware required (requires iPhone 7 or above)! The tag content will be read, stored in your history, and opened automatically on the device with the appropriate app or function. With configured tags, you can even trigger HomeKit scenes that were preconfigured in the Home app!

To read NFC tags even faster, you can launch the scanning through 3D touch quick actions by hard pressing on the app icon, or changing a setting to have the NFC reader start when opening the app.

Have a bunch of tags? Enable Multi-Scan mode and scan all of them in one session to view all the results at once.

One can also export the scanned history to txt tab delimited, csv comma delimited, or csv tab delimited files. Useful for tracking events!

Want to ask Siri to start scanning a tag? iOS 12 users now have access to Siri Shortcuts to have Siri scan a single or multiple tags.

Want a widget or iMessage extension? Simply NFC has a widget which allows quick access to scanning tags and viewing your history and an iMessage extension which allows easy sharing of your history.

Simply NFC supports the following tag content:

-Text Content: View whatever text is on the tag.
-URL Content: Opens the URL in your web browser to navigate to webpages using http or https or even other URL types such as file://.
-vCard Contact Content – If you have contact information in the vCard format, the contact import window will appear with the contact information prefilled. You can then choose to modify any content and then add the contact.
-SMS Content: Opens an SMS window prefilled in with the tag content such as number and message. You can then choose to add more or send the SMS.
-Email Content. Open an email window prefilled in with the tag content such as subject and body. You can then choose to add more to the email or send the email.
-Telephone Content: Brings up the option to call the provided number.
-App Launching Content: Certain apps contain Uri schemes to open them. Scanning a tag containing this Uri will open that app. Simply NFC also has a Uri scheme “simplynfc://”!
-Location Content: Tags with coordinates will display the coordinate on a map.
-HomeKit Scene Content: Trigger the HomeKit scene that is written on the tag. HomeKit scenes must be preconfigured inside of the Home app.
-Wifi Configuration Content: Scan a Wifi configuration tag to have your device connect to the network provided in the tag.

HomeKit scenes can be triggered by any tags written with the text “homekitscene:SCENE_NAME”. The scene name entered here will be triggered when the tag is scanned.

One can also trigger the NFC scanner on their phone remotely by using the Apple Watch app!

We love to hear from our customers so feel free to contact us if you have any questions, concerns, issues, bugs, suggestions, etc. If you have any new features you would like to see, feel free to let us know.

*Note: NFC Scanning is only supported on iPhone 7 and above.*

Version

1.70

Free or Paid

Free With In-App Purchase

Apple Watch Support

Yes

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

iOS Version

12.2

Accessibility Comments

The app is very accessible and easy to use.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads all page elements.

Button Labeling

All buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

The app is fully accessible with VoiceOver and is easy to navigate and use.

Other Comments

This app is extremely useful. When I mentioned unlabeled buttons for VoiceOver users in my other-wise positive review the developer immediately fixed them in the next release. The main screen of the app has a Settings button, a History button, a button to start scanning for an NFC tag, and a switch to turn off and on multi-scan mode. Once a tag is detected the app displays the text found in the tag or caries out the action specified by the tag. The text isn't automatically read aloud, but a right flick will bring VO focus to it to be read. There are copy and share buttons for text. If a tag provides other useful options they are also accessible to a Voiceover user. You can read through the previously scanned tags in the history and perform actions with them. Double tapping an item in the history will redo the default action of the tag, like going to a URL. Use actions in VoiceOver rotor to bring up the share sheet or delete an item.

Recommendations

1 people have recommended this app

Most recently recommended by CuriousNetEntity 5 years 6 months ago

Options

Comments

By CuriousNetEntity on Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 22:18

This app is very useful and is now also very accessible. I was able to acquire a NFC reader/writer for my Mac and a lot of stickers and washable plastic NFC tags. Now I have been labeling all kinds of things. This app is the best I've tried for reading those tags I've created. I only wish there were more NFC tags to be found in common use. I loved how it can read a VCard tag and let you do anything you might want to do with that information. I can't compare using this app with using Wayaround because I don't have an account or any of their special tags. This is the app to use if you want to read tags made by others.

By peter on Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 22:18

and what do you use for writing NFC tags? If you purchase some tags some place can you write them with some kind of iPhone app?

--Pete

By Stelios Platsis on Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 22:18

Hello,
does anyone know how we can write NFC tags in some way?
I know it is done with Android devices but I would like some other way.

By CuriousNetEntity on Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 22:18

In reply to by Stelios Platsis

So far iOS devices do not have the capability of writing NFC tags. The only way to write them is with another device. There are bluetooth NFC reader/writers that work with iOS, but they tend to be quite expensive. I would like one, but I went with a USB one for my computer because it was a lot cheaper.

By Stelios Platsis on Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 22:18

In reply to by CuriousNetEntity

Hello

could you give me more information about this device? The application is accessible;
I am interested in this.

Thank you very much.

By peter on Sunday, April 21, 2019 - 22:18

Since the WayAround app can presumably write these tags to their custom tags, can it also write to other tags? Maybe any tag will work. Don't know. Maybe worth a shot trying to write a tag with the WayAround app not using one of their tags.

--Pete