The iPhone 7 and later can write NFC tags when running iOS 13 or newer; a third-party NFC tag writing app is also required. Writing an NFC tag is also referred to as encoding or programming an NFC tag. Once an NFC tag has been written, it can be read by other NFC capable devices to trigger the encoded action. Learn more about reading NFC tags on iPhones / iOS or general iPhone NFC compatibility.

Any iOS smartphone device older than the iPhone 7 cannot write NFC tags.

Writing NFC tags with an iPhone requires:

1. A supported iPhone model:

• iPhone 7 / 8 / X / XS / XR / 11 / 11 Pro

2. iOS 13 or newer

3. A third-party NFC tag writer app:

• We recommend NFC TagWriter by NXP

4. Blank or Unlocked NFC Tags

• See iOS NFC Tag Requirements below.

Although NFC triggered actions are possible with the Shortcuts app in iOS 13, Shortcuts does not actually write data to an NFC tag; instead, it reads the tag’s UID and then stores the programmed action locally on your device.

iOS NFC Tag Requirements

For an encoded NFC tag to be read by an iPhone via background tag reading the written tag must:

• Be NDEF formatted

• We recommend NTAG21x chip types as they are pre-formatted for NDEF data

• Contain at least 1 NDEF message with a URI record; if message contains multiple URI records, only the first one will be read

• URI record must contain either a Universal Link or a supported URL scheme

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