NFC Tags + HomeKit in iOS13
With iOS 13, we now have the ability to use NFC (near field communication) tags to control our smart home and perform other tasks through our iPhones! Today we are going to set up 3 NFC tags to place in different areas that will control some of my HomeKit devices, as well as perform other tasks.
NFC Tags that I used in this video: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07…
Great video, Shane. I learned a lot and fell in love with the future possibilities.
But I tried to look for more information about this and I couldn’t find much.
I hope you can help me with these 3 doubts:
1 Should the iPhone be unlocked?
2 To be used on iPhone (I will use them on an iPhone 11), do the tags have to be of a specific model or practically any model can work?
3 Does any information stay written in the tag?
If no, can someone else program a different action on this same tag without deleting the previous info? Is it possible to change your mind and later program different actions for that same tag?
If yes, is there a way of deleting or rewriting the same tag afterwards?
Thank you in advance!!
Hi Carl,
Since you will be using an iPhone that supports “background tag reading” (includes iPhone XS / XR / 11 / 11 Pro), here are the answers to your questions:
1) Yes. Your phone should be unlocked with the display on to read the tag.
2) For use with the Shortcuts app, an NDEF-formatted tag is necessary. We’d recommend an NFC tag with an NTAG213 / 215 / 216 chip. [Checkout these: https://www.amazon.com/Blank-White-Metal-NFC-Tag/dp/B01135KABO/ ]
3) With the Shortcuts app, no information is actually “written” in the tag. Shortcuts reads the tag’s UID only and the triggered action-response is hosted on your device only. (i.e. If a friend’s iPhone taps the same tag, nothing will happen.) You can, however, write to the tag with a third-party app at which time you can choose to format the tag as read-only.
Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, etc. We specialize in Connected Things.
Best,
GoToTags
W. O. W. !!! 😮
Not only have I learned a lot by reading all the articles in this Blog, but these tremendous and complete answers to my questions will make my family’s life easier. We already have dozens of devices running in HomeKit, with most of the automations that could be programmed so far. But now, by using these tags, we will really save a lot of time.
Thank you very, very much!