Android has supported NFC longer than iPhones have, so it's actually easier to use here. Once you've programmed a tag with your card URL, anyone can tap their phone to it (Android or iPhone) to open your card.
What you need
- An Android phone with NFC enabled. Most phones made in the last several years have NFC; check Settings → Connected Devices to confirm and turn it on if needed.
- A blank NFC tag or card. NTAG213, NTAG215, or NTAG216 chips all work and are widely available.
- A free NFC writer app from the Play Store. NFC Tools by wakdev is a common, no-frills choice.
Writing a tag from Android
- Install NFC Tools (or another writer app) from the Play Store.
- Open the app and tap Write.
- Tap Add a record, then choose URL / URI.
- Paste in your card URL (e.g.
https://businesscards.io/c/your-slug).
- Tap Write / 1 records.
- Hold the back of your phone against the NFC tag until you see a confirmation.
To test: lock your phone, then tap it against the tag again. The URL pops up as a notification. Tap it and your card opens.
Tap-to-share without a tag
Android also supports phone-to-phone NFC (sometimes called "tap to share" or "Quick Share"). If both phones have it on, you can hold them back-to-back to exchange content. This used to involve "Android Beam" (now removed) and depends on phone-maker features today. It's less reliable than QR codes or programmed tags, so we recommend the tag approach.
Where to buy tags
Plain NTAG215 cards (the same size and shape as a credit card) and sticker packs sell on Amazon, AliExpress, and most office-supply sites for around a dollar each in packs. You don't need anything specific to businesscards.io; any standard NTAG chip will work.
If the tag doesn't work
- NFC turned off. Check Settings → Connected Devices → NFC.
- Tag in a thick case. Phone cases sometimes block the NFC antenna. Remove the case or tap on a different part of the phone.
- Locked tag. Some tags ship pre-locked. If you get a "tag is read-only" error, the tag can't be written to. Get a different one.