Coding my first NFC tag: A Beginners Guide
NFC Tags — Because Tech Should Be Cute
In my endless quest to learn new tech (and maybe get a little closer to landing that dream job), I figured — why not start somewhere fun? So, this week was all about teaching myself NFCs — aka those tiny magic chips that make your phone do cool stuff with just a tap.
Honestly? This whole obsession started when I was at a coding event, living my best networking life, and I met the coolest software engineer. She had this little NFC sticker on the back of her phone, and instead of awkwardly swapping Instagram handles, people just tapped their phone — boom! All her socials popped up instantly. Iconic, right?
What Even Is NFC and Why Should You Care?
Okay — NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It’s basically a tiny chip — either built into your phone or in a little tag/sticker — that lets you transfer small bits of info instantly when your phone gets super close. Like, “bestie secret” close.
✧ Stick them on your fridge for a digital shopping list.
✧ Pop one on your router so friends can tap and connect to Wi-Fi.
✧ Yes, they’re literally the reason tapping your phone to pay makes that satisfying lil’ ding.
Fun fact: NFC tech has been around forever (like, early '80s forever) but didn’t hit smartphones until 2011 — thank you, tech gods.
They’re programmable mini chips that wake up when you bring your phone near — passing information with one buzz.
What You’ll Need to Join the NFC It-Girl Club
✩ NFC Tags
I ordered a pack online. But... full transparency? Rookie mistake — it was 11PM, I got excited about next-day delivery, and accidentally ordered the cards instead of the cute lil’ stickers. So, read the description — make sure they’re ADHESIVE.
Also — please check the reviews. A few dud tags are normal, but some sellers appear to just have review after review saying at least 50% were not working.
☏ A Smartphone
You probably have one — but just a heads up, some tags don’t play nice with certain phones. I’m an Android girlie (Android slander? Not here), so double-check compatibility if you’re Team iPhone.
୨୧ The App
Download NFC Tools — super simple and easy to use. No coding skills required (but bonus points if you do).
The Step-By-Step's
Project One - ✩ Digital Business Card ✩
Step 1: Create Your Digital Business Card
Start by downloading the Blinq app. It’s free and super easy to use. You can add your professional profile picture, LinkedIn, portfolio, GitHub, and any other links you want to share — all in one place.
Step 2: Grab Your Shareable Link
Once your digital card is ready, click ‘Send’ and then ‘Copy Link’. This link is what you’ll write onto your NFC tag.
Step 3: Prep the NFC Tag
Open the NFC Tools app (available on both iPhone and Android).
- Tap the ‘Write’ tab
- Select ‘Add a Record’
- Choose ‘URL / URI’
- Paste your Blinq link
- Hit ‘OK’
Step 4: Write to the Tag
Once your link is ready, a button will appear saying something like ‘Write / (XX Bytes)’. Tap that button and hold your NFC tag to the back of your phone (you might have to move it around a little to find the right spot).
Your phone will vibrate once it’s written — and that’s it! Your NFC tag is now ready to share your business card with a tap.
.°.•°:✧⋆.° .•°:✧⋆.°
What’s Next?
I played around with a few other NFC project ideas — like a shopping list tracker for a group household or a pet medicine tracker — but I’ll save those experiments for another post. Otherwise, this just turns into a copy-paste tutorial (and no one needs that).
For now, I’m honestly just proud I got this working. It’s such a small but powerful tool — and something I know I’ll be using the next time I’m networking.
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