How NFC works: from radio field to an open page

1. The reader creates a field

When NFC is active, the phone or dedicated reader can generate a 13.56 MHz radio-frequency field. The interaction starts only when a compatible target is brought close enough.

2. The passive tag receives energy

The tag antenna couples with the reader field. A passive tag harvests enough energy to power its chip for the short exchange; it does not need a charging port or battery.

3. The tag returns a record

The chip returns stored data. For web journeys this is often an NDEF URI record: a compact, standardised representation of a link.

The tag should contain the stable TapFlow or business-controlled address, not a temporary preview URL.

4. The phone interprets the record

The operating system recognises the record type and presents the appropriate action. For a URL, the user normally sees a prompt or notification before the browser opens.

5. The digital experience takes over

After the browser opens, NFC has completed its job. Loading speed, accessibility, content clarity, authentication and analytics now belong to the destination system.

This is why a good NFC implementation is tested as a chain, not just by confirming that the chip responds.