Read a Tag

Before the first read, the Read tab shows the NFC Utils logo, Info / Full Scan, a reader line, a round contactless button, and Read a Tag. The Read Tag button stays at the foot of the page.

• Read Tag Starts a read. The round contactless button does the same. Read Tag shows Scanning… during the read.
• Info / Full Scan Chooses how much of the result to show. It applies to the next read and the result on screen. The app starts on Info each time it launches.
• Reader Line A linked USB or Bluetooth reader appears by model name in green. No reader line appears when you use the phone’s own antenna.
• Reader Not Connected The read button is dimmed. The red reader line says “No USB reader attached”, “No Bluetooth reader chosen”, or the reader’s name followed by “(not connected)”.
• Connecting Reader An amber line shows “Looking for” or “Connecting to” followed by the reader’s name.
• Back Closes the result or error and returns to the idle page.
• Unlock Replaces Read Tag when the three fields in Unlock ePassport are filled. Tap it to start the passport unlock read.

iPhone, Android phones and upright tablets have only the logo in the top bar, bottom tabs and an Auto Read switch below the reader line. On iPhone Duo and Android foldables, Back and AUTO sit on the trailing rail with tabs at its foot when closed or open on their side; iPad uses this layout on its side. Open upright, iPhone Duo and Android foldables put Back and AUTO in a top row and tabs in a floating bottom bar. Mac has an Auto Read switch and no rail or tab bar; Copy Text and Copy JSON sit directly above the result on every device.

On iPhone and an upright iPad, Read, Tools, History, and Settings sit in a bottom tab bar. On a sideways iPad or an iPhone Duo layout with a rail, they sit at the foot of the rail.

The Mac window has no sidebar or tab bar; its title bar holds the logo and NFC Utils name on the left, a Read, Tools, and History switch in the middle, and the reader control and Settings gear on the right. The reader control shows the linked reader’s name or Connect Reader when none is linked, and the gear opens Settings.

On iPhone, iPad, and Mac, a USB or Bluetooth read uses the app’s scan sheet. iPad and Mac need an external reader. See the Readers guide for connections.

• Ready to Scan The sheet says “Place the tag on the reader.” It waits for a tag without a time limit.
• Scanning Appears with “Reading…” when the reader finds the tag. Keep the tag on the reader until the read finishes.
• Passport Progress Ten squares fill as the passport’s files are read.
• Reader Connection Tap a “No USB reader attached” or “Bluetooth reader not connected” message to open Settings.
• Cancel Cancel or the X closes the sheet. A read in progress is discarded.
• Read Time Limit Once reading starts, it allows 12 seconds, or 45 seconds for passports and bank cards. If time runs out, it reports “The read did not finish. Lift the tag, then place it again.”
• Tag Placement A tag already on the reader is read as soon as you tap Read Tag. Lift the tag after each read before placing the next one.
• USB on Android On Android, plugging a USB reader into the phone opens NFC Utils and switches the source to USB.

Auto Read handles successive tags on the Read tab without a scan sheet. Lift each tag before presenting the next one. The app remembers whether Auto Read is on or off.

• AUTO AUTO enables or disables Auto Read on iPhone Duo, Android foldables and iPad on its side. On iPhone Duo and iPad, it is dimmed unless the selected USB or Bluetooth reader can read on its own. On Android foldables, it also works with the device’s own NFC.
• Auto Read On Android phones and tablets, the Auto Read switch always sits below the reader line and works with the device’s own NFC or a USB or Bluetooth reader. On iPhone, it appears there only when the selected USB or Bluetooth reader can read on its own. An upright iPad also has the switch below the reader line; Mac has its own Auto Read switch. Both need a reader that can read on its own.
• Waiting for a Tag The app reads each tag placed on the reader. The read button shows Auto Read Active.
• Tool Priority A tool waiting for a tag takes the tag first.

On iPhone, iPad, and Mac, a result begins with a green band naming the chip beside a check. On Android, the result is a card of rows, with Chip, UID, and the originality verdict shown as rows.

• Info Shows summary rows, passport images, NDEF records not already summarized, and notes such as a random ID or partial read.
• Full Scan Adds every section produced by the read, the NDEF section with each record’s payload in hex, and the memory map.
• Mac Panes On Mac, Info and the Overview of Full Scan show the summary pane, headed by the chip’s name, beside the NDEF Records pane in a wide window and above it in a narrower one. A larger UI Size in Settings needs a wider window to keep the panes side by side.
• Row Values Each row has a label in small capitals above its value. Green marks a good result, amber a caution, and red a problem.
• Row Help The (i) button beside a row opens its explanation. Close it with the X or tap outside.
• UID Use the copy button beside the UID to copy it. The button shows a check for two seconds.
• Copy Copies a link value.
• Open Link Opens the link in the system browser.

NDEF record types include URI, Text, Smart Poster, MIME, and External. When no NDEF message is available, the NDEF row reports why.

• NDEF Records Each numbered record shows its type and payload size, then text, a link, or “Binary payload” with hex. Full Scan adds the record format, “Short Record” and URI prefix where applicable. Records already in the summary say “Shown above”.
• Empty The tag has no NDEF content.
• Not Formatted The tag is not formatted for NDEF.
• Malformed The NDEF message is not correctly formed.
• No NDEF Application No NDEF application was found.
• Not Read NDEF was not read.
• Not Readable NDEF could not be read.
• Memory Map Full Scan lists each page or block with its offset, hex bytes, and ASCII. “•• •• •• ••” marks a page the card refused to read.
• LOCK An amber badge marks a locked page or block. It can reflect Type 2 lock bits, ISO 15693 block security, or passport files that require government access.

A failed read replaces the round button with a red Read Failed card and a reason.

• Read Interrupted “Read failed” means the tag left the field, the reader link dropped, or a command timed out. Hold the tag still and read again. Bluetooth connection problems appear in Settings under Card Reader.
• Read Timed Out “The read did not finish” means a read exceeded its time limit, whether you are using the phone’s NFC or a USB or Bluetooth reader. On Android, the limit is 60 seconds. Lift the tag, then place it again.
• NFC Turned Off “NFC is turned off” means the phone’s NFC is disabled. Enable it in system settings. On Android, tap the message in the scan sheet to open those settings.
• NFC Unavailable “NFC is not available on this device” means the phone’s NFC is unavailable.
• Phone Busy “The phone is still finishing the last read” means the phone’s NFC is busy. Wait a few seconds before trying again.
• Passport Not Responding Move the passport so another part of the photo page or the back cover rests against the phone’s NFC antenna or on the reader. Hold it still and read again.
• Passport Connection Lost The connection was lost before the read finished. When using the iPhone’s NFC, wait about fifteen seconds for Read Tag to return. Hold the passport still and read again.
• Passport Details Refused The passport did not accept these details. Check the document number, date of birth and expiry date against the printed page, then try again.
• Unrecognized Card A card the app does not recognize is not a failed read. The result still shows its chip type and UID.