Scanely documentation

Set up an NFC card or sticker

Let a customer tap to open your Google review link or a Scanely Page. Choose the link, write a compatible tag and test the complete journey.

Updated October 10, 2026

1. Check your NFC tag

You need an NFC card or sticker that supports a standard NDEF URL record, enough memory for your URL, and a compatible phone or NFC writer. The tag must be readable and writable. A card sold for reviews is not necessarily rewritable.

Still choosing a card? Our NFC Google review card guide explains what to check before buying and how Scanely can manage the destination behind it.

Before buying a batch, ask the supplier to confirm the chip type, URL-writing support and whether the tags arrive locked. Read a sample before ordering more. Before reusing a card, read it with an NFC app to check its current URL and writable status. A seller's card may be read-only, password-protected or tied to the seller's service.

Wakdev's NFC Tools FAQ explains how to read a tag and why some tags cannot be written. If a card is protected, use the supplier's supported process or a compatible blank tag.

Scanely manages the web destination. It does not program NFC hardware. Use a compatible writing app or your supplier's service to save the URL on the tag.

3. Write the NFC tag

One option is NFC Tools by Wakdev, available for iPhone and Android. Follow your writer's instructions if you use a different app. NFC Tools is a separate product from Scanely.

  1. Open NFC Tools and read the tag first. Confirm that you can write to it and that you are willing to replace its existing content.
  2. Open Write, then select Add a record.
  3. Choose URL / URI. Enter the complete HTTPS URL, check it for mistakes and confirm the record.
  4. Keep one intended URL record in the write list. Select Write, which may also show the number of bytes.
  5. Hold the tag close to the phone's NFC reading area until the app confirms that writing is complete.
  6. Read the tag again and check that the stored URL exactly matches the link you intended to use.

Labels can vary by app version. See Wakdev's illustrated URL-writing guide for the app's workflow.

4. Test the complete journey

Test the finished card or sticker on an actual iPhone and an actual Android phone, in the position and holder you plan to use. A successful write message alone does not verify the customer's experience.

  • Leave the writing app, unlock the phone and hold it near the tag. Enable NFC in Android settings if needed.
  • Follow any notification or open-link prompt. Confirm that the correct business and review form appear. For a Page, also press its review button and check where it leads.
  • Test the printed QR separately with the camera. Keep it as another way to open the destination when a phone cannot read the tag.
  • If you chose a dynamic link, change its destination in Scanely and test again before handing out the cards. For a Page, publish an edit and check the live result.

Phone behavior varies by model and operating system. Apple's background NFC reading guidance describes opening the notification on supported iPhones. Android's NFC documentation also describes device settings and version-dependent link prompts.

Only lock a tag after verification. Making it read-only can be irreversible, as the Android NFC reference explains. Confirm the URL, test both phones and decide how you will manage future changes before applying write protection. A locked tag containing a Scanely short URL can still use destination changes made in Scanely, but its stored URL cannot be rewritten.

5. Understand what gets recorded

An NFC tap by itself is not a Scanely scan. The phone must open the Scanely short URL. Detecting the tag, displaying a notification or reading its contents inside a writing app does not by itself record a visit.

Normal scan reporting rules and account allowances apply. Repeated openings of the same code from the same hashed IP within one hour are grouped. Counts describe recorded link visits, not a count of physical taps or identifiable people.

Using the same short URL for the printed QR and the NFC tag combines their activity. Scanely cannot infer which physical method someone used from that shared link. Use separate codes or Page placements to compare the two. Attribution follows the link, so a forwarded NFC placement link still belongs to that placement.

Visits are not posted Google reviews. A Page's review-button clicks show that people selected the link; they do not confirm that a review was submitted or published. Check your Google Business Profile separately for reviews.

For Pages, review Page analytics for visits, actions and form submissions. Test review-button destinations yourself after changes: Scanely's external link health checks do not monitor links inside a hosted Page.

When a card does not work

The phone does not detect the tag

Check the phone's NFC support and settings, move the tag slowly around its reading area and try outside the final holder. Compare with a known working tag. Ask the supplier whether the chip and mounting surface are suitable for your setup.

The tag reads but will not write

Check writable status, protection and available memory in the reader app. A permanent lock cannot be removed. Do not assume a new app will make an incompatible or protected card writable.

The wrong page opens

Read the stored URL and open it directly. For a Scanely link, check the saved destination, active status and any expiry or scan limit. For a Page, check the published version and its review button. Rewrite the tag only if the stored URL itself needs to change.

A test tap does not add another scan

Open the link from the phone's notification first. Check that the tag contains the intended Scanely URL. Repeat tests may be grouped by the one-hour reporting rule, and account scan allowances can stop new visits being recorded.

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