# Program your own NFC tag with NFC Tools — Taproo > Step-by-step: download NFC Tools on iPhone or Android, write a URL to your Taproo tag, test it, and lock it — plus when to activate the tag instead. Source: https://www.taproo.com/help/nfc-tools-app-guide Help Centre · Setting up your tag # Program your own NFC tag Everything you need to write a link to your tag yourself with the free NFC Tools app — and how that compares with activating your Taproo tag in one tap. ## Two ways to set up your tag ### Activate it (recommended) Use the activation link we email with your order, sign in and choose a destination. The chip keeps its Taproo link, so you can re-target it or swap the page later — and you get scan analytics. Activate a tag ### Program it yourself Write your own URL straight onto the chip with NFC Tools. Full control, no account needed — but changing the destination later means re-writing the tag, and locking it makes that permanent. See the steps → ## Which link should you write? Decide this before you touch the app — it's the one choice that's awkward to undo once a tag is stuck to something. ### Your Taproo short link (best) https://taproo.com/t/TAP0001The code printed on your tag, in the form /t/ plus the tag ID. Short, so it fits any chip, and the destination is changed from your dashboard — no re-writing. ### Your Taproo page https://taproo.com/p/your-page-slugPoints straight at one page. Fine if the page will never be swapped; you keep scan analytics for that page. ### Any external address https://your-site.co.uk/menuA menu, Google review link, booking form or Wi-Fi page. No analytics, and changing it means re-writing every tag. Never write your one-time activation link (the long /activate?tag=…&code=… address) to a chip — it only works once and then the tag would be pointing at a dead redemption page. ## Download the app ### iPhone (iOS 14+) NFC Tools by wakdev →Free on the App Store. Works on iPhone 7 and newer for writing tags. ### Android (8.0+) NFC Tools by wakdev →Free on Google Play. Enable NFC first in Settings → Connections. ## Write your tag in six steps - ### 1. Install NFC Tools Download the free NFC Tools app by wakdev from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android). On Android, turn NFC on in Settings → Connections → NFC. - ### 2. Copy the destination you want Have the exact web address ready — your Taproo page URL, Google review link, menu, booking page or Wi-Fi page. Test it in your browser first so you know it loads. - ### 3. Add a URL record Open NFC Tools, tap Write → Add a record → URL/URI, paste your address including https://, then tap OK. - ### 4. Write to the tag Tap Write / Write 1 record, then hold the phone flat against the tag. iPhone: use the top-back of the device. Android: use the back-centre. Hold still for 1–2 seconds until the app confirms. - ### 5. Test it Lock your phone, unlock it, then tap the tag again without opening any app. The link should appear as a banner (iPhone) or open directly (Android). - ### 6. Lock it only if you're sure NFC Tools → Other → Lock tag makes the chip read-only forever. Only lock a tag whose destination will never change — otherwise leave it writable so you can update it later. ## Tap-by-tap, on your phone ### iPhone (iOS 14+) - Open NFC Tools and tap the Write tab at the bottom. - Tap Add a record, scroll to URL / URI, and choose it. - Leave the prefix dropdown on https:// and paste the rest of your address (no second https://). Tap OK. - Tap Write / 1 record. iOS shows the system sheet 'Ready to Scan'. - Hold the top edge of the back of the iPhone flat over the tag — the antenna sits just below the camera bump. - Keep still for 1–2 seconds until you see 'Write complete' and feel the haptic tap, then tap Done. ### Android (8.0+) - Turn NFC on: Settings → Connected devices (or Connections) → NFC and contactless payments. - Open NFC Tools and tap Write → Add a record → URL / URI. - Type the full address including https:// and tap OK. - Tap Write / 1 record — the app waits with 'Approach an NFC tag'. - Hold the centre-back of the phone (upper-middle on Pixel and Samsung) against the tag. - Wait for the confirmation beep and the green 'Write complete' panel, then tap Close. ## Check the write actually worked - In NFC Tools, open the Read tab and tap the chip. You should see one NDEF record of type URI with your exact address, plus the chip type and free memory. - Close the app completely, lock the phone, unlock it, then tap the tag. iPhone shows a banner you tap to open; Android opens the browser straight away. - Tap it once more from a different angle to confirm the read zone is generous enough for real-world use on a counter or card. - If it's a Taproo /t/ link, check the scan appears in your dashboard — that confirms tracking as well as the write. ## Chip types and how much fits ChipUsable capacityTypical use NTAG213144 bytes (~132 characters of URL)Stickers, wet inlays, standard keyrings. Plenty for a /t/ short link. NTAG215504 bytes (~492 characters)Cards and discs where you may store a vCard or a long link. NTAG216888 bytes (~872 characters)Rare — only needed for large multi-record payloads. ## Writing a batch of tags NFC Tools keeps the record loaded after each write, so for identical tags you can tap one after another without re-entering anything. Separate written tags from blanks into two piles as you go, and read-test every fifth one. If each tag needs a different destination, don't write them by hand — activate them instead, so each tag keeps its own code, its own destination and its own scan analytics. Activate tagsActivation walkthrough ## Should you lock the tag? Locking is permanent. Lock a tag only when it lives somewhere public and its destination will never change — a poster, a standing card on a counter, a product label. If there's any chance you'll change the link, leave it unlocked, or activate a Taproo tag instead so the destination lives in your dashboard rather than on the chip. ## Common problems SymptomLikely causeFix Write fails part-way / 'Write error'The phone moved before the transfer completed.Rest the phone on the tag on a flat surface and hold for a full 2 seconds. Don't lift until the app confirms. iPhone says 'Tag not supported'The record is plain text, or the chip is locked or damaged.Re-add the record as URL / URI including https://. If NFC Tools reports the tag as read-only, it's locked — it can't be re-written. Nothing happens when you tap the tagThe phone is in the wrong spot, or the screen is off/locked on Android.Wake the screen first, then move the phone slowly across the tag to find the antenna. iPhone: top-back. Android: centre-back. Reads on Android, not on iPhoneiOS only auto-opens well-formed URL records.Check for stray spaces or a double https:// in the record, re-write it, then re-test from the lock screen. Tag on metal won't readMetal detunes the antenna.Use an on-metal tag with a ferrite layer, or mount the tag on a 2–3 mm plastic spacer. 'Not enough memory on this tag'The URL is longer than the chip's capacity.Use your Taproo /t/ short link instead of a long tracking URL, or move to an NTAG215 chip. Two tags trigger the same pageYou wrote the same record to both.Change the record between writes, or activate each tag separately so their scan analytics stay apart. Still stuck? Email hello@taproo.com with the tag code printed on the back and we'll test it our end or replace it. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I have to program my Taproo tag myself? ### What's the difference between activating and programming? ### Which NFC app should I use? ### Why does my iPhone say 'tag not supported'? ### Can I write the same link to several tags? ### My tag won't read at all — what now? ## Rather we set it up for you? Reply to your order email with the link you'd like encoded, or build a Taproo page and we'll do the rest before your parcel is dispatched. Build a Taproo pageWhat is an NFC tag?