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MASTG-KNOW-0131: Core NFC

Core NFC is the iOS framework for reading and writing NFC (Near Field Communication) tags. Apps use it most commonly to read NFC tags embedded in physical objects such as product labels, transport cards, and smart posters.

APIs

Core NFC provides two commonly used tag reading session classes:

  • NFCNDEFReaderSession: Reads NDEF records from NFC tags. NDEF tag writing support was added in iOS 13.
  • NFCTagReaderSession: Provides lower-level access to specific tag types, including ISO 7816, ISO 15693, FeliCa, and MIFARE. Available since iOS 13.

Permissions and Entitlements

Apps must declare NFCReaderUsageDescription in Info.plist. Access through NFCTagReaderSession requires the com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.formats entitlement, enabled through the Near Field Communication Tag Reading capability in Xcode.

Some tag technologies require additional Info.plist keys, such as com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.iso7816.select-identifiers for ISO 7816 application identifiers and com.apple.developer.nfc.readersession.felica.systemcodes for FeliCa system codes.