NFC Tags are an inexpensive solution to integrate HomeKit seamlessly into your everyday life. They are like Bookmarks for controlling your Home. Hold your iPhone next to them to run Scenes and Workflows or open a specific view in Controller for HomeKit.
What are NFC Tags?
NFC Tags are tiny chips that communicate with your iPhone when you scan them. A well-known use case is Apple Pay. It uses NFC technology when you tap your iPhone at checkout. Less known is that you can buy your own NFC Tags and make them do all kinds of cool things. They often cost less than a dollar and come in various shapes like stickers, coins, or cards.
How it Works
There are just two steps to writing an action on a tag. First, tap on "Select Action" and choose the action you want to write. The app will then ask you to hold your iPhone close to the Tag. When you do so, it writes the action, and the Tag is ready to be used.
A short introduction to using NFC Tags to control HomeKit
Activate Scenes and Workflows
Put a Tag on your desk, kitchen counter, or bathroom windowsill to activate your Working, Cooking, or Showering Scenes. Whenever you have a Scene you often use in a specific place in your Home, an NFC Tag is a great way to activate it.
For example, if you have a Good Night Scene that you use when you go to bed, put a Tag where you keep your iPhone at night. Then you can just put your phone down and immediately choose to run the Scene. However, if you don't keep the phone by your bed, let the Tag run a Workflow to create a one-time Automation that activates the Scene a few minutes later.
Quick Room Control
You can create tags that will open a room in Controller for HomeKit. If you put them strategically around your Home, you'll always be just a tap away from controlling the Accessories around you.
For example, create a Tag that opens your Living Room, then put it close to your favorite spot on the couch. You can now start to control your Living Room by just quickly scanning the Ta