5 creative ways to use NFC tags that feel like magic

NFC has been around for years. Until recently, I only thought NFC was useful for contactless payments and as a digital car key.

Then, a few months ago, out of curiosity, I bought a pack of cheap NFC stickers.

Within a week, things changed for good. I stuck them under my work desk, car's dashboard, bedside table. Almost everywhere I could think of.

They were practically invisible, yet with a simple tap, I could "magically" execute tasks or trigger actions.

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Posts By  Parth Shah

Tap my desk to start work mode

A secret switch to prepare for focused work

When at my desk, I don't want unwanted notifications to interrupt my focus. But I also do not want to miss out on important messages from my wife or select group chats.

I also use my phone to monitor my inbox, instead of running an email client in the background on my Mac.

Typically, when I start work in the morning, I turn on Focus mode, switch to a specific home screen page, and send a message to my wife.

Then I hid an NFC tag under my work desk and used MacroDroid to create a "Work Mode" automation.

Each morning, I tap my phone on the desk, and it automatically does the above actions. At the end of the day, I tap the NFC sticker again, and my phone goes back to normal mode.

With the automation setup, all of this happens seamlessly with a simple tap, turning a multistep process into what almost feels like magic.

I added another NFC tag to trigger a "meeting" automation in MacroDroid. It automatically declines all incoming calls from friends and family and sends them a text that I'm in a meeting.

At the same time, it sends a separate message to my wife letting her know I'm unavailable for the next little while.

Given that we are looking after our baby, this automation is more important than it might sound. And using an NFC tag to automate this process has helped reduce unwanted back-and-forth and a lot of friction.

One tap before leaving the house

This NFC tag handles all the little things before I step out

After my work desk, I stuck an NFC sticker on the door of my house.

Previously, before stepping out, I had to manually switch my phone to ringer mode, ensure lights in my home office and bedroom were turned off, and enable dark mode. Doing all of this manually was time-consuming.

I tried automating the process using a MacroDroid routine triggered by location changes or Wi-Fi disconnecting.

In reality, though, it didn't always work reliably. Sometimes the trigger would fire too late, and other times it wouldn't trigger at all.

Sticking an NFC tag on the front door solved that problem instantly.

Now, when I leave the house, I simply tap my phone against the door. It triggers the MacroDroid automation, switching my phone to ringer mode, enabling dark mode, and ensuring everything is set the way I want before I step out.

When I come back home, I tap the same NFC sticker again. That triggers another automation, which puts my phone in vibration mode, turns on the bedroom light, and turns off dark mode.

This may not sound like a big deal. Yet, when I'm in a hurry to leave the house, the automation triggered by the NFC sticker at the door really counts. It makes the entire routine effortless because all it requires is just one tap.

A few weeks after sticking the NFC tag by the door, tapping it has already become muscle memory for me.

Tap here to join my Wi-Fi

Guests connect to my network instantly with a simple tap

I stuck the next NFC tag on the side of the coffee table in the living room. It's almost hidden, yet it's easily one of the most useful tags in my entire home.

When friends or family visit, I usually share the guest Wi-Fi password with them manually. Sometimes I show them the QR code from my phone so they can connect more easily.

Since mobile network coverage inside my house is spotty, getting everyone on Wi-Fi quickly is important.

I previously printed a QR code and stuck it on the living room wall, but it did not look good and drew too much attention. I decided to use an NFC tag to solve this problem.

I programmed the sticker with my Wi-Fi credentials and stuck it on the corner of the living room table. Now, when anyone visits us, they only need to tap their phone on the NFC tag to connect to the guest Wi-Fi network.

As a techie, this automation does not feel like a big deal. However, my friends and family are always amazed when their phone connects to my home's guest Wi-Fi network with just a tap.

Baby sleep routine

One tap transforms the room into a calm sleep environment

I have two NFC tags on my bedside table. One is relatively simple, and it confirms all smart lights in my home are turned off and then enables Sleep mode.

The other one is more important. As a father of a 6-month-old baby, I have realized that putting a baby to sleep is easier said than done.

And amidst that challenge, I do not want to fumble with light switches or waste time creating the perfect environment for him to sleep.

So, the second hidden NFC sticker on my bedside table triggers a MacroDroid automation that turns all lights in my room off, closes the SwitchBot-controlled blinds, and enables the LED strip behind the bed to provide soft ambient lighting.

With a single tap from either my phone or my wife's, the entire room transforms into a calm, baby-sleep-friendly environment within seconds.

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That provides some relief and takes multiple smaller tasks off our plate so that we can focus on soothing the baby to sleep.

Of all the NFC tag automations that I have set up, this is the one that has been the most useful.

It almost feels magical, as irrespective of the time of day, a single tap is all it takes to transform the room's environment and make it more comfortable for the baby to fall asleep.

Screenshot automation

Tap once to send screenshots to my Mac

As someone who writes about technology for a living, I take a lot of screenshots on my phone throughout the day.

Sometimes, it's for a new feature, sometimes it's something interesting that I want to reference later. I eventually need these screenshots on my Mac mini, which is where I get actual work done.

I recently switched to using LocalSend to transfer files wirelessly between my devices and Mac. I made this process even more seamless by creating an NFC automation.

I placed a tag under my desk, which, when tapped, triggers a MacroDroid routine. It automatically grabs the last three screenshots from my phone and sends them to my Mac using LocalSend.

Whenever I trigger this automation in front of my wife or friends, they're always surprised to see the screenshots appear on my Mac Mini within seconds after a simple tap. To them, the whole experience feels almost magical.

Tiny stickers work like magic

I got a bunch of NFC stickers on a whim. But after I started playing around with them, I realized they can be useful in automating several daily life routines and reducing unwanted friction.

Unlike other location-based automations on my phone, these work almost instantly and far more reliably.

For something so tiny and inexpensive, it's easy to dismiss NFC stickers as a simple gadget or novelty. But pair them with the right automation, and they can feel almost magical.