By Card Smart, Vanderbijlpark. Updated 24 October 2026.
This is the phone side of NFC cards South Africa. The few phones that cannot read NFC can still use the QR code on every Card Smart card and stand.
Phone by phone
| Phone | Reads the card? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone XS and newer | Yes. Shows a notification to tap | Hold the top of the back against the card, unlock the phone and tap the notification |
| Older iPhones | Not automatically | Use the QR code, or the NFC reader in Control Centre where your model has one |
| Android phone with NFC | Yes, when NFC is switched on | Open the phone's settings and switch NFC on |
| Android phone without NFC | No | Scan the QR code with the camera |
| Any phone with a camera | Yes, through the QR code | Point the camera at the QR code |
Apple states that iPhone XS and later support background tag reading, which is the automatic reading described above. See Apple's developer documentation on background tag reading.
How to check that your phone has NFC
- On Android, open Settings and search for "NFC".
- If an NFC switch appears, your phone has the chip. Switch it on.
- If nothing appears, your phone has no NFC chip. Use the QR code instead.
Our result
Card Smart cards work on about 99% of phones in our own testing, updated 24 October 2026. The phones left over are the ones with no NFC chip, and the QR code covers them.
Looking for a card?
See our NFC Google review cards for iPhone and Android. If a card will not read, go to what to do when a card will not scan.
Common questions
Do I need to turn anything on for an iPhone?
Not on iPhone XS and newer. The phone must be awake and unlocked. Apple lists situations where reading is unavailable, such as when the camera or Apple Pay is in use, or airplane mode is on.
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