No Supported App For This NFC Tag: 4 Ways To Fix It Fast

If you have an Android phone and use a wallet case, you’ve probably come across the “No supported app for this NFC tag,” error. This pops up when you put any card with a chip in your wallet. When the chip comes in close range of your phone, the phone tries to read it but fails to because it doesn’t recognize it. 

You can remove the card causing the error to pop up from the case or turn off NFC. You can also get an RFID-blocking wallet if you like to carry your cards in the phone case or use a simple piece of paper as a barrier. Register your cards with Samsung Pay or a similar alternative to solve the issue.

We explain how you can do that as well as some other tricks that can prevent the error from popping up. 

What Does ‘No Supported App For This NFC’ Mean?

Mobile phones come with NFC technology, which is used to transfer and store data between phones. When your phone comes into contact with any device that has a chip that responds to NFC, but your hope can’t read it properly, it displays the ’No supported App for this NFC; message. 

NFC technology is used in phones for various reasons with the most common being payments for goods, contacting a phone number, or connecting to a website.

You may go to stores that have NFC readers at checkout and when holding your phone close to it, payment is made using the credit card stored in your phone. 

This error is common if you have a wallet case and store your credit card in the case’s pocket. Credit cards have chips that respond with NFC but your phone won’t be able to transfer data from it, therefore, the error pops up. 

How To Fix The NFC Tag Not Supported Issue?

There are multiple ways you can resolve the issue.

1. Remove The Card

The most simple is, removing your credit card that prompts this response from your wallet case.

Once the card is no longer in close range of the phone, the message no longer pops up. However, this can be inconvenient for those that like carrying their cards with their phone.

If that is the case for you, then you can try one of the following solutions:

2. RFID-Blocking Wallet

You can find wallet cases that block out RFID, which protects you from credit card skimming and also NFC error on the phone.

The wallet essentially blocks any type of data from being transferred between items from inside its pocket. So, the phone can’t pick up the credit card when it is inside the wallet. 

3. Place A Paper In-between The Wallet And Card

If you don’t want to spend money on an RFID wallet, you can use a piece of paper as a barrier between the phone and credit card.

Place the paper in the wallet and then your credit card. The paper will block any attempts for data transfer between the phone and card. So, you won’t see the error appear. 

4. Register All Your Credit Cards With Samsung Pay

Samsung Pay makes payment easier. It uses NFC to make payments, using the credit cards you have stored. So, you don’t need your credit card at all times, you can just use your phone for payments at stores that have NFC tags.

You can add almost any credit card to it, and when you keep the card in the wallet, it won’t display any errors. But keep in mind that this is only applicable to credit and debit cards.

Other cards that have chips such as a bus or train pass can’t be stored in Samsung Pay and would continue to give the error because there are no apps in Google Store that can read the chip. 

How To Turn Off The NFC Tag?

If you don’t really plan on using the NFC functionality on your phone, you can just turn it off. Doing so will result in you being able to carry whichever card you want without having to deal with the constant ‘not supported’ pop-up.

To turn the NFC tag off, you can:

For Samsung phones

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ app on your phone. 
2. Scroll down to the ‘Connections’ tab and click it. 
3. You will see an NFC option, turn it off. 

For non-Samsung Android phones

1. Go to the ‘Settings’ app on your phone. 
2. Scroll down to the ‘Bluetooth & Devices’ tab and click it. 
3. You will see an NFC option, turn it off. 

With NFC turned off, you can’t use apps like Samsung Pay. You would need to turn NFC on if you plan on using it. The method of that is the same as above, just toggle the NFC option on.  

Frequently Asked Questions About NFC

Here are a couple of other questions people are usually interested in.

Q: Is NFC Safe?

Yes, the technology is completely safe. It is used to transfer and store data only. You do need to be careful when it is turned on as credit cards can be scanned through NFC readers.

But the scanner would have to be in close range, 4 cm or closer to do this, and you have RFID blockers to help prevent this from happening. 

Q: What Should I Do When My Phone’s NFC Keeps Turning On?

If you are having trouble turning off NFC or it keeps turning on by itself, you should restart the phone. If that doesn’t work, then you should factory reset the phone because it could be a software glitch.

If it continues to turn on even after the reset, then it is likely due to a hardware problem.

You will need to get your phone checked by certified professionals to see what the issue is. 

Final Thoughts

NFC is a useful technology, however, not everyone is likely to be comfortable using it. If your phone constantly displays “No supported app for this NFC tag,” your best bet is to turn NFC off.

If you use NFC often and would rather keep it on, then you can try any of the other methods we have mentioned above.

The error is not really an error but a message which can be annoying but easily dealt with.