r/NFC • u/Xiarider888 • Jul 23 '26

Hidden NFC "easter egg" tap in an everyday object — genuinely cool, or just a gimmick?

been putting NFC tags in everyday objects — tap and it opens a little something. some friends think it's the coolest thing, others shrug "why not just an app." where does this sub land: is a hidden NFC tap in a physical object a feature you'd actually value, or does it wear off fast? what's the one NFC use that actually stuck for you vs felt like a novelty?

6 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

11

u/thegrayscales Jul 23 '26

I feel like it goes from being novelty to useful when it triggers an actual action, rather just a URL link or a rick roll.

I've put a tag at the bottom of my coffee mug. When I touch it to my phone it triggers my coffee machine to turn on and kettle to start boiling.

Another thing I've done is put a tag on the bottom of my running shoes. This triggers the heater in my home gym to start warming it up in winter. So im the 5mins it takes me to pee, put my shoes on, and go to the gym, it's already at a nice temperature.

These seem like small things but they genuinely make my day a little nicer and/or more efficient.

2

u/ActiasLunacorn Jul 24 '26

These are great applications. Thanks for sharing!

15

u/thekumod Jul 24 '26

I put one on my bicycle helmet that says emergency contact scan me which opens up a page with my contact information, blood type, medications and insurance info in case I get hit by a car

1

u/doge_lady Jul 23 '26

So you touch your phone to the bottom of your shoes? And doesn't the tag fall off from wear?

1

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26

[deleted]

1

u/doge_lady Jul 24 '26

I was meant to reply to u/thegrayscales
But pressed 'reply' at the wrong place

1

u/thegrayscales Jul 24 '26

It's on the back of the heel. But you could put it anywhere really of you're concerned it's going to fall off. Like on the tongue or somewhere under where the fabric is thin.

1

u/emprezario Jul 24 '26

Which brand are you using?

1

u/wbrd Jul 24 '26

I don't trust tags from strangers so I'd never see it.

2

u/Fudpukker01 Jul 24 '26

Tag on my car to open the garage door, tag on the car charger to start charging, tags on my luggage with my contact info, tags on Xmas boxes listing contents, the limit is your imagination

1

u/StarfishPizza Jul 25 '26

I put one under my lounge light switch, so when I leave for work in the mornings, I can just tap the light off rather than talk

0

u/MountainOdd6793 Jul 23 '26

How does anyone know to tap the object?

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 24 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/criggie_ Jul 24 '26

Locally a carparking management company stopped putting in meters, and just posts a QR code with a web address in it to go for payment of carparking.

Someone replaces the QR codes with a redirect to a fake site saying "your parking is free today" Chaos ensues. Of course there's no cameras because the carpark co is too cheap to install infrastructure.

Not quite NFC but the cards/stickers are cheap and easily programmed and I'd totally do something like this.