To open a restaurant menu, you can point your camera at a QR code or bring your phone close to an NFC tag. On a poster out of reach, QR is the practical choice. On a table, you can offer both.
An NFC tag is a small chip with an antenna built into a sticker, card or object. Here, it holds the menu link, just as the QR does. The phone reads it from very close by, without having to frame a pattern. A printed NFC logo does not replace the chip.
Which should you choose for the location?
| Where will the link be? | Practical choice | What to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Poster mounted high up or behind a shop window | QR code | A visible code large enough to read from a position visitors can reach. |
| Table, counter or object within reach | NFC is an option, with a QR alongside | A marked place to bring the phone and a tag suited to the surface. |
| Document or image on a screen | QR or clickable link | An image of an NFC logo will not work. On a web page, offer a direct link too. |
For many copies, QR avoids adding a chip to each one. Account for printing, tags, setup and fitting separately. If you combine QR and NFC, check both: one working correctly does not tell you whether the other works.
What do you do with the phone?
For QR, point the camera at the code, then tap the suggested link. The pattern must be visible, sharp and fully in view. Reflections or a code that is too small can prevent reading.
For NFC, bring the phone close to the tag. A passive tag needs no battery: the phone supplies the energy. A thin paper cover can hide it without stopping a read; metal can interfere and calls for a suitable tag. Reading distance depends on the phone, tag and installation.
In this simulation, move the phone away, cover the code or turn off internet access to compare the effects.
Phone ready to read. “Further away”: QR still clear, but tag out of reach. Thin, opaque paper completely hides the QR; no metal. Internet off, not airplane mode.
The camera reads the pattern.
Link read, page accessible.
The phone reads the nearby chip.
Link read, page accessible.
https://www.qrbench.com/Will every phone work?
Many phones read QR codes through their camera. NFC needs a compatible phone and a tag set up to open a web link. On Android, check that NFC is enabled; the screen usually needs to be unlocked. On iPhones that support reading without an app, the phone must be in use, with the camera inactive. Opening the link may then require tapping a notification and unlocking the phone.
Try the whole journey before equipping your tables or posters. Start with the phone in its everyday state and continue until the menu opens. We did not test this with real phones or NFC tags; Apple’s and Android’s detailed conditions are in the sources.
Does it work without internet access?
The phone can read the link from the QR or tag without a connection. Loading the online menu then needs internet access. Without a network, the link may appear while the page fails to load. A page already saved for offline use is a different case.
The same applies to a PDF: putting its link in a QR or tag does not store the file there. Both can hold text, however, which a compatible app can display directly without loading a web page.
Can you change the menu without replacing the QR or tag?
Yes, if the link allows it. If you update the menu at the same web address, the QR and tag still lead there. If the QR or tag contains an intermediate link you manage, you can redirect it to a menu at a different address. This forwarding step is called a redirect.
example.org/menu The service now sends visitors to the winter menu. You edit that redirect in the service, without reprinting the QR or rewriting the tag. Fictional addresses.
This works with both technologies: it is also how a dynamic QR code works. The redirect service and its address must stay available. Before distributing your signs or tags, check who controls the link.
A printed QR pattern cannot change. Some NFC tags can store a replacement link, provided they are not locked. You need to bring a compatible writing device close to each tag in turn: this does not remotely update every label you have installed.
Should you check the link in both cases?
Yes. Bringing a phone close to a tag does not guarantee a trustworthy site. Someone can replace a publicly accessible QR code or NFC label. Locking the tag against changes does not prevent replacement or make a malicious site safe.
Check the proposed address before entering information. If you install these items, inspect them regularly and protect the accounts used to change their links.
Sources and how the examples work
Phones and link setup
Apple documents background tag reading on iPhone XS and later. The phone must be in use; an active camera, Apple Pay, airplane mode and certain other states prevent detection. A notification precedes opening, with unlocking if needed. Android needs NFC hardware with NFC enabled; detection usually happens while the screen is unlocked. Link handling varies with the version.
The NFC link is usually stored as a URI record in an NDEF message: these rules let the phone recognise a web address. To tell QR and NFC visits apart, use separate entry links leading to the same menu. A plain web request to an identical address cannot identify which physical item was read.
This article compares opening a link. Contactless payments and access badges use other mechanisms. The diagram shows a manageable redirect; with a direct link, the site owner can also edit the page or add a redirect at its existing address.
- NFC Forum, technology overview and Digital Product Passport guide: proximity, passive tags and reader mode.
- Apple, scanning a QR code and background NFC tag reading: iPhone flows and conditions.
- Android, NFC basics: NDEF messages, activation and link handling.
- NXP, NTAG 213/215/216: rewritable memory and protections; STMicroelectronics, NFC touchpoints: metal and ferrite.
- MDN, HTTP redirects: resolving an intermediate address to a destination.
- FTC, harmful links in QR codes: code replacement and checking the address.
- NIST, malicious NFC tags: proximity and deceptive destinations.
- Google ML Kit: on-device processing.
Sources consulted on 27 October 2026; Apple and Android conditions and the NFC Forum overview reread on 3 November. The simulation assumes a compatible phone ready to read, a sharp QR even at a distance and a tag suited to its surface. The cover is thin, opaque paper without metal; internet off does not mean airplane mode. The web page has not been saved. No camera or NFC access, range or speed measurement, or physical testing. The diagram uses fictional addresses and opens no links.
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