NFC does not work with iphone 13 and above

[massimoklk]

Hello,

I am currently working on a program utilizing the nRF52840 with NFC capabilities. I have successfully compiled and tested the application on Android, but unfortunately, it does not seem to be functioning on iPhone.

After some research, I suspect that this issue may be related to the SDK version. Specifically, I am using SDK 17.0.2 for this project.

I would greatly appreciate your assistance in resolving this matter. If anyone has encountered a similar problem or has insights into compatibility issues with iPhone, your guidance would be invaluable.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Best regards,

[Joakim Jakobsen]

Hi. 

I am currently working on a program utilizing the nRF52840 with NFC capabilities.

Which NFC capabilities are you referring to here?

It might be due to the strict security on NFC on iOS devices, but I'm not 100% sure. 

You mention iPhone 13 and above. Have you tested using iPhone 12 and below? Is this only related to phone model, not iOS version?

Br, 
Joakim

[massimoklk]

Hello Joakim,

Thank you for your prompt response. I'm utilizing the nRF52840 example program 'record_URL' from SDK 17.0.2.

I've tested the application on iOS versions 16 and 17 across various iPhone models, including iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 14 Pro, and 15 Pro Max.

Interestingly, a year ago, I employed the same example to develop a similar application and did not encounter this type of problem. Additionally, there are instances where my iPhone recognizes the URL, but more often than not, it does not. However, the magnetic field is being detected, as I've programmed an LED to indicate whether the field is ON or OFF.

Any insights or suggestions on resolving this inconsistency would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

[massimoklk]

I've encountered a problem where my iPhone fails to initiate the reading of an NDEF message it prepares, despite an external app successfully reading the NFC.

I've confirmed that the NDEF message is correctly formatted, leading me to suspect that the issue might be tied to the behavior of the iPhone. Here's the relevant portion of my code. The format mirrors that of this link: https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/104593/what-is-the-maximum-url-length-that-can-be-transmitted-via-nfc-using-the-nrf52840

Within the provided code, I've implemented a machine state to control various aspects of the device. Could this non-functional characteristic be linked to timing considerations?

typedef enum
{
    NFC_STATE_WAIT       = 0, 
    NFC_STATE_CREATE_URI    , 
    NFC_STATE_DEPLOY_PYLD   ,

    NFC_STATE_NUM_STATES    ,
} NFC_STATE;

typedef struct
{
  //HANDLER del enigne
  HANDLER hNFC_SE;

#ifdef TESTBOARD
  HANDLER hLED1;
  HANDLER hLED2;
#endif

    //NDEF BUFFER
    uint8_t m_ndef_msg_buf[988];
} NFCDESC,*PNFCDESC;

#define NFCDESCSIZE sizeof(NFCDESC)
NFCDESC nfcdesc = {0};


char m_url[978] = "null";


uint8_t NFC_STATE_CREATE_URI_CB(HANDLER hSE,void *pParam,uint8_t uParam)
{
    SEGGER_RTT_printf(0, "NFC_STATE_CREATE_URI\n");

    uint32_t errCode;
    uint32_t len = sizeof(nfcdesc.m_ndef_msg_buf);

    /* Encode URI message into buffer */
    errCode = nfc_uri_msg_encode(NFC_URI_HTTPS,
                                m_url,
                                sizeof(m_url) ,
                                nfcdesc.m_ndef_msg_buf,
                                &len);


    SEGGER_RTT_printf(0, "Error: %s\n",NRFX_LOG_ERROR_STRING_GET(errCode));
    APP_ERROR_CHECK(errCode);

    /* Set created message as the NFC payload */
    errCode = nfc_t2t_payload_set(nfcdesc.m_ndef_msg_buf, len);
    SEGGER_RTT_printf(0, "Error: %s\n",NRFX_LOG_ERROR_STRING_GET(errCode));
    APP_ERROR_CHECK(errCode);

    return NFC_STATE_DEPLOY_PYLD;
}

uint8_t NFC_STATE_DEPLOY_PYLD_CB(HANDLER hSE,void *pParam,uint8_t uParam)
{
    SEGGER_RTT_printf(0, "NFC_STATE_DEPLOY_PYLD\n");
    uint32_t errCode;

    errCode = nfc_t2t_emulation_start();
    APP_ERROR_CHECK(errCode);

    return NFC_STATE_WAIT;
}

//*INTERRUPCIOS, CALLBACKS

static void nfc_callback(void * p_context, nfc_t2t_event_t event, const uint8_t * p_data, size_t data_length)
{
    (void)p_context;

    switch (event)
    {
        case NFC_T2T_EVENT_FIELD_ON:
            WRGPIO_OUT_value(nfcdesc.hLED2,false);
            break;

        case NFC_T2T_EVENT_FIELD_OFF:
            WRGPIO_OUT_value(nfcdesc.hLED2,true );
            break;

        default:
            break;
    }
}

[Joakim Jakobsen]

Hi.

Just wanted to let you know that I'm looking into this. Waiting for some assistance from our developers with more insight to NFC.

Br,
Joakim

[Joakim Jakobsen]

Are you working with a custom board or an nRF52840-DK?

Br,
Joakim

[McRancor]

I have a following observation regarding NFC and iPhones:

PCA10040, with nrf52832, running some modified NFC sample.

Works great with Android AND iphone Xr running iOS 16.5.1

Does not work at all with iphone 13 running iOS 17.1.1

Using NFC Tools I'm also not able to get it working. Will try to test different antennas.

[massimoklk]

i am working with the NRF52840 DK

[McRancor]

Antenna is the same, and I'm fairly sure the issue is caused by DK antenna. I see the FIELD_ON events running in cycles, but the read event is not present. An older iPhone generates typical Field On -> read -> Field off pattern.

I have also some different chips with custom made NFC antennas and they run fine. I decided to go with board design for my custom project, and will match the antenna there.

I tested just now with Iphone 11, running same OS version like the working Xr, the Iphone 11 behaves just like 13 - no read happening. That means it's not OS dependent but model.

[Joakim Jakobsen]

Thank you for your input.

Will forward this information internally.

Br,
Joakim

[McRancor]

I found the root cause for this phenomenon. SDK 14.2, 15.2 are both behaving the same. with SDK 16.0+ the problem is not visible and all iPhones work fine.

I managed to get my code stable when porting nrfx nfc driver to sdk 14.2, and by replacing the t4t lib.