Can older phones use NFC business cards?
Most smartphones from 2014–2016 onward support NFC. iPhones from 2017 (iPhone 7) can read NFC with some limitations; from 2018 (iPhone XS) it's fully automatic. Android phones with NFC hardware from 2014+ generally work. Older phones fall back to the QR code.
The practical age cutoff
For iPhone users, iPhone XS (2018) is where the experience becomes seamless. iPhone 7 and 8 require a manual step. Pre-iPhone 7 models cannot read NFC tags at all. For Android users, any phone with NFC hardware and Android 5.0+ (2015) should work. Very old Android phones (4.x era) may have limited compatibility.
For older phones: QR codes
The QR code on the back of most NFC cards is the universal fallback. iOS 11+ and Android 9+ can scan QR codes directly from the camera app without any additional app. For older OS versions, a free QR reader app from the app store works. The profile experience is identical — the QR just requires a camera scan instead of a tap.
Can a 5-year-old iPhone use NFC business cards?
A 5-year-old iPhone is an iPhone 13 (2021) — fully supported. Even a 7-year-old iPhone (iPhone X, 2017) reads NFC with background tag reading on iOS 13+.
Can a very old Android phone read NFC cards?
If the phone was sold with NFC hardware and runs Android 4.0+, it may work. The safest answer is: try it. If it doesn't work, use the QR code.
What if the QR code doesn't scan on an old phone?
Share the profile URL verbally or via text. The profile is a normal web page accessible from any browser on any device.