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Why can't I read a pass with my NFC reader or NFC app?

Paul Tomes avatar
Written by Paul Tomes
Updated over 2 weeks ago

If you’ve tried scanning your NFC pass with a generic NFC reader or consumer app, you may find nothing happens—or the data looks scrambled. This is expected.

Apple and Google both use specialized protocols for wallet passes:

  • Apple Wallet uses VAS (Value Added Services).

  • Google Wallet uses SmartTap.

These standards ensure that NFC passes are secure, and only authorized readers can interpret the payload.

Why generic NFC apps don’t work

  • Consumer NFC apps can only read plain text NFC tags.

  • PassKit passes use encrypted SmartTap (Google) or VAS (Apple) payloads.

  • That means only properly configured terminals or readers can decrypt and process the data.

Requirements to read a pass correctly

  • Apple Wallet passes → a VAS-enabled NFC terminal

  • Google Wallet passes → a SmartTap-enabled NFC reader

  • The correct Collector ID and Private Key configured on the reader

  • The pass template set to NFC enabled in PassKit

Troubleshooting checklist

If your pass isn’t reading correctly:

  1. Confirm you are using a VAS (Apple) or SmartTap (Google)-enabled reader.

  2. Check that your Collector ID is correctly configured on the reader.

  3. Verify that the Private Key installed on the reader matches the one generated in PassKit.

  4. Make sure the pass was issued with NFC enabled in the template.

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