Tech Forum

How would I use an NFC tag to give to class members so they can tap it and go to a specific paragraph in a talk or verse in a chapter?

I know how to do this with QR codes, but in a larger class, that doesn’t work very well. It would be nice to have NFC tags that I could program and have available.

Just putting the link to the website seems to open it on the web instead of in gospel library and I want it to open Gospel Library specifically….

Any help?

An interesting idea, but I'd think the range would be quite limited. Certainly far more limited than a QR code when printed large.

There's also the issue of cybersecurity. We've been cautioned about scanning QR codes (and I'd presume NFC) unless we fully trust the souse and have faith they have not be tampered with. So, for the weary (and the phoneless) you'd need a standard scripture citation.

butlerrl wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2023 6:38 pm Just putting the link to the website seems to open it on the web instead of in gospel library and I want it to open Gospel Library specifically….

When a Gospel Library link appears in my neighborhood, each individual user is usually given the option to open it on the web or directly in Gospel Library. Once they make that decision the first time, it sticks, although I presume there is some way in the device OS to reset it, probably in Settings somewhere.

As stated, I don't believe there's a way to "enforce" it opening in Gospel Library, each user decides. Here's a link to a support article that describes how users can modify how a link is opened on both iOS and Android. It also explains creating a url link to a specific paragraph or verse:
Deep Linking in Gospel Library

What's weird is when I scan the qr code, it works just fine (opens in gospel library) bit when I use the same link for an nfc tag, it opens in the browser.....

butlerrl wrote: ↑Wed Feb 15, 2023 12:21 pm What's weird is when I scan the qr code, it works just fine (opens in gospel library) bit when I use the same link for an nfc tag, it opens in the browser.....

Does the NFC tag rely on a third-party app or website – for example, does it go to a page that then redirects to the link? Or does it open the link directly?

You can replace the "https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study" part of the link with "gospellibrary://content". This should force it to open in the app specifically on both Android and iOS. However, there are a couple of downsides: 1) it will fail to open anything for users that don't have the app installed; and 2) not all apps will recognize it as a link if it doesn't start with "http" or "https" (case in point – the forum didn't turn into a tappable blue link here ) – I'm guessing it will work with the NFC tag, but it would need to be tested.

Using an NFC tag is an interesting idea – I'm curious to hear how well it works!