A tag attached to a device helps you find the correct Spot without searching by name. Scan a QR code with your phone’s camera, or read an NFC tag by holding your phone near it. These instructions apply to the Android and iOS apps.
Before reading a tag
Sign in to Spotilla and open the Home tab at the bottom of the app. You need a working connection to the Spotilla server: simply detecting the tag with your phone is not enough to open the Spot’s details.
The tag must be registered in Spotilla and linked to the correct Spot. You need permission to view that Spot. A tag does not grant any additional permissions, and the reading function on the Home screen does not link an unassigned tag to a Spot. Separate instructions for linking tags are available for the browser interface and the mobile app.
With Tag read only permission, you may be able to open a Spot using its tag even if it does not appear in regular Spot lists or search results. Opening a Spot does not, by itself, give you permission to edit its details or perform all related actions.
A Spot with the status Disabled cannot be opened using a tag. This is a different status from Not in use or At Fault in the mobile app (Inactive or Faulty in the browser interface): these statuses alone do not prevent opening a Spot using a tag.
Scan a QR code
- Select Read QR-Code on Android or READ QR-CODE on iOS from the Home screen.
- Allow Spotilla to access the camera if your phone asks for permission.
- Point the camera at the QR code on the device’s tag. Keep the entire code in view and make sure there is enough light.
- Wait for the app to recognize the code and retrieve the linked item from the server.
- Check the device name and identifying details in the Spot that opens before continuing to a task, for example.
Scanning a QR code does not require NFC. You can use it as an alternative to NFC reading if the tag has a QR code.
Read an NFC tag on Android
- Make sure your phone supports NFC and that NFC is enabled in your phone’s settings.
- Return to Spotilla’s Home screen. If you have opened other screens from there, go back first.
- Hold your phone’s NFC reading area near the device’s tag and keep the phone still for a moment.
- Wait for the Spot’s details to open and check that it is the correct device.
On Android, you do not need to press a button to start reading. The READ NFC-TAG button on the Home screen displays instructions to hold your phone near the tag. Standard NFC opening works only on the Home screen.
Read an NFC tag on iOS
- Select READ NFC-TAG from the Home screen.
- When you see the prompt Hold your iPhone near the NFC tag, hold your iPhone near the tag and keep it still while the tag is being read.
- Wait for the Spot’s details to open and check the device name and identifying details.
You need an iPhone that supports NFC reading and a tag compatible with the app. The current iOS reading function handles MIFARE tags and requires a successful NDEF read from the tag. Your phone’s NFC support alone therefore does not guarantee that all NFC tags will work. Use the tag’s QR code if NFC reading fails.
What is saved when a tag is read?
Successfully reading a Spot’s tag saves a new read event on the server, associated with the Spot, the user and the time of the event. This applies to both QR and NFC reading. The event is saved even without a valid location. Each new successful read creates a new event.
The location is based on location information provided by your phone. If you want the location included, allow Spotilla to access your location and make sure your phone’s location services are enabled. On Android, retrieving the location requires precise location permission. Permission does not guarantee that the phone will provide a location at the moment the tag is read; a missing location does not, by itself, prevent the Spot from opening.
Location information may be added after the Spot opens. Android tries to retrieve and send the location again after about ten seconds. iOS may also send available coordinates after the Spot opens. This update is not guaranteed. A missing map point does not mean that the read event was not saved.
Reading a tag does not change the Spot’s own saved location coordinates. These take priority when displaying the Spot’s location. If the Spot has no coordinates of its own, the displayed location may be based on the latest read event. In that case, a new event without a location may leave the Spot without a location to display, even if an earlier event had coordinates.
A read event is neither continuous location tracking nor confirmation of the device’s current location. Opening a Spot using a tag also does not mark a task as completed or prove that the work has been done. Check the saved event, user, time and any location using the separate instructions for viewing read events.
Why can’t I read the tag?
The QR scanner has no camera image. Check Spotilla’s camera permission in your phone’s settings and reopen the scanner. Also make sure the entire code is visible and there is enough light.
Android does not respond to the NFC tag. Check the NFC setting and return to the Home screen. Move your phone slowly over the tag to find the reading area. If you try to read it again immediately after the previous read, wait a moment: the app limits consecutive NFC reads.
NFC reading fails on iPhone. Start a new read using the READ NFC-TAG button on the Home screen. If your phone detects the tag but reading fails, tag compatibility or the NDEF read may also be the cause. Try the tag’s QR code.
The code is recognized, but the Spot does not open. Check the server connection. The tag may not be registered or linked to a Spot, you may not have permission to view it, or the Spot may be Disabled. Ask your organization’s administrator to check the link, permissions and Spot status.
The tag opens the wrong Spot, folder or warehouse location. The item that opens is determined by the tag’s saved link. Do not enter information in the wrong Spot. Check the physical tag and ask for the link to be corrected. With regular viewing permissions, you can also find the correct Spot using the folder tree or search.