How Customers Leave a Google Review Using NFC — Step by Step

Step-by-Step: What Happens When a Customer Taps

The process is designed to be as simple as a contactless payment. Here is exactly what the customer experiences:

Step 1 — Hold phone near the NFC card. The customer holds the back of their phone (or the top edge of an iPhone) within a few centimetres of the NFC card. No button pressing, no app opening, no unlocking required if the screen is on.

Step 2 — The phone reads the chip automatically. On Android, the review page typically opens directly in the browser within one second. On iPhone, a notification banner appears at the top of the screen; the customer taps the banner and the page opens in Safari.

Step 3 — The Google review page appears. The customer sees the review form for the specific business — already loaded, already on the correct business listing. If they are signed in to their Google account on their phone, their name is already populated.

Step 4 — Select a rating and tap Post. The customer taps 1 to 5 stars, optionally types a comment, and taps Post. The review is live on Google within seconds. The entire process typically takes 30 to 60 seconds from tap to posted review.

Does the Customer Need to Do Anything Before Tapping?

On most modern phones, nothing needs to be set up beforehand. NFC is active by default on Android phones from 2018 onwards. On iPhone XR and later with iOS 14+, NFC reading for URLs is automatic — the phone reads NFC chips in the background without needing to open any app or toggle any setting.

The only requirement is that the phone screen is on. NFC does not work when the phone is locked to the point of being fully powered down, but the screen simply needs to be active — the phone does not need to be unlocked to a home screen.

For customers who have NFC disabled (rare), or for older phones that do not have NFC at all, TapTrust cards also print a QR code. The customer opens their camera app, points it at the QR code, and taps the notification. It opens the same review page. No app download required for QR either.

What the Customer Sees After Tapping

The customer lands directly on the Google Business review form for your location. They see your business name, your current star rating, your address, and a row of empty stars to fill in. Below the stars is a text field labelled "Share details of your own experience at this place."

If the customer is signed in to their Google account — which is the case for most Android users and a large proportion of iPhone users who use Gmail — the review is attributed to their account automatically. Their name appears at the top of the form so they can see whose account they are posting from.

If they are not signed in, Google prompts them to sign in with one tap using an account they are already registered with. This rarely takes more than a few seconds for customers who have a Google account on their phone.

The review goes live on Google Maps and Google Search within seconds of being posted. There is no moderation delay for standard reviews — the customer can search your business immediately afterwards and see their review appear.

Phone Compatibility — What Works and What Doesn't

In practice, the TapTrust QR code fallback ensures that every customer with a smartphone can leave a review regardless of whether their phone supports NFC. The NFC tap is the fastest route; the QR code is the universal backup.