Read NFC tag without specific application?

Question

I was wondering if there is any way to save a string of text (URL) to an NFC tag, let us say MIFARE or NTAG203, that can be read by other devices (smartphones) without the n

Answer 1

Everything with NFC involves an application for responding to the tag. Whether that is a "special tag reading application" depends on your own personal definition of "special tag reading application".

For example, some Web browsers will support NDEF-formatted tags with the payload being a URL. But that's a browser thing, not an OS thing. For example, the AOSP browser app has the manifest entry to respond to NDEF-formatted tags with URLs beginning with http or https. By my definition of "special tag reading application", the AOSP browser is a "special tag reading application". While hopefully all NFC-capable devices will ship with a Web browser that supports NDEF-formatted tags, that's not guaranteed.

If your "some data" is anything else, whether or not there is an app that is set up to respond to that sort of data. After URLs, the next-most-common tag payload is identified via a MIME type, just like you use with Web apps, and so if there is an app installed that supports NDEF and is set up to respond to your MIME type, it will pick up your data. This is no different than having your Web server serve up content under some MIME type -- an app needs to be installed that honors http/https URLs (or files downloaded by a browser) and that MIME type.

if the device reading the tag does not have the required application to read the data/instructions off the tag it still opens a URL that sends you to the Play Store to download that application

An AAR (Android Application Record) was added to the NDEF message written to the NDEF-formatted tag. That is the only NDEF item that can be thought of as being handled by the platform itself, and that's only for devices that support the Play Store (and apps that are distributed via the Play Store).