Launch Center Pro 3.0 Lets You Automate Tasks On iPhone With NFC Tags

Having a phone react to an NFC tag and then do things of its own accord is something that Android phone owners have been able to take advantage of for years, but the same feature hasn’t been something that iPhone owners have enjoyed. Until now. The recent release of Launch Center Pro changes that, and it’s pretty amazing.

While there are plenty of new features worth thinking about with this new release of Launch Center Pro – version 3.0 – the headline-making one is definitely support for NFC tags.

If you’re using an iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or iPhone XS Max, you can slap your iPhoen onto an NFC tag and then have Launch Center Pro react, triggering anything from an app launch to a complicated Shortcuts workflow. The whole thing is seamless, bar the tapping of an on-screen notification, and it works well.

There are, however, caveats. For starters, anyone with an iPhone X or older is going to have to manually trigger the NFC reading portion of all this. Apple’s newer iPhones are constantly waiting for an NFC tap, but older iPhones? Not so much. There’s also the fact that Launch Center Pro can be pretty daunting to work with, but if you’re a veteran of one of the oldest iOS power user apps, you’re going to be in your element.

Especially when you tie this thing into other automation apps, like the aforementioned Shortcuts. Having Launch Center Pro trigger a Shortcut can theoretically open the door to some huge automation options. For example, imagine tapping your phone against your car and having the thing start, your garage door open, and all of your home’s doors lock and alarm set.

Surely that’s the future we’re all waiting for, right?

(Download: Launch Center Pro 3.0 for iPhone and iPad from the App Store)

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