Something not working as expected? Here are the most common issues and how to resolve them quickly.
NFC & Tapping
My phone won't read the NFC chip
The most common cause is NFC being disabled or the phone not positioned correctly.
- → Check NFC is on: Android — Settings → Connected devices → NFC. Toggle it on. iPhone (iOS 13+) — NFC is always on.
- → iPhone: Position the top of your phone over the product. The NFC reader is near the camera.
- → Android: Position the centre of the back panel over the product.
- → Remove a thick case: Metal or very thick phone cases can block NFC. Try removing your case.
- → Slowly slide your phone across the product surface to find the chip location.
- → Restart your phone and try again — this clears temporary NFC issues.
GPS & Location
GPS / location isn't working
The experience needs location access to check your distance to the landmark.
- → Enable location services for your browser in your phone's Settings → Privacy → Location Services.
- → When prompted by your browser, tap "Allow" or "Allow While Using App."
- → Step outdoors with a clear view of the sky — GPS accuracy is much better outside.
- → Refresh the page after enabling location — the permission check runs on load.
- → If denied previously, go to your browser's site settings and reset location permission for taptales.co.
My visit didn't stamp
Stamps only record when you're physically within the required range of the landmark.
- → Check the required range shown on screen — most landmarks need you within 50–200 metres.
- → Make sure your GPS signal is accurate. Indoors or in tunnels, GPS can show the wrong location.
- → Refresh the page and allow location access again if you moved after first loading.
- → Wait a moment — GPS sometimes takes 10–15 seconds to get an accurate fix.
The compass isn't showing direction
The compass requires location access to calculate your bearing to the landmark.
- → Enable location services in your browser and phone settings (see GPS section above).
- → Some older browsers don't support compass bearing — try updating your browser or switching to Safari (iOS) or Chrome (Android).
- → Distance and direction update automatically once GPS locks on — it may take a few seconds.
Page & Browser
The page won't load
TapTales experiences require an internet connection to load.
- → Check your connection — try opening another website to confirm you're online.
- → Switch between WiFi and mobile data — sometimes one has a better signal.
- → Refresh the page by pulling down or tapping the reload button in your browser.
- → If the page still won't load, wait a moment and try again — it may be a brief connectivity issue.
Translation isn't working
The first translation requires an internet connection to fetch from Google Cloud Translation.
- → Make sure you're connected to the internet when switching languages for the first time.
- → After the first successful translation, text is cached on your device — repeat visits load instantly offline.
- → Refresh the page and try selecting the language again.
- → If translation consistently fails, check that taptales.co isn't blocked on your network.
Visit History
I lost my visit history
Visit data is stored in your browser's local storage — it's tied to this device and browser.
- → If you cleared your browser data (cache, cookies, site data), your visit history was removed along with it.
- → If you're using a different browser or device, your visits won't appear there — each browser has its own separate history.
- → Using private / incognito mode will not save visit history between sessions.
- → Unfortunately, there is no way to recover lost visit data — it is not stored on any server.