iPhone 15: NFC issues, apps freezing/crashing

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iPhone 15: NFC issues, apps freezing/crashing

I have troubles with my Iphone 15 bought new in 2023. The first issue is that the NFC chip doesn't work. This has probably been an issue since I bought the phone (wasn't able to add bank card), but I didn't notice it soon enough to get it covered by warrenty.

Now however, it feels like it's breaking down: I couldn't upgrade from IOS 26.3 since the update wasn't able to verify, last week I upgraded to 26.5 through my Mac, which did work, but now various apple apps freeze at certain actions, for example:

Downloading an app and waiting for the confirmation screen takes 1-2 minutes
Adding a new automation in shortcuts freezes it 1-2 minutes
Scrolling control center up

Sometimes actions freeze the phone completely (cannot exit app), some will still exit. When clicking stuff while it is frozen the app usually crashes.

On the NFC chip, Wallet & Paypal app are unsable (crash on startup), NFC scanner apps will also freeze/crash

What I did so far:

Completely reset the phone (incl. deleting all data), this was on 26.5.
Went to an apple store to have it diagnosed, first the diagnoses took unusually long according to the technician, the only thing they found wrong was Apple-Pay, which ties into the NFC chip issue
Tried reinstalling apple apps that cause crashes/freezes

I did not mess around with the phone in any way that would explain such issues, apple store suggested switching the mainboard, that was just regarding the NFC chip though. Is there anything else that can be done other than buying a new phone / having the mainboard replaced?

iPhone 15, iOS 26

Posted on May 25, 2026 3:41 AM

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Answer 1

May 25, 2026 5:26 AM in response to chisar

You can try a DFU procedure with reinstalls firmware and iOS etc. That’s kind of the last resort before replacing hardware. An Apple Retail Store may assist you with it.

DFU restore an iPhone 15, connect it to a computer with a USB-C cable, then use Finder on Mac or the Apple Devices app/iTunes on Windows to restore it after the phone enters DFU mode. The timing matters, and the screen should stay black when DFU mode is entered rather than showing the recovery screen.

It’s not an easy procedure to perform because timing is critical. 9 to 5 Mac has an extensive article I’ve used before and I’m sure there many YouTube tutorials.

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Answer 2

May 25, 2026 9:54 AM in response to SravanKrA

Perhaps a long shot:

Do you have a 3rd party VPN installed, even if you are not using it? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN, then restart your device. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile. Updates sometimes "break" VPN, and it needs to be removed. If that fixes it, you can try reinstalling VPN, but probably shouldn't.

VPN can break anything that requires an internet connection, which can cause many of the symptoms you list (except NFC), and iOS updates frequently require the VPN profile to be updated (replaced).

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Answer 3

SravanKrA

Level 10

445,072 points

May 25, 2026 9:45 AM in response to chisar

Apple's iOS does have NFC capabilities, but they are primarily used for Apple Pay and other Apple-specific features. The ability to read generic NFC tags without a third-party app is unknown to me on iPhones.

Sometimes, developers can access more advanced NFC features through Xcode and developer APIs, but this requires some technical knowledge and isn't meant for everyday users.

iOS apps running on supported devices can use NFC scanning to read data from electronic tags attached to real-world objects. For example, a person can scan ...

NFC | Apple Developer Documentation

This sample code project shows how to use Core NFC in an app to read Near Field Communication (NFC) tags of types 1 through 5 that contains NFC Data Exchange ...

Building an NFC Tag-Reader App

An interface for interacting with an NDEF tag. An object that represents an NFC tag object. A set of parameters you use to define the configuration of an NFC ...

Creating NFC Tags from Your iPhone

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