How NFC Tags Power the Game
One of the first questions people ask about I Got Dibs! is "how does the tap thing work?" Fair question. It feels a little like magic, so let's pull back the curtain.
NFC in Plain English
NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It's the same technology that powers contactless payments — when you tap your credit card or phone at a checkout terminal, that's NFC. Your phone has an NFC reader built in (pretty much every phone made in the last five years does). When you hold your phone near an NFC tag, they talk to each other.
Every I Got Dibs! mascot has a tiny NFC chip embedded inside. When you hold your phone near the mascot, the chip sends a unique URL to your phone. Your phone opens the URL automatically — no app download required for the tap itself. That URL tells our system who tapped the tag, and the steal is recorded.
Why NTAG 424 DNA?
Not all NFC chips are created equal. We use the NTAG 424 DNA, which is the gold standard for secure NFC. Here's what makes it special:
Every tap generates a unique code. The chip uses something called SUN authentication (Secure Unique NFC). Every single time you tap the tag, it generates a fresh encrypted code. Even if you tapped the same tag a thousand times, every code would be different.
It can't be cloned. Unlike basic NFC tags that can be copied with a $20 device off Amazon, the NTAG 424 DNA has encryption built into the silicon itself. There's no way to duplicate the chip or fake a tap. If you didn't physically tap the mascot, you can't register a steal. Period.
It can't be replayed. Even if someone intercepted a code from a previous tap, it wouldn't work again. Each code is one-time-use and tied to a counter that only goes up. Old codes are dead codes.
It works through phone cases. NFC works through plastic, silicone, leather — basically any non-metal phone case. No need to take your case off.
Solving the Honor System Problem
If you followed the viral Christmas inflatable games in 2025, you know the biggest headache was tracking. "I stole it at 3pm!" "No you didn't, I had it until 4!" Facebook groups full of disputed claims. Text chains that nobody could keep straight.
With NFC, there's no dispute. The tag knows who tapped it and exactly when. The leaderboard updates instantly. Everyone in the season can see the steal in real time. No he-said-she-said. No honor system needed. Just tap and it's done.
What You See When You Tap
When you tap your phone on the mascot, your phone opens a webpage automatically. If you're already logged in, the steal registers right away — you'll see a confirmation with who you stole it from and your updated stats. If you're new, it walks you through creating an account (takes about 30 seconds) and then records the steal.
The whole process from tap to steal confirmation is a few seconds. Fast enough that you can tap and run before your neighbor spots you through their kitchen window.
That's the beauty of it. All this security and technology happening behind the scenes, and all you have to do is hold your phone near the mascot. Simple as that.