# The TAGBASE Writer app

Get the TAGBASE Writer app for iPhone and Android, sign in, and write your tags.


There are two ways to get working physical tags:

- **Preconfigured by TAGBASE**: the default, and what most teams use. Order
  tags and we ship them written and ready to scan: apply them and they work.
  We make sure the chips always match the protocol you provision.
- **Tags you write yourself**: for tests and small batches.
  [Provision tags through the API](/docs/api/tags), source blank
  chips on your own, and write them with the TAGBASE Writer app. The platform
  only supports specific chips, so ordering compatible blanks is up to you.

Most teams go with preconfigured tags and never need the Writer app. If you
write your own, it turns a phone into a tag writer: hold a blank chip to it,
and the app writes the tag onto it. Only whoever writes tags needs it.
Scanning in the field happens in a browser, so nobody else installs anything.

## Get the Writer app

The app is free on both stores. Point your phone's camera at the code for
your platform, or tap the badge to open the store page.

<div class="store-cards">
  <div>
    [Image: Official App Store QR code for the TAGBASE Writer app. See the web version of this page.]
    <a class="store-badge" href="https://apps.apple.com/app/id6759101361"><img src="/images/app-store-badge.svg" alt="Download on the App Store"></a>
  </div>
  <div>
    [Image: Official Google Play QR code for the TAGBASE Writer app. See the web version of this page.]
    <a class="store-badge" href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.tagbase.writer"><img src="/images/google-play-badge.svg" alt="Get it on Google Play"></a>
  </div>
</div>

## Sign in and pick your team

Open the app and sign in. The app hands you to the browser: sign in with
your TAGBASE account, then pick the team that holds your tags, the team
your API key belongs to. You can switch teams later from the app's account
menu.

If your users write tags themselves, your solution can hand them direct
access to the right team with a
[join link](/docs/api/teams#create-a-join-link).

[Image: The team page in the in-app browser: create a new team, or link your Verify team. See the web version of this page.]


## Write a tag

The app lists the team's provisioned tags. The `comment` field you set at
[creation](/docs/api/tags) identifies them. Pick one and hold a blank chip
to the phone. The app writes the tag's `url` onto the chip, and the tag's
`status` advances from `created` to `configured`. It can be scanned from
that moment.

[Image: The write sheet in the writer app asking you to hold the phone near the tag. See the web version of this page.]


## Test builds

New features reach the test builds before they reach the stores. Anyone can
join, and you need no invite.

- [Test the iPhone app on TestFlight](https://testflight.apple.com/join/BuqkFHmY)
- [Test the Android app on Google Play](https://play.google.com/apps/testing/io.tagbase.writer)

Test builds change often, so expect the occasional rough edge. Tell us when
you hit one.