Activating Titanium Apple Card: iPhone XS/XR vs iPhone X and earlier
iPhone XS/XS Max/XR include a new feature that let them scan NFC tags in the background. For iPhone X and earlier, users must first launch an app to enable NFC reader mode.


iPhone Xs and iPhone XR can read NFC tags without having to launch an app



  iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max and iPhone XR include a new feature for NFC that Apple didn’t mention on stage. The new models will be able to scan NFC tags in the background. With current iPhones, users must first launch an app to enable NFC Reader mode.
  
  iPhone Xs and iPhone XR require no such preamble, the user can simply walk up to a compatible NFC tag, wake the iPhone screen, and scan it …



What's New in Core NFC



  Background reading of NFC tags is a new feature for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.