Amiibo cards are hailed for adding life to Nintendo Switch games. The Amiibo technology uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to connect figurines to Nintendo Switch games. This technology allows you to unlock exclusive content and game features.
While Amiibo cards are super useful to gamers, they are rare and expensive. This drawback hinders many gamers from enjoying the benefits that Amiibo cards offer.
However, there is a solution for you! You can create your own Amiibo cards with an Android phone and the TagMo app. This process requires a little bit of work, but it’s worth it if you want to use Amiibo cards without spending a lot of money.
What is an Amiibo?
Before we delve into the tutorial, let’s first understand what an Amiibo is.
An Amiibo is a toys-to-life platform developed by Nintendo and launched in November 2014. It offers numerous figurines that mimic those in Disney Infinity, Skylanders, Lego Dimensions, and other similar games.
Amiibo figurines interact with games via near-field communication (NFC) technology, allowing data transfer between the physical toy and the game. This data includes things like character information, gameplay records, and save data.
Amiibo figurines are available in two different types: standalone figurines that represent specific video game characters and cards that are part of a set. The latter is what we will be focusing on in this tutorial.
What you’llneed to Create Your Own Amiibo Card
- An NFC-enabled phone
- An NFC tag (NTAG215)
- A TagMo APK installed on your phone
- Amiibo.bin Files
Preparing to Make Your Own Amiibo Card
To make your amiibo cards successfully, you must first gather all of the necessary supplies. Here, we detail where and how to get them:
- NFC Compatibility
As earlier indicated, you will not be able to make your own Amiibo card without NFC on your phone. Most modern devices have NFC capabilities, but some don’t. You can check if your phone has NFC compatibility by doing the following:
- Open Settings.
- Click on More/ More options under the Wireless & networks heading, depending on your phone.
- You should now see an NFC option. If you don’t see it, your phone doesn’t have NFC capabilities.
- NFC Tags
The next thing you’ll need is an NFC tag. You can purchase these online or at some electronic stores. If you’re looking for the best deals on NFC tags, we recommend that you buy them in bulk.
You will need to make sure that the NFC tags you purchase are NTAG215 chips. These are the compatible chips for TagMo, which we will be using to make your Amiibo cards.
If you buy any other type of NFC tag (NTAG213, NTAG210, NTAG214, NTAG413), it will not work with TagMo. Therefore, make sure that you confirm that the NFC tags you’re buying are NTAG215 before completing your purchase.
- TagMo App
Now that you have all of the necessary supplies, it’s time to download the TagMo app. You will use this app to create your Amiibo card. The TagMo app is free to download, but you cannot find it on the Play Store.
As such, you can only download it from a third-party source. Always remember to scan through reviews for the apps you’re downloading to avoid downloading malicious software.
To successfully install this application, you should follow these prompts:
- Identify a download link from a reputable source, as there are many fake download links out there.
- Click the link and you will be directed to a page where you can download TagMo APK.
- Download TagMo APK to your phone.
- Go to your phone’s settings, and click the Security option.
- Find and enable the Unknown Sources option. This will allow you to install TagMo APK on your phone.
- Go back to the file where you downloaded TagMo APK and open it.
Skipping any of these steps (especially unknown source activation) could result in installation failure, so be sure you follow them carefully.
Once the app has been installed, launch it. If you’re prompted for an authorization request, click Allow and TagMo will open automatically.
- Amiibo.bin Files
Now that you have everything else ready, it’s time to get your hands on some Amiibo.bin files. These are the files that contain all of the data for specific Amiibos.
You can find these locked-secret.bin and unfixed-info.bin files online. Once you have downloaded them, copy them to the /amiibo folder on your phone’s internal storage. You can also extract these files from an existing Amiibo figure using the TagMo app.
How to Create Your Own Amiibo Card – A Detailed Guide
Now that you know where to get everything you need and have the necessary files, it’s time to make your own Amiibo card. Here is a step-by-step guide on how:
- Download Amiibo.bin Files
This is a critical step in the process. Without Amiibo.bin files, you will not be able to create an Amiibo card. There are two types of Amiibo.bin files: locked-secret.bin and unfixed-info.bin. Here’s how to download them:
- Place the Key Files on Your Device. The amiibo.bin files will usually be in your download folder.
- Open Your TagMo APK. You should ensure that you allow all the permissions required for the app to work optimally.
- Access the Settings. Once the app opens, you should look for the settings that allow you to import files. Click the IMPORT FILE button. This will take you to your device’s storage system. Select the DOWNLOAD folder and choose the “locked-secret.bin” and “unfixed-info.bin” files.
- Click on These Files. You must click on each of the files independently. Every time you click, the files will be downloaded into your TagMo application.
You can repeat this process to download other Amiibo.bin files.
- Write NFC Tags
Now that you have amiibo.bin files on your phone, you should transfer them to your NFC tag by following these steps:
- Launch the TagMo App. This is the most critical step of this process. You will have a drop-down menu to help you navigate the app.
- Select Import Keys/ Load Keys. You need to load the keys into your TagMo app. You should select locked-secret.bin and unfixed-info.bin files. If you are having difficulties locating the keys, you can use a file explorer app for android. Select the download section and you’ll locate the keys in that folder.
- Select the Amiibo File. You will have an NFC bank that allows you to choose what Amiibo you want to write on the tag. Choose the Amiibo file that you want to use and tap “load tag.”
- Write Your NTAG215 NFC Tag. Place the NFC tag on your phone and select it when prompted. You will be directed to a page that allows you to LOAD the tag’s contents into your TagMo app. After that, you can choose the “Write Tag” option, and the Amiibo.bin file will be written to your NFC tag.
Immediately after clicking the write tag option, the NFC tag will have all the files you need to use your Amiibo card. You can place this card on a compatible device, and it will work as an original Amiibo figure.
However, you cannot rewrite your NFC tag! Once you make a mistake or overwrite an existing Amiibo file, you will not be able to create another card using the same NFC tag. As such, you should always keep a few extras around just in case you make a mistake.
- Validating
After you complete the process, you need to check if the Amiibo card is working as intended. The best way to do this is by clicking the TAG SCAN option in the TagMo application.
After the scanning is complete, you should get a pop-up that shows the Amiibo character you just wrote to the tag. If you don’t get this pop-up, it means that the Amiibo card is not working. In such a case, you will have to start the process all over again.
Alternatively, you can use your Nintendo Switch or any other compatible device to see if your Amiibo card works. If you copied the NFC tag successfully, you will have access to all figurines, in-game items, and other rewards associated with that Amiibo.
Most Common Types of Amiibo Cards
You can make as many Amiibo cards as you want. However, some are more popular than others. Here are the most common types of Amiibo cards:
- Super Mario Maker Amiibo Cards
- Zelda Amiibo Cards – Link’s Awakening
- Breath of the Wild Amiibo Cards
- Animal Crossing Amiibo Cards
- Splatoon 2 Amiibo Cards
- Joker Amiibo Cards
- Wolf Link Amiibo Cards
- Super Smash – King K Rool & Dark Samus Cards
Is It Legal to Make Your Own Amiibo Cards?
Creating your own Amiibo cards can be considered piracy. Nintendo Switch owns the copyright to all Amiibo characters. As such, you might get into legal trouble if you are caught making or selling Amiibo cards.
However, there is no evidence of the company making legal moves against people or companies that sell Amiibo cards. At the same time, there is also no definitive information about Nintendo Switch allowing people to generate and use their own Amiibo cards.
As such, you should always exercise caution if you intend to make your own Amiibo cards. For example, you can choose to create Amiibo cards for personal use only. If you do decide to sell them, you will be risking a lawsuit.
