# Chip Count vs Scan Count

There are two different counting methods within the ixkio platform : Chip Count and Scan Count. By default, only the Scan Count is displayed on the interface. 

### Scan Count

This is the count of the number of times that the ixkio software has responded to a request. So, simply, the number of times the software has redirected a tag scan or has responded via the API. 

### Chip Count (previously called Tag Count)

This is the count of the number of scans ***as recorded on the NFC chip itself**.* 

Many NFC chips, such as the NTAG213, have the ability to store the number of times the chip/tag has been scanned. This count can be dynamically added to the URL on the chip as the tag is scanned. This is a special feature that needs to be enabled when the tags are encoded and cannot be added later. 

For ixkio to be able to record this count, this feature must be enabled ***on the chip during encoding*** and then passed to the ixkio software using the query parameter 'n', for example : 

```
https://t.ixkio.com/98sddgaz?n=000001
```

The view of this count can then be enabled in the interface using [Enable Chip Count](/getting-started/organisation-structure/tag-groups/tag-group-settings.md#chip-count-enabled) within the Tag Group settings. 

If you are using Authentication Tags then the Chip Count will be enabled by default.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Ixkio cannot record or display the chip count if this feature has not been enabled on the NFC chip itself during encoding. 
{% endhint %}

### Why the Counts can be different

The Counts aren't always the same - this is normal. 

#### Chip Count is greater than the Scan Count

Every time the chip/tag is scanned, the chip counter will increase. In some cases, such as an iPhone scan, a notification will pop up on the screen after scan. If the user doesn't tap this notification and cancels - or perhaps doesn't have internet connection - then the scan won't reach our servers. 

Our servers will not update at this stage as they won't know about the scan. However, on the next successful tag scan, our servers will record the Chip Count (which will now be, for example, 2) but will only have made a single response. Therefore, the Chip Count will be 2 and the Scan Count only 1. 

#### Scan Count is greater than the Chip Count

This can often happen if a user revisits a URL scanned from a tag - without actually scanning the tag. It can also happen in cases where QR Codes are being used on the same Tag Codes as NFC tags. 

### Why Chip Count is hidden

In the substantial majority of standard tag (not authentication tag) use cases, the Chip Count is not enabled and not used. To keep the interface as clear as possible, the Chip Count is hidden unless it is required.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.ixkio.com/explainers/chip-count-vs-scan-count.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.