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Guides

How to scan a QR code

Updated

Short answer

On an iPhone, open the Camera app, point the rear camera at the code and tap the link that appears. On most Android phones, do the same in the Camera app, or use the Scan QR code tile in Quick Settings, or Google Lens. A recent phone needs no separate scanner app.

Scan a QR code on iPhone

  1. Open the Camera app.
  2. Use the rear camera, and hold the phone so the code appears in the viewfinder.
  3. Tap the notification that appears to open the link.

You can also scan from Control Center. Add the Scan Code control if it is not there already, then open Control Center and tap it. The scanner has a flashlight button for codes in low light.

Scan a QR code on Android

Android phones differ by manufacturer, so names and menus vary, but one of these works on almost every recent phone.

  • Camera app: open the camera, point it at the code and tap the link that appears. On some phones, QR scanning has to be switched on in the camera settings first.
  • Quick Settings: swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Scan QR code. If the tile is missing, edit the Quick Settings panel to add it.
  • Google Lens: open Lens from the Google app or the search bar on your home screen, and point it at the code.
  • Circle to Search, on phones that have it: for a code already on your screen, long-press the home button or the navigation bar, then circle the code.

Scanning a code that is on your own screen

A phone camera cannot point at its own screen. On Android, Circle to Search reads a code wherever it is shown, and Google Lens can read one in a screenshot or a photo in your gallery. On iPhone, the dependable way is to show the code on another screen, such as a computer, and scan it with the Camera app.

If a code will not scan

  • Move back until the whole code, white margin included, fits in the frame. Too close fails as often as too far.
  • Wipe the camera lens. A fingerprint is enough to blur small modules.
  • Add light, or turn on the flashlight, and tilt the phone to lose any glare on glossy paper or a screen.
  • Hold still for a second so the camera can focus.

If none of that helps, the code itself may be at fault: printed too small for what it holds, too low in contrast, or with its margin cropped away. The size guide explains what makes a code readable.

Check before you open a link

A QR code can lead anywhere, and there is no telling where by looking at it. Scanning only reads the code: nothing opens until you tap, and your phone shows the address first, so read it. Be wary of a code stuck over another one, as on a parking meter or a poster, and of any page that asks you to log in or pay straight after a scan.

Other kinds of code also wait for you. A WiFi code asks before joining the network, and a contact card opens for you to check before saving it.

Frequently asked questions

Not on a recent phone. The built-in Camera app reads QR codes on iPhone and on most Android phones, and Google Lens covers Android phones whose camera does not.

On Android, open the screenshot in Google Lens, or use Circle to Search on phones that have it. On iPhone, show the image on another screen and scan it with the Camera app.

Usually the phone is too close or too far, the lens is smudged, or glare is washing the code out. Step back so the whole code fits, clean the lens and add light. If it still fails, the code may be printed too small or with too little contrast.

Scanning only reads the code, and nothing opens until you tap. Check the address your phone shows before tapping, and avoid codes stuck over other codes in public places.

Yes. iPhone and recent Android phones offer to join the network when they scan a WiFi code, with no password to type.

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