If you’re using an iPhone (or an iPad or iPod touch) you can scan QR codes really easily – just follow these simple steps (it also works for Android too)…
How To Scan a QR Code With iPhone
Scanning a QR code with the iPhone is easy. These instructions are for iPhones running iOS 16:
- Open the Camera app.
- Make sure you select the rear camera by tapping the camera switcher button (curved arrows).
- Point the camera at the QR code. This could be a QR code on a physical poster, a website, or even on the screen of another smartphone. A yellow box will appear around the QR code on your iPhone camera’s screen.
- Below the QR code/yellow box, you’ll see a yellow button that tells you what the QR code does. Tap it to launch the action. For example, if the QR code has a URL, tapping the yellow button will launch your web browser and take you to the website.
And that’s literally it. Simple, right?
What Are QR Codes?
QR Codes were originally invested in Japan in 1994 by a company called Denso-Wave, a subsidiary of Toyota. In its simplest form, a QR Code is basically a more advanced barcode. The difference with QR Codes, however, is that they can store more information – both horizontally and vertically, whereas a barcode can only store information horizontally.
A standard 1D Barcode can store up to 30 numbers; you’ll find these types of barcodes on items in your local supermarket. A QR Code, however, can store up to 7089 numbers which are why they’re used predominately online to link out to Facebook, Twitter, and many other web pages online.
What Are QR Codes Used For?
Everybody has smartphones. And most people have Android and iPhones – and both these phones can natively scan QR Codes from their respective camera apps. For this reason, QR Codes have become a very popular method for marketing goods and services, as well as public information like bus times and the like.
QR Codes can also be used in newspapers and magazines as well, so if you’re reading a list of the best apps in The Times, for instance, all you have to do to download one is scan the QR Code listed on the paper and your phone will know to go to the App Store where it can be downloaded.
You can even get QR Codes tattooed on your body and they’ll work just as advertised, although this form of advertising has yet to take off – for obvious reasons. Essentially, QR Codes are basically visual hyperlinks that can be used on “offline” products to link to online products.
This is why you see QR Codes on billboards and flyers, as well as inside newspapers and magazines. QR Codes are a great tool for offline marketing and the dissemination of information via non-digital products. You can even use them online if you like, for quick links to products and services pages, though most people still prefer to use hyperlinks, as that is what most people are used to.
Where Do You Find QR Codes?
You can find QR code nearly everywhere, including:
- Shopping Centres & Malls
- Restaurants
- Local businesses
- Real estate signs
- Business cards
- Tombstones
- Museums
- Libraries
- Flyers
- Magazines
- Pamphlets or informational handouts
- T-shirts, hats, and clothing
- Stickers
- Tattoos and temporary tattoos
- Movie posters
- Times Square
- Plastic drink bottles
- Disney
- Classrooms
- Teachers’ webpages and worksheets
How To Make Your Own QR Code
Can you make your own QR Codes? Yes, and it’s incredibly easy. Just use one of the following sites to create your own QR Codes:
- http://www.qrstuff.com/
- http://qrcode.kaywa.com/
- http://quikqr.com/
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