How to scan a QR code on iPhone? It’s easy to scan QR codes on your iPhone, iPad, or another iOS device if you know what you’re doing. You’ve come to the right place – we’ll show you how to scan a QR code on your Apple device.
QR codes aren’t as popular as most people thought they would be, but still quite a few shops, websites and locations use them to communicate or store information. Ticket websites, coupon codes, website links, and contact information are often stored in QR codes.
You can scan QR codes on your iPhone or iPad with ease. This is because Apple built a QR code reader right into its camera, so it’s an easy task if you need to scan something.
As with any tech software, it can sometimes be tricky to figure out what to do or how to get your iOS device to recognize what it’s looking at. We have therefore developed this simple guide on how to scan a QR code with an iPhone.
Since iOS 11, this has been a useful addition, and has been upgraded a few times with each new version of Apple’s OS.
On my iPhone, how do I scan a QR code?
- Launch the camera app on your iPhone or iPad
- And hold it up so that you can see the QR code clearly
- It will recognize the code and send you a notification
- You can tap to go to the destination
How to scan a QR code on an iPhone and iPad
First, launch the camera app on your iPhone or iPad. You can usually find it on the home page, in the bottom right corner. On iPads, it’s on the first page, and if you’ve moved it around, it will appear somewhere else.
Hold the device’s camera up to the QR code. You don’t need to tap the shutter button, your iOS device will automatically recognize the QR code and provide you with an on-screen notification. (Make sure you have a mobile signal or you’re connected to Wi-Fi, otherwise, this won’t work.)
Tap the notification to be taken to the QR code’s destination. This may be a website, app, or feature on your phone. Now you can change the default browser on your iPhone or iPad. This is thanks to the relaxation in recent iOS versions. In this case, you’ll see a notification when scanning to go to Chrome or Safari.
In just a few steps, you’ve scanned a QR code on your iPhone or iPad.
The secret code scanner in your iPhone
Your iPhone has a secret code scanner – did you know that? It’s not an app per se (well, it is, but you can’t see it in your app library), but you can find it using Spotlight.
It does the same thing as in the camera app but gives you a larger viewfinder to play with.
Swipe down from the home screen to access the search bar at the top of your iPhone and then type in ‘Code Scanner’ – or you can go to ‘Settings’, then to ‘Control Center’ and select ‘Code Scanner’.
Simply swipe down from the top right-hand corner of your screen to get there, and you can get all scan-like whenever you want.
The Wallet app can scan QR codes on iPhones and iPads
The Wallet app on iPhone and iPod also includes a QR reader. Open the app, click on the plus button at the top of the “Passes” section, then tap on Scan Code to Add a Pass.
You can scan QR codes from here for coupons, boarding passes, tickets, and loyalty cards, but only for the things that Wallet considers “passes.” If you try to scan any other QR code, you will receive an error message.
You can also go to the App Store if neither of the above two methods appeal to you. In the App Store, you’ll find a wide selection of free QR code reading applications.