How to scan a qr code on an android
Monday, August 7, 2023
How to scan a qr code on an android
Today, you can find QR codes on everything from candy wrappers to billboards. Scanning these modern barcodes with your smartphone allows you to quickly open websites, download apps, send SMS, and more. Many restaurants and bars are even replacing their menus with QR codes, while some stores now allow you to pay with QR codes, so you don't have to touch anything. Here's how to scan QR codes with your iPhone or Android phone, and what to do when you can't scan them.
How to Scan a QR Code on iPhone
To scan a QR code on an iPhone, all you have to do is open the Camera app and point your phone at the QR code. Make sure the QR code is in the box on your screen, then tap the pop-up banner or the yellow QR code icon in the lower right corner.
Open the Camera app on your iPhone. You can quickly open the camera app by swiping left from the lock screen. Or you can swipe down from the center of the home screen and type "Camera" into the search bar at the top of the screen.
Then point your iPhone at the QR code to scan. You don't have to fill the entire screen, but make sure you can see all four corners of the QR code in the app. Once you have successfully scanned the QR code, a pop-up banner will appear above it and you will also see a yellow QR code icon appear in the lower right corner.
Finally, tap the pop-up banner or QR icon in the bottom right corner of the app. This will immediately take you to a website, open an app, or perform some other action, so make sure you know what the banner is doing before you tap it.
If you don't see QR banners or icons, make sure QR Code Scanning is enabled. You can do this by going to Settings > Camera and tapping the slider next to Scan QR Code. You'll know it's on when it's green.
If you still don't see the pop-up banner or QR code icon, take a picture of the QR code and open it in the Photos app. Then tap the Live Text icon that looks like three lines in a box in the lower right corner. Finally, tap on the QR code, then a pop-up banner will appear.
If you want to learn more about how to take screenshots on iPhone, check out our step-by-step guide here.
How to scan a QR code on an Android phone
If you're using Android 8 or later, you can scan a QR code by opening the camera app, pointing your phone at the QR code, and tapping the contextual banner . If you don't see the pop-up banner, you can use the Google Lens app to scan the QR code.
Open the Camera app on your Android phone. You can open the camera app by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. You can also tap the search bar on the home screen and type "Camera".
Then point your Android phone at the QR code to scan. Make sure that all four corners of the QR code are visible in the viewfinder. If you're using Android 8 or later, you'll see a pop-up banner appear.
Finally, tap the pop-up banner. This will immediately take you to a website, open an app, or perform some other action, so make sure you know what the banner is doing before you tap it.
If the banner doesn't appear, you can use Google Lens instead. You might see a Lens icon (looks like a circle inside a broken box) somewhere on your screen. Or you may need to tap Mode (or More) in the bottom-right corner of the app and select Lens. Then place the QR code in the white lines and tap the magnifying glass icon to scan.
You can also open Lens on some phones by pressing and holding the QR code on the screen until you see the multicolored spinning wheel. Then tap the pop-up banner when it appears above the QR code.
If Google Lens is not working in your camera app, you may need to enable it in your settings. You can check your camera settings in the app or in Android's general settings. Then turn on the Google Lens suggestions option.
You can also download the Google Lens app from the Google Play Store. Once you've opened the app, move the QR code to the center of the viewfinder and tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to scan.
If you are using Android 7 or earlier, your phone may not be compatible with the app, but you may already have Google Lens functionality on your Android device. To find out, press the Home button at the bottom of your device (or the line at the bottom of your screen) until the Google Assistant appears. Then tap the Google Lens icon or select the microphone icon and say "open Google Lens".
If all else fails, you can take a photo or screenshot of the QR code, open the Google Photos app, and tap the Google Lens icon below the image.
If you want to know how to take a screenshot on your Android phone, check out our step-by-step guide here.
What are QR Codes and why should they be scanned? QR Code
was originally developed to extend barcode technology. QR codes have better functionality as they can be scanned both horizontally and vertically due to their square shape. Before smartphones, QR codes were read by scanners for inventory management. Today, the process is much more advanced thanks to smartphones. Scanning QR codes allows you to read the information associated with them. This can be done using the smartphone app or directly using your smartphone camera (for some newer models).
Which smartphone uses Android?
Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems, so there are many smartphones that use Android to run. Some of the newest and most popular smartphones using Android are:
... And many more.
How to Scan a QR Code on iPhone
To scan a QR code on an iPhone, all you have to do is open the Camera app and point your phone at the QR code. Make sure the QR code is in the box on your screen, then tap the pop-up banner or the yellow QR code icon in the lower right corner.
Open the Camera app on your iPhone. You can quickly open the camera app by swiping left from the lock screen. Or you can swipe down from the center of the home screen and type "Camera" into the search bar at the top of the screen.
Then point your iPhone at the QR code to scan. You don't have to fill the entire screen, but make sure you can see all four corners of the QR code in the app. Once you have successfully scanned the QR code, a pop-up banner will appear above it and you will also see a yellow QR code icon appear in the lower right corner.
Finally, tap the pop-up banner or QR icon in the bottom right corner of the app. This will immediately take you to a website, open an app, or perform some other action, so make sure you know what the banner is doing before you tap it.
If you don't see QR banners or icons, make sure QR Code Scanning is enabled. You can do this by going to Settings > Camera and tapping the slider next to Scan QR Code. You'll know it's on when it's green.
If you still don't see the pop-up banner or QR code icon, take a picture of the QR code and open it in the Photos app. Then tap the Live Text icon that looks like three lines in a box in the lower right corner. Finally, tap on the QR code, then a pop-up banner will appear.
If you want to learn more about how to take screenshots on iPhone, check out our step-by-step guide here.
How to scan a QR code on an Android phone
If you're using Android 8 or later, you can scan a QR code by opening the camera app, pointing your phone at the QR code, and tapping the contextual banner . If you don't see the pop-up banner, you can use the Google Lens app to scan the QR code.
Open the Camera app on your Android phone. You can open the camera app by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. You can also tap the search bar on the home screen and type "Camera".
Then point your Android phone at the QR code to scan. Make sure that all four corners of the QR code are visible in the viewfinder. If you're using Android 8 or later, you'll see a pop-up banner appear.
Finally, tap the pop-up banner. This will immediately take you to a website, open an app, or perform some other action, so make sure you know what the banner is doing before you tap it.
If the banner doesn't appear, you can use Google Lens instead. You might see a Lens icon (looks like a circle inside a broken box) somewhere on your screen. Or you may need to tap Mode (or More) in the bottom-right corner of the app and select Lens. Then place the QR code in the white lines and tap the magnifying glass icon to scan.
You can also open Lens on some phones by pressing and holding the QR code on the screen until you see the multicolored spinning wheel. Then tap the pop-up banner when it appears above the QR code.
If Google Lens is not working in your camera app, you may need to enable it in your settings. You can check your camera settings in the app or in Android's general settings. Then turn on the Google Lens suggestions option.
You can also download the Google Lens app from the Google Play Store. Once you've opened the app, move the QR code to the center of the viewfinder and tap the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen to scan.
If you are using Android 7 or earlier, your phone may not be compatible with the app, but you may already have Google Lens functionality on your Android device. To find out, press the Home button at the bottom of your device (or the line at the bottom of your screen) until the Google Assistant appears. Then tap the Google Lens icon or select the microphone icon and say "open Google Lens".
If all else fails, you can take a photo or screenshot of the QR code, open the Google Photos app, and tap the Google Lens icon below the image.
If you want to know how to take a screenshot on your Android phone, check out our step-by-step guide here.
What are QR Codes and why should they be scanned? QR Code
was originally developed to extend barcode technology. QR codes have better functionality as they can be scanned both horizontally and vertically due to their square shape. Before smartphones, QR codes were read by scanners for inventory management. Today, the process is much more advanced thanks to smartphones. Scanning QR codes allows you to read the information associated with them. This can be done using the smartphone app or directly using your smartphone camera (for some newer models).
Which smartphone uses Android?
Android is one of the most popular mobile operating systems, so there are many smartphones that use Android to run. Some of the newest and most popular smartphones using Android are:
... And many more.
If you don't know if your smartphone uses Android, you can check by going to "Settings" and selecting "About phone" or you can ask your phone manufacturer his intelligence.
How to check if your Android phone's camera automatically scans QR codes
If your Android phone is not listed above, don't worry. You can also try scanning the QR code without the app. To check if your camera is equipped for this, follow these steps:
You can also follow this guide on how to check your Android version.
'Now on Tap' with Android 6.0 now scans QR codes
If your Android phone is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, there is a feature called 'Now on Tap' that reads QR codes directly. You can follow these steps to use "Now on Tap" to read QR code:
Install Google app and open it.
Sign up for activation now.
Go to 'Settings' and select 'Screen Search'.
Turn on the top toggle ("Ask Google to show you information about what's on your home screen when you hold down the Home button or perform a voice search").
Press and hold the Home button on your Android smartphone to start "Now on Tap" so you can scan the QR with your camera.
If you don't want to use 'Now on Tap', you can also install a third-party QR code reader app (see our app recommendations below).
Android 7 or earlier (except Android 6.0)
These Android versions (except Android 6.0) cannot scan QR codes without a third-party app.
Please see below for some of our application recommendations.
Scan QR codes with Android 8.0, 9.0 and 10.0
If your smartphone is running Android 8.0 or later, it is most likely able to scan QR codes with an app. Here are three options you can use to do this:
Google Screen Search
To scan a QR code with Google Screen Search, you don't need an app. You can use the following steps to scan a QR code:
Google Lens in the
wizard This is a very easy way to scan a QR code without an app. To use Google Lens in the wizard to scan the QR code, here are the steps:
Google Lens app
You can also access Google Lens through the Google Lens app. To scan a QR code with the Google Lens app, download it from the Google Play Store and follow the same instructions as above starting from point 2.
Important Note: For Android versions 8.0 and later , your phone may include an update that allows you to scan QR codes directly with your camera without having to use the above functions. The following explains how to check if your smartphone automatically has this feature in the camera.
How to scan a QR code with the Samsung Galaxy
There are different methods you can use to scan a QR code with your Samsung phone. Please note that there may be differences between Galaxy versions and your OS version.