What is a QR code? What use is it? Can I scan one with my iPhone? The answer to the last question is a resounding yes and we will explain in this article how you can do it. We will also answer the first two questions. Read on if you want to get information about QR scanning from an iPhone, as it may surprise you to know that it will not even be necessary to install an application dedicated to it
What is a QR code
A QR code is a code (worth the redundancy) of quick response, literally. These codes work in a similar way to the classic barcodes that we find in supermarket products, although in their case they have a square shape made up of other smaller squares that look like pixels. Although they may look the same, the truth is that they are not and even if it is for a small difference, they all have different information if they are scanned.
These QRs can be seen today in all kinds of places. From billboards on the street, brochures, newspapers, magazines and even on the products we buy. These do not contain information on the price of the product but serve as links to web pages or platforms in which to obtain more information about the product or service in question. For example, accessing a restaurant menu or obtaining nutritional information on a snack. To access these links it is necessary that they be scanned with an electronic device such as an iPhone and although there are applications dedicated to it, the truth is that it is not necessary to install anything on iOS.
QR code scanning on iOS
If you have an iPhone, an iPad or an iPod touch it is obvious that these will have the camera application . This native app is more than enough to be able to read a QR code. The basic requirements are that the camera works correctly as is logical and that the device has iOS 11 or a later version , since this is the version that added this functionality.
The way to access this QR reading is very simple, since you only have to follow these steps:
- Open the Camera app.
- Focus on the QR code.
- You will see that a Safari banner appears at the top, click on it.
It is done. Easy right? The Safari browser will then open in order to show you the link to which the QR code refers, although it may be another application such as the App Store in case that code refers to the download link of an app. In any case, it is not a complicated process, although you will have to make sure you have a good internet connection so that it can be opened.
A trick to see the link without opening it is to use the iPhone’s 3D Touch, which consists of making a long press on the link without taking your finger off the screen. In this way, a preview will open that you can later open completely or ignore it in case you are not interested in the link it takes you to. Of course, these gestures are only operational on iPhone 6s and later, so you will not have it available on iPhone 5s, 6, 6 Plus or first generation SE.
How to create your own QR code
Just as you can access links with a QR, you can also create these codes yourself so that others can access the link you want. If you have a website, blog, application or any other service that you are interested in making known, it will be very useful. There are many web pages that allow you to create codes for free. In this article we will explain it with a website called codes-qr.com, whose process is in the end very similar to what you will find in any other.
- Open the QR code generator website .
- In the box that appears paste the link to the website you want to link to the QR.
- Select the code size.
- In “redundancy” you will find a factor that makes the code can be read even when it is damaged. We recommend selecting “medium”.
- Click on “Generate QR code”.
The process will take very few seconds, although it will depend on your internet connection. Once it is ready you can download it even in dynamic mode, which allows you to later edit the address to which it links. In this way you can already have your own QR ready to display in digital format on social networks or printed on brochures and posters.