Neither iPhone nor Android needs an app to scan a QR code. If somebody is telling you to download a scanner, you almost certainly do not need it — and free scanner apps are a well known home for adverts and tracking.
iPhone
Open the Camera app and point it at the code. Hold steady for a second. A yellow banner drops down from the top; tap it.
This has worked since iOS 11, so any iPhone from the last several years does it out of the box.
If the banner does not appear:
- Check Settings → Camera → Scan QR Codes is turned on
- Use the rear camera, not the selfie one
- Make sure you are in Photo mode, not Video or Portrait
There is also a dedicated Code Scanner you can add to Control Centre, from Settings → Control Centre. It is faster than the Camera app when you scan often, and it opens straight into a scanning view.
Android
On Android 9 and later, open the Camera app and point it at the code. Most phones show a link chip you tap.
Android is less consistent than iOS here, because manufacturers change the camera app. If nothing happens, try in this order:
- Look for a Google Lens icon inside the camera app and tap it first
- Open the Google app and use the Lens button in the search bar
- Swipe down to Quick Settings and look for a Scan QR code tile
- Check the camera app settings for a QR or Lens toggle that is switched off
Google Lens is present on nearly all Android phones and reads codes reliably, so if the built-in camera is being awkward it is the fastest fallback.
Reading a code from a photo or a screenshot
This comes up constantly — somebody sends you a picture of a code, or you screenshot one, and you cannot point a camera at your own screen.
iPhone: open the image in Photos. Press and hold on the code, or look for the Live Text icon in the corner. A link option appears.
Android: open the image in Google Photos and tap the Lens button at the bottom.
Both work on screenshots, saved images and photos you were sent.
When the code will not read
| Symptom | Usually means |
|---|---|
| Nothing happens at all | Too far away, or the code is too small — move closer |
| Reads only sometimes | Poor contrast, glare, or a logo that is too big |
| Camera hunts and gives up | The white margin around the code was cropped |
| Blurry preview | Too close — most phones cannot focus below about 10 cm |
| Works on one phone, not another | The code is marginal; not your fault |
| Scans, then shows an error | The code is fine, the destination is broken |
Glare is the most common physical cause. Tilt the phone slightly so the light does not reflect straight back, or shade the code with your hand.
If it is your own code that will not read, our seven-point checklist works through the causes in order.
Before you tap the link
The scan itself is harmless — the phone just reads a pattern. The risk is entirely in what you do next.
Look at the address in the banner before tapping:
- Does the domain match the business you are standing in front of?
- Is it a shortened link hiding the real destination?
- Are there lookalike characters, or a familiar brand name in the wrong part of the address?
Be especially careful with codes that arrive by post, email, or on a sticker that looks added rather than printed. Tampered codes are a real and growing problem — how to spot a fake covers the signs.
Never enter a password or payment details on a page you reached by scanning something in public. Go to the site yourself instead.
Older phones
Phones from before roughly 2017 may genuinely need an app. If so, install Google Lens on Android rather than a generic scanner. On very old iPhones, the Camera app will not do it and updating iOS is the better fix if the device supports it.
This is worth remembering when you print a code for the public: a share of your audience is on older hardware. Printing the link or the Wi-Fi password as text underneath costs one line and rescues everybody the code misses.
Making your own
If you are here to create one rather than read one, the generator takes about thirty seconds and needs no account.