How to Scan QR Codes on Mobile Phones and Computers?

A millennial’s desire for prompt gratification is easily met with QR codes. These black and white squares connect the real world with the internet. Businesses have been using them for years to increase customer engagement by providing relevant information about products and services.

With its booming popularity, almost every device with a camera lets you scan QR codes. Want to know how? Read along to know how to use QR codes on different devices.

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How to Use QR Codes?

The next segment will discuss a step-by-step guide on how to access QR codes with different devices as follows -

1. How to Use QR Codes on Android Devices?

Apart from Android 9 and 10, the rest do not have an in-built QR code reader. Thus, the next segment will discuss steps to scan QR codes both with and without any Google features.

Steps to Scan QR Codes without Google Features

Step 1: Open the camera of your device.

Step 2: Hold your phone steady to keep the code within the frame for at least two to three seconds.

Once the scanning is enabled, you will receive a notification. In case you do not receive one, follow the steps below to continue with the scanning.

Step 3: Go to the “Settings” option and enable QR Code scanning.

Step 4: Open the camera again and try scanning the code.

Steps to Scan QR Codes with “Now on Tap” on Android 6.0

If you use an Android phone with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, you can scan QR codes with a “Now on Tap” feature. Follow the steps to know how.

Step 1: Install the “Now on Tap” application and enable it.

Step 2: Locate the “Settings” option and click on “Screen Search”.

Step 3: Allow the topmost toggle to enable Google to show you what is on the home screen when you press the Home button.

Step 4: Hold Home button down to start “Now on Tap”.

Steps to Scan QR Codes with Google Lens in the Assistant

Go through the steps below to utilise this Google feature for scanning QR codes.

Step 1: Hold down “Home” button to use the Assistant.

Step 2: Click on the row of dots at the bottom to access “Lens” present at bottom on the left-hand side.

The “Lens” button may appear automatically depending on the Android version. However, you need to allow “Lens” to use your camera if you have never used it before.

Step 3: Hold the camera on the QR code to scan it.

Steps to Scan QR Codes with the Google Lens Application

Here is the step-by-step guide to scanning QR codes via Google Lens application.

Step 1: Download Google Lens application from Google Play Store.

Step 2: Based on the Android version, “Lens” option will appear. If not, enable “Lens” to access your camera.

Step 3: Hold camera on the code and scan it.

2. How to Use QR Codes on iPhone and iPad?

Unlike Android devices, iPhone and iPad have an in-built QR code reader. Go through the steps below to learn how to use QR codes with your device’s camera.

Step 1: Open the camera application.

Step 2: Select rear camera and hold your device to fit QR code within the frame.

Once the device recognises the QR code, you will receive a notification.

Step 3: Click on the notification to visit the link.

Alternatively, you can download any third-party application compatible with iOS for the same.

3. How to Use QR Codes on MacBook with QR Journal?

Apart from mobile phones, you can scan any QR code with your MacBook through QR Journal if it has a camera. To do so, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Download QR Journal application.

Step 2: Open it and select “Scan” option on the top left corner. Then, enable the application to access your Mac camera.

You may need to restart the application after this step.

Step 3: Place QR code you want to scan in front of your MacBook’s camera.

Once identified, you can access the data.

4. How to Use QR Codes on Windows PC and Laptops?

You can scan QR codes on Windows PC and laptop by following the step-by-step guide as follows.

Step 1: Download a QR code scanner application.

Step 2: Open it and select the scan QR code option.

Step 3: Scan the code from an image or directly with the webcam.

Step 4: Click on the camera option, place the QR code within the frame and scan to open the link on the browser.

In case you are using a desktop, you need to install a webcam separately for the same.

This is all about how to scan QR codes with the help of various devices. Nonetheless, while using any third-party QR code scanning application, ensure it comes with built-in security. Moreover, the application should back up your information and provide a preview of each code before redirecting to a webpage.

FAQs About How to Use QR Codes?

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Can a damaged QR code work?

Yes, you can scan a damaged QR code. However, under such circumstances, a QR Code scanner can only read the code up to a certain level.

How many elements are there in a QR code?

A QR code consists of four elements. They include alignment marking that enables scanning with any errors, positioning marking that indicates the direction in which the QR code should be printed, a quiet zone that distinguishes the QR code from its surroundings, and a timing pattern that gauges the size of the data matrix of the QR code.