Every phone from the last six years scans QR codes with the camera it shipped with — no app needed. Here is every device, including the awkward cases.
Open the Camera app and point it at the code — no shutter press. A yellow link banner appears; tap it. Works since iOS 11 (2017). If nothing happens: Settings → Camera → "Scan QR Codes" must be on. There's also a dedicated Code Scanner in Control Centre.
Open the Camera and point — Samsung, Pixel and most others detect natively (Android 9+). If yours doesn't: Google Lens (built into the camera or as the Lens app) scans anything. Tap the Lens icon, point, tap the result.
Someone sent you a code in WhatsApp? iPhone: open the image in Photos, long-press the code, tap the link. Android: open the image in Google Photos and tap the Lens icon. Or upload the image to our online scanner — it decodes in your browser.
You can't point your camera at its own screen. Screenshot it, then use the photo method above — or open our scanner on any other device.
No built-in scanner, but our online QR scanner works with a webcam or an uploaded image, entirely in the browser. Handy for checking proofs before printing.
Dirty lens, poor light, too far away (fill a third of the frame), or a defective code — the not-scanning checklist diagnoses the code itself in a minute.
Not since 2018 — built-in cameras scan natively on iPhone and Android. Scanner apps are mostly ad vehicles now; skip them.
Screenshot it, then long-press the image (iPhone) or open it in Lens (Android) — or upload the screenshot to our online scanner.
Light, distance or lens first; after that the code itself — contrast, size or damage. Our not-scanning guide walks through every cause.
20 types, logos, colours and print-ready files — free, no signup, generated in your browser.
Open the generatorMake it editable first — £10 once, repoint forever, no subscription.