Technology

All About QR codes

By Erica Manfred Thursday, October 14, 2021 14 Comments Share This:

So what are those weird little boxes? They’re QR (Quick Response) Codes and they’re getting more popular.

By now anyone with a smartphone has noticed the proliferation of QR codes. They may look like messages from aliens who want to take over the planet, but they’re actually a machine-readable code used for storing website URLs or other information for reading by the camera on a smartphone.

Marketers are in love with QR codes and plan to use them more and more as we consumers get used to them.

They’re similar to bar codes used for grocery scanning, except QR codes can carry a lot more information in their seemingly random patterns and so are a lot more useful—especially when it comes to selling you, the consumer, more stuff. They’re certainly more artistic than bar codes. The initial design—by the Japanese–was influenced by the black and white pieces on a Go board.

How are QR codes used?

QR Codes can be used to get customers to download apps, initiate customer service, access WiFi networks without a password, and purchase products – the list is endless. 11 million US households were expected to scan QR Codes by 2020 as this site explains.

Marketers are in love with QR codes and plan to use them more and more as we consumers get used to them. Besides a website, you can also link to a Spotify playlist, a text message, a phone number, a virtual reality experience and more.

QR codes seemed like something of a quirky gimmick to many US consumers, at least until restaurants started taking our menus away during lockdown. All of a sudden, the value and benefit of simply pointing your camera at a code and receiving information became apparent, according to a study on The Drum/YouGov.

If you’ve gone to a movie and bought your tickets online, you may have appreciated the convenience of flashing the QR code at a scanner and walking in, rather than printing out a ticket. If you’ve tried to sync your phone or computer with a streaming channel on your TV you may have appreciated doing it via QR code rather than laboriously navigating an alphabetical grid.

How to Keep your Information safe when using QR codes

Just like every other aspect of e-commerce, QR codes have been targeted by scammers, who want to get your bank and credit card information. QR codes give easy access to our smartphones and the personal information inside them. This article provides an overview of QR Code security. Major takeaways:

Check the website the QR code sends you to. Examine the URL and see if it’s composed in a strange manner, has misspellings, differs from the website graphics, or if it has two different names.
Be wary of bit.ly links. They’re not as secure.
Don’t give your credit card, social security number or any personal info to an unknown site.
Install malware and spyware protection on your phone.

So are QR codes a good or bad thing for us, the consumers? Will they bring us lower prices, more convenience and make technology more user friendly? I’d have to vote yes on all those fronts. Once you learn to scan a QR code with your camera, which is as easy as taking a photo, you can avoid the laborious multiple steps of typing information into your phone, carrying printouts or searching for the right website.

COMMENTS

14 responses to “All About QR codes”

Cleta Bradwell:

Tuesday, January 18, 2022 at 1:34pm

I have a Samsung 4G Android which does not capture QR codes; I’ve tried at two different restaurants. How do I capture with an Android?
p.s. Sorry I’m just reading the article.

Reply to Cleta Bradwell
Maryellen Reed:

Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 5:05pm

When I attempted to scan a code on my phone it stated that I did not have a QR code reader. I went to the PlayStore and there were too many to choose from. Some said With Ad and some had a fee. I have the Samsung A32 phone. Any suggestions.

Reply to Maryellen Reed
sellyx:

Wednesday, November 24, 2021 at 12:25pm

QR code is big change made in 20’s

Reply to sellyx
Leonard Willinger:

Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 9:51am

Is there an app that has to be downloaded in order to use the qr code? P have a motorola 6plus phone.

Reply to Leonard Willinger
1. Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke:
  
  Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 4:39pm
  
  Not at all Leonard,
  Your iPhone’s camera has a built-in QR code reader. You simply need to open your camera and try to capture the QR code without actually taking the picture of it. (Just point at it). Soon enough a website link will appear at the top of your phone screen and you just have to tap on that website link.
  
  Reply to Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke
ALICE KAVALASKIA:

Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 8:03am

Good info, but fhow do you use one? When something pops up and says take a picture of the QR code, how do we do it?

Reply to ALICE KAVALASKIA
1. Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke:
  
  Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 4:53pm
  
  Hello Alice,
  You just need to turn on the camera of your phone and try to capture the QR code and soon enough the link embedded inside the QR code will appear on the top of you screen, and you just have to tap it to access the website.
  
  Restaurants use QR codes to make it easy for your to go to the website where the menu is.
  
  Reply to Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke
Mary Ellen Shores:

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 10:03pm

Need to convert paper CDC vaccine paper record to QR code format to meet EU requirement for Health Pass in Grand Cayman. Can you help?

Reply to Mary Ellen Shores
Margaret casey:

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 8:34pm

Now I know what the boxes are called. How do I use them? I’d like several examples. Do I have to download a reader first?

Reply to Margaret casey
1. Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke:
  
  Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 5:03pm
  
  Not at all Margaret,
  Your smartphone’s camera has a built-in QR code reader. You simply need to open your camera and try to capture the QR code without actually taking the picture of it. (Just point at it). Soon enough a website link will appear at the top of your phone screen and you just have to tap on that website link.
  
  Reply to Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke
Laura Holmes:

Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 7:12pm

If you’re going to send info about QR codes, why not include “how to use”??? The local restaurant has them on their tables for their menus but I can never open them.

Reply to Laura Holmes
1. Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke:
  
  Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at 5:06pm
  
  Hello Laura,
  Your smartphone’s camera has a built-in QR code reader. You simply need to open your camera and try to capture the QR code without actually taking the picture of it. (Just point at it). Soon enough a website link will appear at the top of your phone screen and you just have to tap on that website link to open it.
  
  Restaurants use QR codes to make it easy for you to go to their website at the specific page that displays the menu. So instead of typing the website, then searching the website for where the menu is, you just need to scan the QR code with the camera, then tap on the website link that will appear at the top of your phone as you scan it.
  
  Reply to Jonathan Ushindi Zaluke
Susan Smith:

Thursday, October 14, 2021 at 9:56am

Thanks for this article on QR Codes ! I had to use one recently for a Vet appt, and in my learning challenges, it seems like the code did not save on my phone, but the thing that I had downloaded to my phone to Read a QR code was the only thing that remained. Because I was trying to get “in line” for a public Vet Service, I had to keep scanning the Code to see if they were “open” yet…. SO, HOW DO WE GET THE QR CODE ITSELF TO REMAIN ON THE PHONE ? THANKS MUCH !!

Reply to Susan Smith
1. Erica Manfred:
  
  Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 5:20pm
  
  I don’t believe the code remains on your phone at all. It’s just for scanning.
  
  Reply to Erica Manfred