Read on and get the most effective ways to quickly scan QR codes on screen or off screen or from physical items on iPhone. You can use the Camera, Photos, Wallet app, or a professional third-party scanner.
How to Scan QR Code on iPhone
Since QR codes contain a lot of information, they have become increasingly popular for webpage access and purchasing goods.
With the latest system updates, your iPhone can now scan and read these codes in various ways. Let’s take a look at how you can do this.
The easiest way to scan a QR code on an iPhone is to use the native Camera app.
It quickly recognizes the QR code and displays the encoded link in seconds, allowing you to access it instantly. It’s fast and accurate.
Step 1. Launch the Camera app on your iPhone > Place the QR code entirely within the camera frame and the camera will automatically recognize the QR code.
Step 2. When a notification banner appears, tap on it to open the information in Safari or the corresponding app.
Scan QR Code With iPhone Camera
Just a heads-up, this feature works only on iPhones running iOS 11 or later. If code scanning isn’t working, go to Settings > scroll down to Camera > and toggle on Scan QR Codes.
When you’ve saved the QR code picture and want to obtain the information encoded, the built-in Photos app is here to help. You can scan the QR code directly in the Camera Roll.
Step 1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
Step 2. Find the QR code image > Long press the QR code > Select “Open in Safari” to quickly browse the QR code content.
Scan the QR Code From Photo iPhone
When your iPhone lacks QR code scanning capabilities or you want extra features, a third-party scanning app is a great choice.
PDFgear Scan is a comprehensive and efficient lightweight iOS scanning application. It supports fast scanning of barcodes and QR codes and allows you to copy the QR code content for sharing.
Step 1. Download and install PDFgear Scan from Apple App Store.
Step 2. Open PDFgear Scan > Tap “Scan QR Code” > Place the QR code in the camera viewfinder.
Step 3. Tap the link to open the webpage directly, or use the Copy button to save the QR code content to your clipboard. You can also tap Share to easily send it to others.
Scan QR codes With PDFgear Scan
PDFgear Scan also supports scanning long documents, certificates, and books. You can easily change filters, adjust size, and rotate images.
For advanced editing, you can extract text, add signatures, and export your scanned files in PDF, image, or Word formats.
Besides the Camera app, iPhone offers a specialized Code Scanner feature for scanning QR codes. Once scanned, it instantly opens the content embedded within the code—perfect for quick access to links, payments, and more.
Follow the steps to utilize the feature in your Control Center.
Step 1. Go to the “Settings” app > Select the “Control Center” option >
Step 2. Scroll down and tap the “+” icon next to the “Code Scanner” option.
Step 3. Swipe down from the upper right corner of the iPhone screen > Tap the new code scanner control.
Step 4. Aim your camera at the QR code, and your iPhone will automatically open Safari or the relevant app to access the QR code’s content.
Scan QR Code Using Control Center
Scanning a QR code with the Apple Wallet App can help create a digital pass for easier access and management. However, this only works for coupons, membership cards, and tickets—other types will show an error.
Step 1. Find the QR code you want to add.
Step 2. Go to the Wallet App > Scroll down and tap “Edit Pass” > Select “Scan Code.”
Step 3. Use your camera to scan the QR code and easily add it to Apple Wallet.
Scan QR Code With Wallet App
While the iPhone’s Safari browser does not support the camera in the address tab, you can try Google Chrom: Tap the camera icon that appears in the address bar > Scan QR codes quickly with the phone’s camera.
There may be several reasons why my iPhone cannot scan QR codes:
When scanning QR codes, you need to pay attention to the following points to ensure safety: