How to save a contact from a QR code
Scan the code with your camera, open what it offers, then choose to add the contact. Whether that is instant or takes a tap depends on whether the code holds the details themselves or a link to a card.
Takes: Under a minute
First, Work Out Which Kind of Code It Is
This decides everything that follows, and you can tell them apart by eye.
- 1
A dense code usually holds the details
If the grid is fine and crowded, the contact itself is probably encoded in it. Scanning offers to create a contact straight away, with no page in between.
- 2
A sparse code usually holds a link
Large, chunky modules mean the code holds a short address. Scanning opens a card page, and saving is a tap on that page.
On an iPhone
- 3
Scan with the Camera app
Point and wait for the banner, then tap it.
- 4
If a contact card appears, tap Create New Contact
You can also choose Add to Existing Contact, which is the right option when you already have their number and are adding an email.
- 5
If a web page opens, find the save button
On a card page this is usually the main button. It downloads a contact file, and iOS asks whether to add it.
- 6
Confirm the fields before saving
This is worth doing once. Contacts saved from a file sometimes land with the company in the name field, and fixing it later means finding them first.
On Android
- 7
Scan with the camera or Google Lens
Both offer to add a contact when the code holds one.
- 8
Open the downloaded file if nothing prompts
A contact file may land in Downloads without opening. Tap it there and the Contacts app takes over.
- 9
Pick the account to save into
Android asks which account the contact belongs to. Choose your Google account rather than the device, or it will not survive a new phone.
When It Does Not Work
- 10
The file opened as text
The server sent it with the wrong type, so the browser displayed it instead of handing it to Contacts. Save the file, then open it from Files or Downloads.
- 11
Only one contact imported out of several
Some apps read only the first record in a file holding many. Importing through Google Contacts on a computer handles the whole file.
- 12
The accents came out as symbols
An old file using a legacy character encoding. Ask for a fresh one; nothing on your phone can fix it.
Common questions
Why did scanning open a web page instead of a contact?
Because the code holds a link rather than the details. That is deliberate on most modern cards: it keeps the code easy to scan and lets the details change later.
Does saving a contact tell the other person who I am?
No. Saving is entirely on your phone. They learn nothing unless you fill in a form on their card.
Can I save a contact without an internet connection?
Only if the code holds the details themselves. A code holding a link needs a connection to load the card.