How to scan a QR code without an app
Open the camera app and point it at the code. Both iPhone and Android have read QR codes natively for years, so no separate scanner app is needed on any current phone.
Takes: A few seconds
On an iPhone
Built into the camera since iOS 11, which covers every iPhone still receiving updates.
- 1
Open the Camera app
The normal camera, not a scanner app. The rear camera, in photo mode.
- 2
Point it at the code
Hold steady until a yellow banner appears across the top of the screen. You do not need to take a photo.
- 3
Tap the banner
It names the destination. Read it before tapping, which is the one habit worth having with any code.
On Android
Behaviour varies a little by manufacturer, but all current versions can do it.
- 4
Open the Camera app
On Pixel, Samsung and most others, QR scanning is on by default.
- 5
Point and wait for the prompt
A link or a button appears over the code. If nothing happens, look in camera settings for a scanning or Google Lens option and switch it on.
- 6
Use Google Lens if the camera will not
Lens is on most Android phones and in the Google app, and it reads codes the camera ignores.
When Nothing Happens
Almost always one of five things, and only one of them is the phone.
- 7
Move back, not closer
The commonest mistake. A camera needs the whole code plus its margin in frame, and people instinctively move in until part of it is cut off.
- 8
Check the margin around the code
A QR code needs clear space around it, conventionally four modules wide. Designers trim it to fit a layout, and a scanner then cannot find the edges of the code at all.
- 9
Kill the glare
Glossy lamination and phone screens both scatter light. Tilt it slightly rather than holding it square on.
- 10
Clean the lens
A pocket-smeared lens fails on dense codes long before it fails on photographs.
- 11
Try a different phone
If a second phone reads it instantly, the code is fine. If neither does, the code is damaged, printed too small, or missing a position marker in one of its corners.
Common questions
Do I need to download a QR scanner app?
No. Any iPhone on iOS 11 or later and any current Android reads QR codes with the built-in camera. Scanner apps mostly add advertising.
Why does my camera not detect the code?
Usually you are too close, or the clear margin around the code has been trimmed away. Move back so the whole code and its margin are in frame.
Can I scan a QR code from a photo I already took?
Yes. On iPhone, open the photo and use Live Text or share it to a browser. On Android, open it in Google Photos and tap Lens.