3 Ways to Scan a QR Code on Your iPhone (and the Benefits of Each)

There are three different ways to scan QR codes on your iPhone, each with its own advantages. Here’s how to use them and why you might want to pick one over the others.

Using Code Scanner on Your iPhone

Code Scanner is an easy way to scan QR codes on another screen, form, or physical sign. This is a built-in dedicated code scanner that you can access via a nifty shortcut.

Code Scanner, as the name might suggest, exclusively scans codes with a flashlight for scanning in dark environments. While you can also scan QR codes from the comfort of your Camera app, Code Scanner can come in handy if you often find yourself accidentally taking photos or switching camera modes.

Scanning with Code Scanner also automatically navigates you to the code’s destination, saving you the extra step of tapping on the destination link, which you would have to do with Camera.

There are a few ways to access Code Scanner. You can always search for it in the App Library, but a shorter way to open it is through the Control Center. By adding Code Scanner icon to your Control Center, you can simply swipe down, tap, and access the Scanner’s camera for a QR code.

If you cannot see Code Scanner on your Control Center, you can add it in a few tap. To do this, swipe down on your Home Screen. Tap the “+” plus button in the top-left corner, then tap on “Add a Control.” From here, search for “Scan Code.”

Use the Camera App

Another way to scan a QR code is to do so directly from your iPhone’s Camera app. Open your camera and point it to fit the QR code on your screen. A Safari link will then appear under the code, which you need to click to access your web page.

An advantage of using Camera to scan QR codes is that it can be accessed with a quick left swipe of your lock screen. You can also access your Camera from the lock screen or in the Control Center. You can also easily switch between scanning a code and taking a picture if the moment grabs you.

Use Live Text

Code Scanner and the Camera app are great for opening codes you can capture with your iPhone. But what about a QR code that you might come across on a website while browsing?

Live Text lets you copy, look up, select, share, search on the web, or access QR codes. This will let you open the web page for a QR code in an image, coming in handy for opening QR codes from a screenshot or a picture that someone has shared with you. You can also use this feature to revisit a QR code that you captured and open its destination link.

To use Live Text in your Photos app, open a picture of a QR code. The Live Text icon will appear in the lower right corner of the picture. Once you click on it, your QR code is isolated. Click on the QR code, and you can open the link in Safari, copy the link, share it, or add it to your Safari Reading List.

Safari can also automatically identify QR codes. If you find a QR code on a website, tap and hold it and use “QR Code” from the context menu that appears to parse it.

How to Make Sure Your QR Code’s Webpage Doesn’t Disappear

As convenient as Code Scanner may be, a major problem that I always get frustrated by (especially when I am using QR codes for a form) is that once you swipe out of Code Scanner, the QR code’s link that you opened will automatically disappear. This means that even if you check your open apps, you won’t be able to find what you have opened.

A workaround for this problem is to use the Camera app to scan a QR code, which lets you open the link directly in Safari. From here, you can bookmark the link, or use your tab history to find the webpage again. You can also take a picture (or screenshot) of the QR code to access it later using Live Text.

There are a lot of third-party apps that you can download to scan specific QR codes or bar codes. But before finding an external app to scan codes, taking advantage of native features on your phone can save you a lot of time and effort.