How to Scan One of Those Little Square Codes With Your iPhone Camera

You've seen them everywhere lately. Those funny little black-and-white squares — on restaurant menus, on parking meters, on the back of a magazine, tucked into the corner of a church bulletin. They look like a crossword puzzle that got scrambled in the wash.

They're called QR codes. Think of them as a shortcut — a little picture that stands in for a web address, the way a phone number stands in for a person. Point your iPhone camera at one, and it takes you straight to the menu, the ticket, or the information you're after. No typing required.

What You'll Need

Just your iPhone and the code you want to scan. That's it. No special app to download — the regular Camera app that came with your phone already knows how to do this.

One thing worth checking, only once: open the Settings app (the gray gear icon), tap Camera, and make sure the switch next to Scan QR Codes is green. On nearly every iPhone, it already is. Once it's on, you can forget about it forever.

How to Scan the Code

Here's the whole process, start to finish:

1. Open the Camera app on your iPhone — the same one you use to take pictures of the grandkids.
2. Hold your phone up so the little square code appears on your screen. You don't need to press the shutter button. You're not taking a picture.
3. Keep the camera steady for a second or two. Make sure the whole code is in the frame, not cut off at the edges.
4. A small yellow banner will pop up near the top of the screen. It usually says something like "Open in Safari" or the name of the restaurant or business.
5. Tap that yellow banner once. Your phone will hop over to the menu, the website, or whatever the code was pointing to.

That's the whole trick. If nothing shows up, try moving the phone a little closer or farther away until the code is clear and centered.

A Word About Being Careful

QR codes are just shortcuts to web pages — and like any shortcut, they can lead somewhere good or somewhere you'd rather not go. A code taped to the menu at your favorite diner is almost certainly safe. A code on a sticker slapped over a parking meter, or one that arrived in the mail from someone you don't recognize, deserves a second thought.

Before you tap that yellow banner, glance at the web address it shows you. If you're at Applebee's and it says "applebees.com," you're fine. If it's a jumble of random letters and numbers, or a website you've never heard of, just don't tap it. Close the Camera app and move on. No harm done.

The same common sense you'd use with a stranger handing you a flyer on the street works here too.

Try It Today

Look around your kitchen. Check the back of a cereal box, a bottle of vitamins, or a piece of junk mail. Odds are you'll find one of those little squares within arm's reach.

Open your Camera app, point it at the code, and see what happens. Once you've done it once, you'll never wonder about those little squares again.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.