Having trouble scanning those Facebook Messenger Codes, Snapcodes or the everyday QR code on your iPhone? Don’t fret – today we’ll be walking you through how to scan a QR code on your iPhone.
What’s a QR code?
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve definitely seen a QR code in the wild. QR codes are essentially images of which include links to websites, email addresses, tickets, passes, coupons or even phone numbers. They’re essentially a shortcut to entering information into your phone manually.
While QR codes have been out for a number of years now, only recently have they been making a comeback as we’re beginning to see them in our daily lives more and more. Maybe you saw a flyer for a show or event that you want to attend. The flier might say “scan the QR code below for ticket information”. If you’ve been a long time iPhone user, you might have already been using QR code scanning apps, however, if you’ve never scanned a QR code in your life and are an iPhone owner, listen up. Today we’ll be going over a long-awaited new feature added to iOS 11 (among the other new features, such as the battery health tool): the built-in ability to scan QR codes.
READ MORE: Top 10 iPhone Features You Can’t Live Without
Scanning a QR code with an iPhone
- The first step is making sure you’re running the latest version of iOS. In our case, this would be iOS 11.
- Next, open up your iPhone’s camera app and point it at the QR code. Be sure that there is ample light and that the QR code is indeed in focus for this to work.
- Once your phone recognizes the QR code, you’ll see a notification revealing a preview of the information behind the QR code. This might be a preview of the website or link the QR code leads to.
- If no information or notification appears, be sure that the code is in focus. You might need to turn on the camera flashlight if you’re in a dimly lit area.
- Once the notification pops up, simply tap on it to be taken to the website, email address, phone number or etcetera.
How to scan a Facebook Messenger Code
If you’re an avid user of Facebook Messenger, you’ve probably noticed the dots and dashes surrounding your profile picture. These dots and dashes are actually a code, similar to a QR code, with information that can be unlocked within the iPhone code reading functionality.
READ MORE: How To Keep your iPhone Safe From Hackers
To scan a Facebook Messenger code, simply follow these steps:
- In order to add a new contact in Messenger via their code, first, open Messenger.
- Tap on People.
- Select “Scan Code”.
- Hold your camera over the code and make sure that the full code fits within the circle. Once the code is recognized, it will automatically be scanned and you’ll be able to add them as a contact.
In order to see a friend’s messenger code, have them follow this sequence within the Messenger app: People>Scan Code> My Code.
How to scan a Snapcode on your iPhone
Snapcodes have been around since 2015 and are used to add a friend to Snapchat. As you can see above, I’ve blurred out my Snapcode and contacts to protect their privacy, however, you get the idea. In order to scan a Snapcode, simply do the following:
- Point your Snapchat camera at the person’s Snapcode you’d like to add.
- Tap the code in order to scan it.
- Snapchat will automatically add your new friend’s details to your Snapchat contacts. It’s as simple as that!
READ MORE: Best iOS Games of 2018 – Top 8 List
As you can see, QR codes and various codes within social media apps appear to be here to stay. While were they definitely off to a slow start, it’s nice to see the technology finally being embraced by users and apps alike.
If you’re looking for some more new features of iOS 11 or how to solve some common iOS bugs, check out our iOS 11 Problems & Solutions guide.
