I was given an iPhone for Christmas and want to know how I can scan QR codes? My Google searches all point to articles or reviews about apps you can install, but some of these don’t even exist anymore. Some of my Google searches took me here where’s there’s questions and answers about installing QR code apps, but these all seem dated to me.
Can I do this natively? Or do I really need to install an app for this?
I just want to be able to scan the QR code and have my iPhone automatically open the web page, play the video, or whatever it is the code is set up to do.
Best Answer
You don’t actually specify whether your iPhone was brand new, or just new to you, but if you’re running iOS 11 you can just open the Camera app and point it at a QR code. It will automatically recognise it for what it is and present you with a notification you can tap on to complete the action.
For example, using your camera to scan a QR code will prompt you to open a website, make a phone call, add a contact, launch a video, make a payment, etc.
Below are some screenshots showing examples of the prompts you can get:
By tapping the prompt iOS will open the appropriate app and perform the related action.
NOTE: If the iPhone you got for Christmas is not a new iPhone and it's running an older version of iOS, then you’ll need to install a QR reader app (of which there are many) or, if the iPhone supports it, you can upgrade to iOS 11.