My cousin sent me a photo with a QR code and I want to scan the code to see what site it takes me to. How can I do that with a saved or shared photograph without having to take a picture of the photo?
In the early years of Quick Response (QR) codes, we had to download special apps onto your mobile devices to be able to scan them. In the last few years, Apple has integrated the QR Code identification and scanning software into the regular Camera app. Android has gone even further, making it part of the quite powerful Google Lens feature.
Mostly this is invisible; all you need to do is launch the Camera on your mobile and point it at a QR Code. No need to take the photo; it’ll pop up a tiny info window that shows where you’ll go directly from the “viewfinder” of the camera app. Want to go there? Tap on the tiny window. Easy!
But what if you aren’t in the Camera app? Are you out of luck? Nope, though the process of scanning a saved QR Code is different between iPhone and Android. Let’s start with the iPhone…
SCAN SAVED QR CODE IN IOS
I was having lunch the other day at the Parkway Food Hall in Longmont, Colorado, and they had the following placards on the tables:
I used the Camera app on my iPhone to scan the code but couldn’t resolve it because, perhaps ironically, the cellular connection was terrible and I couldn’t go online to get the wifi information (something the food hall should probably consider when having these displayed). Instead, I took a photo and figured I would grab the wifi password later, when I was actually connected, then save it for my next visit.
Which led to the exact same question you have: How do you scan a saved photo? You can tap on the “i” button to get more information about the photo…
But while that’s analyzing the image and showing the white glow around the primary element (you can just barely see it above) so you can “stickerize” the image, it’s not scanning the QR code. Solution?
Turns out that it’s easy: Just tap and hold on the QR Code in the photo and it’ll recognize it and give you a pop-up menu:
If you look very closely, you can see the URL that’s been decoded from the QR Code: https://parkwayfoodhall.com/parkway-wifi/ At this point I can open that URL in Safari, add it to my Reading List, copy the link or share it with others. I opt to tap on “Open in Safari”.
That’s it. Now that I’m online I can, um, go online. 🙂
SCAN SAVED QR CODE IN ANDROID
What about if you’re on an Android phone? That’s even easier!
Here’s the same photo in the Photos app:
You can edit it as desired, but to scan the saved code, tap on “Lens” on the bottom toolbar.
Notice the “Translate” button: If the image had text in another language, Google Lens could translate it and replace what’s shown with the equivalent information in your preferred language. This is a game changer when traveling!
Again, along the bottom, the options of Website, Copy URL, and Share (just like the iPhone). A tap on “Website” and…
Notice that the Android device also does a bit better job with that “Get WiFi Password” button text when compared to the iPhone. Either way, though, you now know how to scan saved QR codes on either Apple iPhones or Android phones. Go wild!
Pro Tip: For all their differences, turns out that iPhones and Android phones are pretty darn similar. I’ve written extensively about both platforms here, so please take the time to explore both my extensive Android help area and iPhone help area while you’re here!