How to Scan a QR Code on iPhone and Android

Your phone is already a QR code scanner. Open the Camera app, hold the phone so the whole code is on screen, and tap the link that appears. No app needed, on an iPhone or an Android phone.

iPhone and iPad

Per Apple's help article "Scan a QR code with your iPhone or iPad" (checked again on 28 October 2026):

With the Camera app

1. Open the Camera app. You can do it from the Home Screen, the Lock Screen or Control Center, or with the Camera Control button on supported models.
2. Hold the iPhone so the QR code appears on screen.
3. Tap the link that appears to open the content.

With Code Scanner

1. Open Control Center and tap the Scan Code button.
2. If it isn't there, touch and hold the background of the screen, tap Add a Control, and choose the Scan Code control from the gallery.

Android

Android phones differ by maker. Google's help page for Pixel phones says the Camera app is the easiest way (checked again on 28 October 2026):

1. Open the Camera app and make sure scanning is on: Settings, then More settings, then Camera scan suggestions.
2. Point the camera at the code with the whole code visible. You don't need to take a picture.
3. Wait a moment. A bubble or link appears. Tap it.

A second way on a Pixel: swipe down to open Quick Settings and tap Scan QR code. If the button isn't there, swipe left or use the pencil icon to add it. Google Lens also scans QR codes.

On a Samsung Galaxy, Samsung's support page (checked again on 28 October 2026) gives two ways:

1. Swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen and tap Scan QR code in Quick settings.
2. Or open the Camera app on PHOTO and aim it at the code.

If it won't scan, open the Camera settings (the gear icon) and turn on Scan QR codes. Menu names can differ by model, so yours may say something slightly different.

Illustration, not a screenshot. Steps from Apple's, Google's and Samsung's help pages.

If the code won't scan

Google's help page lists four fixes:

• Hold steady so the code isn't blurry.
• Light it well and avoid shadows or glare across the code.
• Clean the lens with a soft cloth.
• Get closer, but keep the entire square on screen.

If you're scanning from a screen, turn the brightness up. If it's printed on something shiny, tilt it until the glare is gone.

Look before you tap

The phone shows you the link before it opens anything. Read it. A QR code is just a way to type a web address, and the address is the part to check, the same way you would with a link in a message. If it looks wrong for where you found the code, don't open it. What is a QR code? shows what the squares actually hold.

If you made the code and it won't scan

That's a different problem, and it has its own causes: size, contrast, a link that's too long. Start with why a QR code isn't scanning. To check a code before you print, our guide to testing a QR redirect walks through it. For codes that scan the first time, see the QR code best practices guide.

If you need a code of your own, our free QR code generator makes a static one with no sign-up. A code you want to change after printing is a dynamic QR code, and dynamic vs static QR codes compares the two. On QRZY's Free plan, scans of dynamic codes show a 5-second countdown before the page opens, so the phone shows a QRZY page first.

Common questions

Do I need an app to scan a QR code? No. The Camera app on a current iPhone or Android phone reads QR codes, per Apple's, Google's and Samsung's help pages.

Why does my camera show nothing when I point it at a code? On a Pixel, check that Camera scan suggestions is on. On a Samsung, check that Scan QR codes is on in the Camera settings. Otherwise, try the fixes above: steady hand, good light, clean lens, whole code in view.

Is it safe to scan a QR code? Scanning only reads the code. What matters is what you open afterward, so read the address first.