QR Code

There really is no need to download a QR code reader/scanner app, except maybe for the Google Lens as explained below.

If QR code is displayed on e.g., Windows 10 laptop screen or an external product item

1.    Hover the iPad camera to the QR code on the Windows 10 screen or external product item and the iPad will readily read/interpret it. Reason being is on your iPad, you can scan QR codes using the Camera app to quickly access more information.

If QR code is on a saved photo in iPad’s photos or on a website or PDF (from a website) being viewed on iPad

1.       If QR code is on a website or PDF (contained on a website), do a screenshot of it using your iPad with the QR code in the screenshot

2.       Download (i.e., if you have not downloaded it) and open Google Photos app (and grant it access to all your photos, assuming you have not granted Google Photos app access to all your photos) 

3.       Select a photo containing the QR code from within Google Photos app

4.       Tap on Google Lens icon  (it is the (it is the icon with a round dot inside a seemingly box looking image) at bottom of screen and let the Google lens using your finger to hover to the QR code

(Note: An iPhone and iPad are capable of scanning a QR code from its photos via Google Lens. As of Jan 9, 2021 iOS does not have an official Google Lens app. The only way to access the Google Lens is to launch Google Photos app.)

5.       Tap on the QR code that comes into focus enlarged at upper part of Google Photos screen and it will automatically open the QR code using the default browser set up in your iPad Settings

If QR code (has a description that says copy to another app to be able to click on link upon tapping QR code)

1. Tap on QR code (Note: Upon tapping the QR code, the following prompt may show up: “To continue the activation process, please use another application to send a copy of the key to yourself. Open the key (displayed as a link) on your mobile device (e.g., iPad) and it will then carry out what is inside the QR code.)
2. Tap copy
3. You copy the QR code to an email and the QR code copied will be displayed and pasted onto the email as an active link. Send the email to yourself and click on the active link.

Sorry to keep on coming back to this as I am new to QR code’s. I know what they are but did not have to deal with them before.

I have a Windows 10 laptop and I had the QR code displayed on my Windows 10 screen.

1. I hovered my iPad camera to it and my iPad readily read/interpreted it. So do I take it that the iPad’s (and iPhone’s) cameras are able to readily scan QR code’s, be they on external product items or photo images from another device without needing a third party QR code reader/scanner app?
2. I saw this in the Internet: “An iPhone and iPad are capable of scanning a QR Code from its photos via Google Lens. To scan a QR Code on your iPhone from your camera roll:

• Download Google Photos from the App Store and grant access to your camera roll
• Open an image containing a QR Code from Google Photos
• Tap on the Google Lens icon in the native camera 
• Click on the dots that appear on the screen with the QR Code to view the notification banner 
• Tap on the link to view the triggered action

So with Google Lens downloaded to the iPad, I will not even need a QR code reader/scanner app. Please confirm.

Will wait for your response. Thank you in advance.

Would appreciate recommendations of free QR code scanners that run on iPad that does both a) scan from the camera and b) scan from a saved picture. I’ve gone through the App Store and not sure which is the best.

Thank you in advance.