How Do I Use/Scan QR Codes?

How Do I Use/Scan QR Codes?

So now that you’ve been seeing these QR codes all over the place, and have just been learning all about how awesome QR codes are, are you excited to start using them yourself? But have you noticed something about all those codes you’ve been seeing? Yup, that’s right. They barely ever have an explanation of how to use them! So, are you wondering how?

Well, it’s actually pretty easy…but you have to have the right tools. To use QR codes conveniently you must have a smartphone equipped with a camera and a QR code reader/scanner application feature. Luckily, the newer smartphones models available today often have an app pre-installed on them. However, don’t start breaking out into a sweat yet if you aren’t lucky enough to have that work done for you, it’s nothing a quick push of a button can fix. All you have to do is visit your phone’s app store (examples include the Android Market, Apple App Store, BlackBerry App World, etc.) and download a QR code reader/scanner app.

So, now that you have the tools you need, let’s get to scanning. Go out and find yourself a code. Get out your phone and open the app you’ve downloaded or that it came with. Do your best to steady your hand while the QR code is centered on the screen. Voila, as soon as it is done scanning, whatever information, videos, webpage URL’s, etc. were stored in the QR code should present itself for your viewing pleasure.

  • Smartphone Scanner/Reader Apps for QR Codes – See here a listing of some of the QR Code Reader/Scanner apps that are available on popular smart phones.
  • Popularity of QR Code Scanning – A quick post about QR code users/scanners statistics, including demographics and preferred scanning locations.
  • Learning About QR Codes – Visit here for help on what a QR code is, and how you can get involved and start using them too.
  • George Fox University: About QR Codes – Visit here to discover what QR codes are and what you’ll need to start using them, to download a reader to your phone if it is compatible, and to scan your first QR code to bring you to the GFU Mobile Library site.
  • Downloading a QR Reader – Here you will find helpful links for downloading a QR Reader onto your phone, be it an Android, Blackberry, iPhone OS, Palm OS, or Windows Mobile. Also find some other helpful and fun QR related links.
  • QR Codes Explained – A quick and easy explanation of QR Codes, their origin, usefulness, how to read them, and how to create them.