How to scan a QR code with your iPhone camera
For most printed codes, this is the best free QR code scanner for iPhone, and it is already installed.
- Open the Camera app and select Photo mode.
- Point it at the QR code so the whole code is in view. You do not need to take a picture.
- Tap the yellow link or label that appears above the code.
- For a quicker route, open Control Centre and tap Code Scanner. If it is missing, add it from the Control Centre edit screen.
When a QR code is not scanning on iPhone
- Check the setting: go to Settings, Camera, and make sure Scan QR Codes (or Show Detected Text) is on.
- Move back: close-up codes can sit inside the minimum focus distance. Hold the phone 15 to 30 cm away.
- Clean the lens and add light. Glare on glossy menus is a common cause.
- Try the Code Scanner in Control Centre, which is often more forgiving than the Camera app.
- If the code is damaged, low contrast or very stylised, it may just be badly made. Try the scanner on this page as a second opinion.
When NeoReader is the better iPhone QR scanner
The Camera app needs the code in front of you. It cannot read a QR code in a screenshot, a saved photo, an email or a web page you are already looking at on the same phone. This page can: open it in Safari, tap to choose a photo, and pick the image from your library.
- Screenshots and photos already on your iPhone.
- Barcodes such as EAN, UPC, Code 128, Data Matrix and PDF417, which the Camera app does not show.
- A clear safety check on every link, with warnings for look-alike brand domains, hidden destinations, shorteners and app downloads.
- Several codes in one picture, each with its own copy button.
Looking for NeoReader for iOS?
The original NeoReader app for iPhone has been retired. This page does the same job in Safari with nothing to install. Add it to your Home Screen from the Share menu and it opens like an app. Images and camera video are read on your iPhone and never sent to our servers.
Scan QR codes on iPhone safely
The code itself cannot harm your phone, but the link inside can lead somewhere you did not expect. Fake stickers on parking meters, fake delivery notes and emailed codes are common tricks, sometimes called quishing.
Before you tap, read the address the Camera app shows. Be wary of misspelt brand names, unfamiliar short links and pages that ask for card details or a log-in straight away. If you are unsure, scan the code with this page, which spells out the risks in plain words.
