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How to Scan a QR Code Using the Camera on the iPhone or the iPad
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Being taken to an untrusted website that you may not have intended to visit should concern anyone that is the least bit concerned about security. "QR codes scanned with the camera app can only take you to a website" in the same way that a generic "click here" link in a phishing email can "only take you to a website".
Uh...it DID! You don't notice QR codes everywhere? The problem was, iOS users have been kept in the dark for the last 5 years without native QR code reading (thanks to Apple who thinks having 10000 emojis is more important), so to those with iPhones, it's like it's all new again! Pretty funny...
It doesn't "take you to a website" I suppose the right phrase would have been "directs you to a website".
It pops up a notification when you have a QR code in focus (and has the base URL in the notification) that you have to click on to go to the website... QR codes aren't dangerous. Everyone needs to calm down with everything being a 'gaping security hole' lately, you don't have to be an alarmist about everything. Even if it didn't do this (which why would you assume it doesn't...) opening Safari to a website shouldn't be a security concern, at some point you have to stop asking Apple to hold your hand and use some common sense.
Usually not much in the way of news over the weekends. So this would actually be "fast" compared to usual.
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There are instances where QRs took people to malice websites in phishing attempts. An easy thing to do as most would be wary of typing in a odd URL these days, but see a QR code on a poster for something in a billboard and happily click on it.
Or more's the point, QR codes have been out for years. Why has it taken Apple this long to provide this functionality?
I don't know if it is more dangerous then doing it manually - you just need to trust the network you try to connect to - it is the same if you would do it manually too.
One use I could see that isn't that dangerous, could be to create a QR Code for the Guest WiFi at your home - then everything is set up.
Personally I don't use QR Codes for my WiFi network - and I have right now no plan doing it - but I can see it could be used there too.
I understand your position.
However... the fact that you use the camera to read QR Codes... I can see why they integrated it into the camera app. It does make sense. Think of the average user... not those of us who read tech forums.
I don't think QR Codes have taken off because you had to go to the App Store and search for some 3rd-party app. While not difficult... there's still an onboarding process.
And people might see a QR Code printed on a poster somewhere... but they might not even know that it's called a QR Code. Or what to search for in the App Store.
Maybe if Apple included their own, separate QR Code app it might have helped. I dunno.
Having said all that... there's one big question:
Are QR Codes still a thing? YES/NO
If yes... then having native functionality on the iPhone is great. It'll let people scan them with minimal effort.
Who knows... this might be the resurgence of the QR Code.
(does Android have native QR Code scanning?)
Well, it is used in some places where you can do without them but it is way more convenient if you have a phone that can handle them (e.g. airplane tickets, cinema tickets etc).
Not sure if basic android has it but on a xiaomi with the native MIUI over android 7 the QR was working automatically via the camera app as well. I assume it is available for a long time there.
"Here at Apple we pride ourselves in the painstaking attention to detail. To ensure the highest quality of QR code capturing and processing, we deployed our digital imagery artisans to expertly craft each code to attain the high quality we require. Only when we were satisfied with the results did we deploy QR code scanning technology in our camera."
Yes. They are difficult to type, especially on a smartphone. That’s why hyperlinks were created.
You see a lot of these in Japan, on poster ads in the metro, on billboards, and in magazine ads.
It’s about time! I like the concept of QR codes but Apple should’ve had native support for them years ago. If they’d done that QR codes might have taken off in the west like they have in Asia. You’d think Apple would’ve been onboard sooner seeing as how users who scan a QR code to get more information about something are bypassing searching for more information using a search engine which for many users means Googling it.
Was Apple hoping iBeacons would supplant QR codes? I hope not. Anybody with a brain could tell you iBeacons won’t take off unless Google builds support for them directly into Android without requiring a third party app.
Was Apple hoping iBeacons would supplant QR codes? I hope not. Anybody with a brain could tell you iBeacons won’t take off unless Google builds support for them directly into Android without requiring a third party app.
What utility can I use to create these QR codes that launch in the appropriate app?
I'd love to have a QR code in my house for the (guest) wifi password when friends come to visit. And I can think of a myriad other uses. But how do I create that?
I'd love to have a QR code in my house for the (guest) wifi password when friends come to visit. And I can think of a myriad other uses. But how do I create that?
If you have guests over with iOS devices running iOS 11, you can just hold your iOS device next to theirs and it will ask if you want to share your wifi network's password with them. Pretty neat.
That is a great feature, but in this case, wouldn't that share the main network credentials and not those of the guest network?
Ah, you're right. I never tried it with a guest network.
It is definitely neat and I’m glad they added this feature. For me it is kinda like the QR codes, this would have been more helpful years ago. It was only this summer that my old N class router died. When it did I replaced it with a router that supported a guest network. I don’t want those guest credentials in my keychain (also a great feautre) so my devices will never get on the guest network.