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iPhone Can Scan QR Codes Directly in Camera App on iOS 11
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The better question is why do people who don't fall into the above category even care.
Exactly this. Except Walmart. Who thinks QR codes are the future with Walmart Pay lol! Just a hack job version of the Chinese mobile payments system.
As many have stated, US consumers are not big QR code users and there were apps available if needed. Now, Asia is just as important to Apple, so you are going to see tools that cater to those customers.
Apparently they're going to open up NFC, at least a little. The big iOS 11 slide said "NFC Reader Mode," whatever that means. And they're also adding a way to share WiFi settings with other iOS 11 devices on the same network.
This alone could have made QR codes actually take off ~8 years ago. The main reason they sucked was that you had to use a separate app.
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QR codes are a standard, and Apple was choosing not to support them. Everyone here says it's because of China. IDK, haven't been there.
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Is it much easier than reading a password? I thought these were meant for long URLs, though you could still use tinyurl for that.
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Because Android phones started as blatant ripoffs of the iPhone, same with Windows and Macintosh. Everyone also copied the iPad; before that, "tablet" meant the pen accessory for your PC. Nobody pushed past 1080p on laptops until Apple started making "retina" MacBook Pros.
QR codes are a standard, and Apple was choosing not to support them. Everyone here says it's because of China. IDK, haven't been there.
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Have you seen some wifi passwords??
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This will be awesome
It was mentioned in the keynote. It's relevant in China as WeChat compatible things often use QR codes.
Surprised Macrumors missed it.
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It didn't "take so long" like that - it's simply becoming more important in China. Apple even announced that the camera app would read QR codes at the WWDC keynote, if anyone had bothered paying attention. In a china specific slide.
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This isn't like that. They've added QR support because of its importance in China.
LOL. But seriously, I don't get the vitriole for QR codes. They can be incredibly handy. Like I said earlier, doesn't ANYBODY here use authenticator apps? Really kind of astounding.
Yeah, I've seen those ones where people think it's secure to put a password so nasty that people start storing it in insecure places since they can't remember it, but it's still only like 16 characters, not hard to type. Maybe if it's all "O"s and "0"s and "1"s and "l"s.
if anyone hasn't experienced the magic of QR codes, i live in China right now.
yesterday I went to a restaurant with my visiting family. at the end i asked for the bill (hadn't been there in a while) - turns out, they have a system compatible with wechat, alipay and another qr-code based payment system. scan the QR code on the corner of your table, it shows you the bill for your table - including pictures of everything you ordered, not just the text, making it easier to see if something's wrong. then you follow through the steps and pay. that's it. their system knows you've paid, you don't have to waste time queueing up to pay at the desk or waiting for the card machine to be brought to you (hint: this restaurant is veeeeeeery popular, and there's a lot of people there at any one time. it's china after all).
there are a lot of applications where qr codes just make more sense than NFC.
i can totally see ios 11.1 launching a qr code version of apple pay for china, accessible from the lock screen camera and then following the usual fingerprint authorisation procedures.
yesterday I went to a restaurant with my visiting family. at the end i asked for the bill (hadn't been there in a while) - turns out, they have a system compatible with wechat, alipay and another qr-code based payment system. scan the QR code on the corner of your table, it shows you the bill for your table - including pictures of everything you ordered, not just the text, making it easier to see if something's wrong. then you follow through the steps and pay. that's it. their system knows you've paid, you don't have to waste time queueing up to pay at the desk or waiting for the card machine to be brought to you (hint: this restaurant is veeeeeeery popular, and there's a lot of people there at any one time. it's china after all).
there are a lot of applications where qr codes just make more sense than NFC.
i can totally see ios 11.1 launching a qr code version of apple pay for china, accessible from the lock screen camera and then following the usual fingerprint authorisation procedures.
Blame your clientele. You can also embed cute pictures in QR codes, if you want to add some flair. But QR codes are very useful for many areas, not all of them are stupid poorly-done consumer stuff.
Honda didn't start making automobiles until 60 years after other companies did.
And the award for lateness goes to...
iOS 11 also opens up the NFC chip for third party use. I think you are on to something here.
In-house. "Slap a QR code on it! Students love those!" No they don't. I built a short URL system for the main site of the 35 sites I oversee and they still wanted QR codes when it takes two seconds to tap out the URL. I started running analytics on the QR code URLs and nobody ever scanned them. Haven't used them in a long time now.
It's must have China as there are QR codes everywhere. You will find them in products, packages, flyers, payment systems and so on. Good to know that iOS 11 supports it.
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QR codes dominate everything in China. Till now, I was using WeChat to scan, good that iOS 11 supports it.
That’s great! Works a treat!
Will be setting this up at home for any guests to use when ios11 is out. saves me the hassle of digging around for the little bit of paper with the wifi code on!
Somebody is stuck in the past! Remind me to never hire you as a client. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/design-is-a-job/id517240243?mt=11
Nice, I almost feared this might be a semi-region-locked feature or just not promoted outside of China.
As for all the guys wondering if QR is still a thing, very much so!
Downloading one 5MB app is no hurdle and I've downloaded more obscure use case apps.
Then again, I don't rock a 16GB flagship phone, so having a lot of apps is natural to me...
That little jab aside, QR is amazing and COMPLEMENTS NFC and other ways to share data.
The fact that you can use QR codes on pretty much anything that has a surface, almost no matter how small and requires no batteries, no connection, no anything is the real killer.
Loving this!
Glassed Silver:win
As for all the guys wondering if QR is still a thing, very much so!
Downloading one 5MB app is no hurdle and I've downloaded more obscure use case apps.
Then again, I don't rock a 16GB flagship phone, so having a lot of apps is natural to me...
That little jab aside, QR is amazing and COMPLEMENTS NFC and other ways to share data.
The fact that you can use QR codes on pretty much anything that has a surface, almost no matter how small and requires no batteries, no connection, no anything is the real killer.
Loving this!
Glassed Silver:win
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Agreed. If this is open for use globally qr codes will certainly pick up.
For me I currently have a workflow to scan with camera and go to website or store text in clipboard. Works ok. I'd certainly like it to be a inbuilt feature.
Apple is needed to get certain mobile technologies to get anywhere near taking off. QR Codes, NFC payments, home automation etc.
I've been in the same boat—they are often incongruous. I've also done a project where the QR code was big, central, and solitary on a standing kiosk for mobile ordering, which was nice because it didn't have to compete in a print design for humans. My biggest problem with them forever has been the non native app thing. I always assumed we lost 99% of potential users right three.
So at least when someone makes an argument to use them, you'll know a user could potentially make use of it. Instead of dealing with someone's bs rationalization.
I imagine Apple getting involved would be a step towards making them more visually appealing but still machine readable.