What exactly is happening?
Pick the symptom that fits. Causes are listed from most to least common. Tick them off as you go:
Tap what's happening:
Is it the code or the phone?
Take a photo of the code and drop it into our free QR code scanner. If the scanner reads it and shows the right address, the code is fine and the problem is the phone or the lighting. If it can't read it even from a sharp photo, the code itself is the problem: size, contrast or damage.
What to do when the code is already printed
- Wrong address in a static code: it can't be changed. If you can, redirect the old address to the new one on your website. Otherwise you need a new code.
- Wrong address in a dynamic code: just change it in your dashboard. The printed codes work again immediately.
- Small or low-contrast code: cover it with a sticker carrying a bigger, darker code. That's cheaper than reprinting everything.
- Glare: on laminated menus and stands, a matte film or a spot out of direct light helps.
How to avoid it next time
For anything printed in volume, use a dynamic code and print one test copy at actual size first. Ten seconds of scanning saves a whole reprint.
Questions people ask
Can a QR code stop working on its own?⌄
A static code can't, because the address is in the image. It only stops working if the page it points to disappears. A dynamic code depends on the service doing the redirect.
What happens to my dynamic codes if I stop paying?⌄
On QRvia they keep working for 30 days after the subscription ends, and we e-mail you before they're switched off.
Why doesn't my iPhone react to a QR code?⌄
Check Settings → Camera and make sure "Scan QR Codes" is on. Then hold the camera steady over the code for 2 to 3 seconds.
Can a damaged code be fixed?⌄
Partly. QR codes have built-in error correction, so they survive small damage. For bigger damage, only a new code helps.
Test your code in the scanner
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