I can think of a couple of ways this would be annoying (what if you're actually trying to take a picture of an advertisement, versus scanning the code?) and potentially harmful (QR Codes can point to malware sites, so automatically decoding them isn't always the best plan). If there's a code in the field of view, says Mulligan, the app should prompt you to process the code. Over at our sibling site TechCrunch, Brenden Mulligan suggests that the best way to help QR Codes make the final leap from curiosity to mainstream tech would be to have the built-in Camera apps on iPhone and Android optionally set to 'always looking for QR Code' mode while running.

Not now Turn on Turned on Turn onĪlthough iOS devices don't natively handle QR Codes yet, there are plenty of third-party apps to enable code scanning. You can disable notifications at any time in your settings menu. You need to put them where people have the luxury of time and the benefit of bandwidth otherwise they're just clutter. Unfortunately, some marketers seem to think that putting the codes on highway billboards (where you can't really pull out your phone to scan them as you're driving by at 55 MPH) or on subway platforms (the underground thing, not so much with the 3G data) is helpful and clever - it's not. I've used them on name badges for customized scoring forms and on stickers in out-of-the-way corners as scavenger hunt targets. They're ideal for short URLs, vCard contact info, SMS or phone call 'triggers' for mobile phones, and plenty of other cool tricks. QR Codes can deliver almost any kind of digital data, as long as it fits within the code's capacity the densest versions of the barcodes can hold more than 4,000 ASCII characters, but most of the codes you see in public are much less info-packed.

Still, the humble two-dimensional QR Code - originally developed by a Toyota subsidiary to assist in automotive manufacturing - has become ubiquitous. When you do, it might be to decry the invasion of robot vomit onto every ad, billboard and poster.

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