How to read QR codes with smartphones

A QR code (Quick Response Barcode) is a system for storing information in a dot matrix similar to a barcode. It is easily recognizable by the three squares that are in the corners.

QR codes are very common in Japan and in fact they are the most popular two-dimensional code in that country and in recent years they are becoming popular throughout the world.

Although traditionally these codes had to be interpreted with a special reader, the emergence of smartphones has allowed them to be read through the device’s camera. A photograph of the QR code is taken with the phone’s camera to obtain the information it contains and a program, which we must install previously, is responsible for reading it.

QR codes are being used more and more in display advertising, as a link between offline and online media. It is common practice to place QR codes in advertisements, which when read with the phone take us to personalized websites for mobile phones, videos, text, interactive location maps, etc…

Programs for reading QR codes on smartphones

Although some smartphones already incorporate applications to read QR codes, there are many possibilities depending on the platform of the mobile terminal

Some examples of using QR codes