QR code scanner, without the ads

How to read a QR code with the Scanfone QR code scanner

1. Open Scanfone and choose the QR code scan mode.
2. Point your iPhone camera at the QR code.
3. Scanfone reads the code and shows you what it contains.
4. Check the content, especially web addresses, before you open it.

One app for paper and QR codes

QR codes show up on restaurant menus, parking meters, event tickets, parcel slips, posters and the back of almost every letter from a utility company. You usually meet them while you are dealing with paper anyway, so it makes sense that the scanner you use for paper can read them too.

Scanfone has a QR code mode sitting next to the document, ID card and passport modes. Switch to it, point the camera at the code, and read what is inside.

Why another QR reader?

Fair question. The iPhone camera can already read QR codes. But many people search for a QR scanner app anyway, and a lot of the dedicated QR apps in the App Store come with ads, sign-up prompts or subscriptions for something that should be simple.

Scanfone's QR reader is part of a free scanner app with no ads, no account and no tracking. It is not a separate product trying to make money from your curiosity about a poster. If you already use Scanfone for documents, it is simply one less app on your phone.

What a QR code can contain

A QR code is just a small block of text stored as a pattern. Common contents include:

• Web addresses (menus, product pages, sign-up forms)
• Wi-Fi network details
• Contact details
• Plain text, such as reference numbers or codes
• Payment or ticket references

A quick word on QR safety

A QR code is a link you cannot read with your eyes, which makes it handy for scammers too. Stickers with fake codes get pasted over real ones on parking meters and posters. A few simple habits help:

• Look at the web address before opening it. Does the domain match the business you expect?
• Be extra careful with codes that lead to payment or login pages.
• If a code is a sticker on top of another code, be suspicious.
• Never enter a bank password on a page you reached from a random QR code.

Private by design

Scanfone shows no ads and uses no tracking or analytics. Scanning happens on your iPhone. That applies to QR codes as much as to your documents, so there is no profile being built from the codes you scan. Read more on our privacy page.

Everything else in the box

The QR reader is a small part of Scanfone. The main job is turning paper into clean, searchable PDFs: a free PDF scanner with on-device text recognition (OCR), folders, search across all documents, plus free tools to sign, merge, split and compress PDFs. Saving is free, with no paywall at the export step. The app is available in 32 languages.

QR codes and paper, side by side

A lot of QR codes arrive printed on paper you may want to keep: a parcel slip, a letter from your energy supplier, a ticket confirmation, a flyer for a course. Scanfone lets you read the code and, if the paper matters, scan the page itself into a PDF with the regular document scanner.

Because Scanfone recognises text on the phone, the scanned letter becomes searchable. Months later you can find it by typing a word from the page, instead of hunting for the original paper. Keep it in a folder, share it, print it or save it to Files. All of that is free, with no paywall at the save step and no weekly plan waiting in the wings.

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