QR Codes Explained

Created in 1994 by Toyota subsidiary 'Denso Moving ridge' to quickly track vehicles and parts through the company'southward automotive manufacturing process, QR codes are used more than unremarkably today for logging into websites or Wi-Fi networks, sharing contact data, making mobile payments or storing data for plane and train tickets on your phone.

QR codes (brusk for Quick Response codes) were internationally standardized in 2000 and mobile telephone users in Japan had already widely adopted the engineering science by 2002. Although Denso Wave still holds patents over the technology, QR codes are free for anyone to apply without a license fee as long as the intellectual belongings is being used within the defined ISO/JIS standards.

As with any other barcode, interacting with a QR code is simple enough: scan one with an image sensor such as the camera in your smartphone, the app you're using will convert the lawmaking to binary and then display the data or perform the programmed action, such every bit opening a website, essentially allowing real world objects to be hyperlinked to digital places.

At that place are countless apps defended to reading QR codes but many popular apps have begun integrating scanners for specific features.

In 2022 for instance, Snapchat and iMessage introduced support for QR codes equally a method of adding new friends, WhatsApp uses QR codes equally a quick fashion to admission the desktop version of their conversation application, and Android recently introduced like functionality for sending SMS and MMS text messages on the PC.

What's With All the Squares?

A QR code is comprised of an array of squares, some of which are used for the image sensor to position itself (that's the large squares on three of the corners), while the rest of the cells contain version and format information besides as the information itself, of course, along with error correction coding.

Whereas most of the barcodes you come across are one-dimensional, such as UPC labels on items at the store, QR codes are two-dimensional and offer many advantages. For instance, QR codes tin be scanned in whatsoever direction instead of only 1, they can contain thousands of alphanumeric characters versus only a dozen or so, and when configured with a high level of error correction they are particularly capable at standing to function after sustaining damage.

The more fault correction a QR lawmaking has, the less information it can store and incidentally, the more data that is stored within a QR lawmaking, the more than squares it volition have. More squares are likewise required every bit the level of error correction is increased and artistic QR codes tin forego data chapters for aesthetics by creating an image with some of the blocks.

Anatomy of the QR Lawmaking

(click to enlarge)

An early version of the ii dimensional barcode organization measured only 21 ten 21 modules and contained just four characters of data, while the largest current version (twoscore) spans 177 10 177 modules and can concord 1,264 characters of ASCII text or up to up to 7,089 numerals. Data tin can be encoded by a variety of methods and dissimilar types of encoding tin be used in the aforementioned QR code:

Numeric (10 bits per 3 digits)
Alphanumeric (xi bits per 2 characters, but can't store lowercase letters)
Byte (8 bits per character)
Kanji (13 bits per character)
And some more than obscure modes such as FNC1 and ECI

Forth with different standards for conventional QR codes, specifications for new iterations have been approved over the years, including MicroQR (xi×11 modules containing every bit many every bit 35 numeric characters), iQR Lawmaking (holds 80% more than data in the same space as a standard QR code), FrameQR (the ane lets you lot create images in the QR code) and SQRC (stores public and private data, the latter of which tin but be read past certain scanners).

Don't Trust Them Anywhere

While mostly speaking QR codes are deemed prophylactic to use, their most common exploit uses the URL information type to redirect users to malicious websites, for phishing purposes or by hosting executable data that exploits vulnerabilities in the client's applications (reader, spider web browser or prototype viewer).

There have been other incidents where malware has infected Android phones, for example to send costly SMS or to steal bank account information without the user e'er noticing.

How to Make A QR Lawmaking

Also smartphone apps, at that place are many websites dedicated to creating QR codes with varying feature sets and levels of access without registering or paying. In most instances, yous just enter information into the relevant fields and save the QR lawmaking in a file such as JPG or PNG. If you'd rather programme your QR lawmaking from scratch, Thonky has a full tutorial to get y'all started.

QR Code Generator is the well-nigh basic we came across during a few quick searches merely it's completely gratis and includes support for evidently text, URLs, likewise equally contact data and the ability to send SMS letters through the QR code. Yous tin can include information in all of the fields, though once again, more data results in more squares and makes it increasingly difficult for scanners to read the code.

QRStuff.com offers additional features such as the ability to link app stores, social media including Facebook (pages and likes), Instagram and LinkedIn, links to Dropbox files or folders, Google Map locations, Wi-Fi logins equally well every bit shortcuts to send funds over PayPal and Bitcoin. Nevertheless, if you want access to all of the site's features, namely the manner/image editor, you'll take to pay.

While it doesn't provide the same level of functionality every bit QRStuff, QR-Creator.com is completely free and supports uploading custom images which can be used in the background of the QR code. The more basic the epitome the better off information technology will likely appear in the background of the QR lawmaking. Here's what it looked like when we uploaded 1 of the TechSpot logos: