How steady do I have to be holding the phone?
Not especially, it tracks the QR code.
So, just to know what I should be doing...
Does the QR code have to fill the screen?
Is there any indication on screen that the phone has 'seen' the QR
code?
Do I actually have to 'take a picture' of the QR code?
How steady do I have to be holding the phone?
maybe the OP needs a different app?
maybe the OP needs a different app?
Mine is com.google.android.GoogleCamera
v9.9.106.blah
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
So, just to know what I should be doing...
Does the QR code have to fill the screen?
Is there any indication on screen that the phone has 'seen' the QR
code?
Do I actually have to 'take a picture' of the QR code?
How steady do I have to be holding the phone?
Marion wrote:
maybe the OP needs a different app?
Mine is com.google.android.GoogleCamera
v9.9.106.blah
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
Chris Green, 2025-07-01 16:15:
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
What is "it"? The camera app? A dedicated QR code scanner app - and yes, which one?
Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
Chris Green, 2025-07-01 16:15:The camera app I assume, the thing that takes pictures of my knees by mistake! :-)
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
What is "it"? The camera app? A dedicated QR code scanner app - and yes,
which one?
All the promoters of QR codes just say 'scan the QR code' and assume
all the magic will then ensue.
Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
Chris Green, 2025-07-01 16:15:The camera app I assume, the thing that takes pictures of my knees by mistake! :-)
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
What is "it"? The camera app? A dedicated QR code scanner app - and yes,
which one?
All the promoters of QR codes just say 'scan the QR code' and assume
all the magic will then ensue.
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program
for this to work.
Chris Green <[email protected]> wrote:
Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
Chris Green, 2025-07-01 16:15:The camera app I assume, the thing that takes pictures of my knees by mistake! :-)
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
What is "it"? The camera app? A dedicated QR code scanner app - and yes, >> which one?
All the promoters of QR codes just say 'scan the QR code' and assume
all the magic will then ensue.
Depends on the feature set of your camera app. Hunt around inside your camera app to see if has a QR scan option. If not, you have to use a separate QR scan app.
https://www.android.com/articles/how-do-you-scan-qr-codes-on-android/
The circle-to-search feature may not be available in your Android
version. I didn't bother to search in which Android version it became available, because a cursory search shows it is apparently inherent to
the brand and model of phone you have.
OP here. Yes, I've installed Google Lens (easiest option) and now I
can scan QR codes.
The circle-to-search feature may not be available in your Android
version. I didn't bother to search in which Android version it became available, because a cursory search shows it is apparently inherent to
the brand and model of phone you have.
On 02.07.25 08:09, Chris Green wrote:
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program
for this to work.
99.9% of the smartphones do exactly that out of the box without the need
to install additional software.
Jörg Lorenz <[email protected]> wrote:
On 02.07.25 08:09, Chris Green wrote:Not 99.9% of the ones in our household they don't! :-) Ok, mine is
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program
for this to work.
99.9% of the smartphones do exactly that out of the box without the need
to install additional software.
not a mainstream one (but bought because it reputedly has very close
to 'standard' Android apps), but the other is a Moto which is pretty 'ordinary'.
mine is not a mainstream one (but bought because it reputedly hasDid umidigi stop doing phones after the bison?
very close to 'standard' Android apps)
VanguardLH wrote:
The circle-to-search feature may not be available in your Android
version. I didn't bother to search in which Android version it became
available, because a cursory search shows it is apparently inherent to
the brand and model of phone you have.
I think circle-to-search was exclusive to Samsung for a few weeks, then rolled-down to flagship Pixels and later to all Pixels, presumably it's
on just about all devices now?
VanguardLH wrote:
The circle-to-search feature may not be available in your Android
version. I didn't bother to search in which Android version it became
available, because a cursory search shows it is apparently inherent to
the brand and model of phone you have.
I think circle-to-search was exclusive to Samsung for a few weeks, then rolled-down to flagship Pixels and later to all Pixels, presumably it's
on just about all devices now?
Jörg Lorenz <[email protected]> wrote:
On 02.07.25 08:09, Chris Green wrote:Not 99.9% of the ones in our household they don't! :-) Ok, mine is
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program
for this to work.
99.9% of the smartphones do exactly that out of the box without the need
to install additional software.
not a mainstream one (but bought because it reputedly has very close
to 'standard' Android apps), but the other is a Moto which is pretty 'ordinary'.
Andy Burns wrote:"exclusively available on the Edge 50 Ultra and the Razr 50 series"
I think circle-to-search was exclusive to Samsung for a few weeks,
then rolled-down to flagship Pixels and later to all Pixels,
presumably it's on just about all devices now?
No, my phone does not support it (Motorola G52).
OP here. Yes, I've installed Google Lens (easiest option) and now I
can scan QR codes.
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program
for this to work.
On 2025-07-02 09:07, Chris Green wrote:
Jörg Lorenz <[email protected]> wrote:
On 02.07.25 08:09, Chris Green wrote:Not 99.9% of the ones in our household they don't! :-) Ok, mine is
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program >>>> for this to work.
99.9% of the smartphones do exactly that out of the box without the need >>> to install additional software.
not a mainstream one (but bought because it reputedly has very close
to 'standard' Android apps), but the other is a Moto which is pretty
'ordinary'.
My Motos do recognize dot codes in the supplied camera app. Maybe yours
is too old.
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
On 2025-07-02 09:07, Chris Green wrote:
J�rg Lorenz <[email protected]> wrote:
On 02.07.25 08:09, Chris Green wrote:Not 99.9% of the ones in our household they don't! :-) Ok, mine is
However my comment still stands about places that say "just scan the
QR code" without pointing out that you might have to install a program >>> for this to work.
99.9% of the smartphones do exactly that out of the box without the need >> to install additional software.
not a mainstream one (but bought because it reputedly has very close
to 'standard' Android apps), but the other is a Moto which is pretty 'ordinary'.
My Motos do recognize dot codes in the supplied camera app. Maybe yours
is too old.
Chris Green <[email protected]> wrote:
OP here. Yes, I've installed Google Lens (easiest option) and now I
can scan QR codes.
I have an 8-year old old Android 8.0.0 phone that has the Google search
bar as a widget on the home screen. At some point, it got updated to
add a camera icon. I tap on that icon, and use it to take a snapshot of something. I've used it to identify plants. It can also read QR codes.
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL. Those are sometimes used to prevent typos by users to define a URL to a web site, or, I suppose, to
add convenience of not having to enter a string into an address bar of a
web browser. In any case, the QR scanner could just open a web browser
to the URL without prompting the user to tell them to where the QR code points. You could end up going somewhere you don't want to go, or
somewhere malicious. QR codes can be produced by anyone, and I've seen
them online, too.
I use a QR scanner app that shows the content of the QR code BEFORE ever going anywhere; i.e., you get told what is the content, and if a URL
then you see it before you choose to use it. Since the app focuses on scanning QR codes instead of taking pictures of anything and then trying
to identify what's in the pic, it auto-focuses on a QR image. I just
tried it: load the QR scanner, point the camera at something with a QR
code image, and the app detects where is the image, locks in on it, and captures it. Then it shows the content. Makes it easier to get the
phone at the right distance for its camera to get the image in focus,
and then takes a pic without me having to move the phone a bit while my fingers manage to tap a button to take a pic. Auto-locking onto the QR
image also lets me know it found one rather than taking a pic and hoping
the QR image was fully within view and right-distanced to be in focus.
While Google Lens got embedded into the Google search bar widget, so
that is also usable for scanning QR codes, and taking pics of other
stuff to identify, a dedicated QR scan app might be more convenient, and perhaps safer.
mine is not a mainstream one (but bought because it reputedly hasDid umidigi stop doing phones after the bison?
very close to 'standard' Android apps)
Presumably it has camera2 support? Mine has camera2 "full", but not the higher "level_3". There are various lower levels of camera2 support
such a "limited" or "legacy" ... naming almost as bad as USB standards.
OP here. Yes, I've installed Google Lens (easiest option) and now I
can scan QR codes.
Years ago I used to install ZXing for various types of barcodes (I think
it started as a Google employee's 20% side-project) the technology from
that is now in GoogleLens, and GoogleCamera makes use of GoogleLens
Why the FUD!? *Does* your (built-in) camera app/icon "just open a web browser to the URL without prompting"? If so, name it (with details) and
get rid of it.
The circle-to-search feature may not be available in your Android
version. I didn't bother to search in which Android version it became
available, because a cursory search shows it is apparently inherent to
the brand and model of phone you have.
I think circle-to-search was exclusive to Samsung for a few weeks, then rolled-down to flagship Pixels and later to all Pixels, presumably it's
on just about all devices now?
Andy Burns wrote:"exclusively available on the Edge 50 Ultra and the Razr 50 series"
I think circle-to-search was exclusive to Samsung for a few weeks,
then rolled-down to flagship Pixels and later to all Pixels,
presumably it's on just about all devices now?
No, my phone does not support it (Motorola G52).
So moto are using it to "push" certain models for a while, like Samsung
did ...
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:Well, it's *a* purpose.
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
Ever use March Media Lab's Camera2 API probe
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
VanguardLH <[email protected]> wrote:
Chris Green <[email protected]> wrote:
OP here. Yes, I've installed Google Lens (easiest option) and now I
can scan QR codes.
I have an 8-year old old Android 8.0.0 phone that has the Google search
bar as a widget on the home screen. At some point, it got updated to
add a camera icon. I tap on that icon, and use it to take a snapshot of
something. I've used it to identify plants. It can also read QR codes.
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL. Those are sometimes used to
prevent typos by users to define a URL to a web site, or, I suppose, to
add convenience of not having to enter a string into an address bar of a
web browser. In any case, the QR scanner could just open a web browser
to the URL without prompting the user to tell them to where the QR code
points. You could end up going somewhere you don't want to go, or
somewhere malicious. QR codes can be produced by anyone, and I've seen
them online, too.
Why the FUD!? *Does* your (built-in) camera app/icon "just open a web browser to the URL without prompting"? If so, name it (with details) and
get rid of it.
I use a QR scanner app that shows the content of the QR code BEFORE ever
going anywhere; i.e., you get told what is the content, and if a URL
then you see it before you choose to use it. Since the app focuses on
scanning QR codes instead of taking pictures of anything and then trying
to identify what's in the pic, it auto-focuses on a QR image. I just
tried it: load the QR scanner, point the camera at something with a QR
code image, and the app detects where is the image, locks in on it, and
captures it. Then it shows the content. Makes it easier to get the
phone at the right distance for its camera to get the image in focus,
and then takes a pic without me having to move the phone a bit while my
fingers manage to tap a button to take a pic. Auto-locking onto the QR
image also lets me know it found one rather than taking a pic and hoping
the QR image was fully within view and right-distanced to be in focus.
Nothing special. The (Samsung) Camera app of my Samsung Galaxy A51
(Android 51) also does all of that.
While Google Lens got embedded into the Google search bar widget, so
that is also usable for scanning QR codes, and taking pics of other
stuff to identify, a dedicated QR scan app might be more convenient, and
perhaps safer.
I think for the majority of people, the built-in Camera app of their
phone will do everything they need and will be safe, because QR scanning
is a basic functionality since many years.
[...]
Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:
VanguardLH <[email protected]> wrote:
Chris Green <[email protected]> wrote:
I think for the majority of people, the built-in Camera app of their
phone will do everything they need and will be safe, because QR scanning
is a basic functionality since many years.
[...]
Not in my camera app ... of many years. I don't have Android 11, and whatever phone and model the OP has. Mine is an old Android 8.0.0
phone, and, nope, no QR code scanning it the embedded camera app. And
why I mentioned getting a QR scanning app. Android 8.0 was released
back in 2017.
The OP's camera app also doesn't, according to his description, include
QR scanning, and he's on Android 11 which was released in 2020. Doesn't
seem to be the pervasive feature you think it is.
On 2025-07-02 17:02, J�rg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
Nope. Their purpose is to contain an string. The string can be anything,
even an URL. :-)
For instance, I had somewhere a QR code with the identifier and password
of my wifi.
Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
Chris Green, 2025-07-01 16:15:The camera app I assume, the thing that takes pictures of my knees by mistake! :-)
I have an Umidigi Bison phone running Android running Android 11, it
works OK with most of the things I want it to do.
However it never seems to want to recognise QR codes, is there some
magic technique for doing this or are they just rubbish?
What is "it"? The camera app? A dedicated QR code scanner app - and yes,
which one?
All the promoters of QR codes just say 'scan the QR code' and assume
all the magic will then ensue.
In summary, Circle-to-Search seems like a feature rolled out since January
of 2024 to new'ish high-end'ish phones where it's apparently an AI that
works on finger gestures (you don't wanna know what mine will be).
On 03.07.25 14:19, Allodoxaphobia wrote:
On Wed, 2 Jul 2025 17:02:20 +0200, Jörg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
And scammers/crackers/evil-doers see an opportunity.
QR-Codes in public places are very insecure. And in addition QR-codes
should never be used for financial transactions or other security
sensitive activities.
Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
On 2025-07-02 17:02, Jörg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
Nope. Their purpose is to contain an string. The string can be anything,
even an URL. :-)
For instance, I had somewhere a QR code with the identifier and password
of my wifi.
And I use them to login to my bank accounts, governmental websites, medical/hospital websites, etc., etc.. No URLs involved, because my
browser is already connected to the websites in question.
So QR codes are multi-purpose, *some* are dangerous, but others
*enhance* security/safety/privacy/<whatever>! :-)
Frank Slootweg <[email protected]d> wrote:[...]
I think for the majority of people, the built-in Camera app of their phone will do everything they need and will be safe, because QR scanning
is a basic functionality since many years.
[...]
Not in my camera app ... of many years. I don't have Android 11, and whatever phone and model the OP has. Mine is an old Android 8.0.0
phone, and, nope, no QR code scanning it the embedded camera app. And
why I mentioned getting a QR scanning app. Android 8.0 was released
back in 2017.
The OP's camera app also doesn't, according to his description, include
QR scanning, and he's on Android 11 which was released in 2020. Doesn't
seem to be the pervasive feature you think it is.
Neither the OP or I have a Samsung phone. What you experience with
Samsung is not incumbent on every other phone brand and model.
On 03.07.25 14:19, Allodoxaphobia wrote:
On Wed, 2 Jul 2025 17:02:20 +0200, J�rg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
And scammers/crackers/evil-doers see an opportunity.
QR-Codes in public places are very insecure. And in addition QR-codes
should never be used for financial transactions or other security
sensitive activities.
On 2025-07-03 15:41, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
On 2025-07-02 17:02, J�rg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
Nope. Their purpose is to contain an string. The string can be anything, >> even an URL. :-)
For instance, I had somewhere a QR code with the identifier and password >> of my wifi.
And I use them to login to my bank accounts, governmental websites, medical/hospital websites, etc., etc.. No URLs involved, because my
browser is already connected to the websites in question.
So QR codes are multi-purpose, *some* are dangerous, but others *enhance* security/safety/privacy/<whatever>! :-)
And AFAIK, the danger is only when opening an URL without pausing.
Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
On 2025-07-03 15:41, Frank Slootweg wrote:
Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
On 2025-07-02 17:02, Jörg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
Nope. Their purpose is to contain an string. The string can be anything, >>>> even an URL. :-)
For instance, I had somewhere a QR code with the identifier and password >>>> of my wifi.
And I use them to login to my bank accounts, governmental websites,
medical/hospital websites, etc., etc.. No URLs involved, because my
browser is already connected to the websites in question.
So QR codes are multi-purpose, *some* are dangerous, but others
*enhance* security/safety/privacy/<whatever>! :-)
And AFAIK, the danger is only when opening an URL without pausing.
Indeed. VanguardLH sort of implied that there are QR scanning apps (or
QR scanning parts of camera, etc. apps), which directly open the URL
without pausing, but didn't give details, so for the moment that's FUD.
Chris Green wrote:
OP here. Yes, I've installed Google Lens (easiest option) and now I
can scan QR codes.
Years ago I used to install ZXing for various types of barcodes (I think
it started as a Google employee's 20% side-project) the technology from
that is now in GoogleLens, and GoogleCamera makes use of GoogleLens
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
(As I wrote,) Our banks, government, medical institutions, etc., etc. exactly *do* use QR codes "for financial transactions or other security sensitive activities", like login, transaction approval, etc., etc..
That QR codes can be use in dangerous ways, does not mean they can
only be used that way.
To them, if one QR code is malicious, all QR codes are malicious.
Letting stuff run without the user doing anything is risky,
kind of like letting macros go off in a doc file as soon as you
open it. Imagine if every time you downloaded an exe, it just ran
right away. That would be a nightmare!
So, if that's actually how QR codes work, that needs to be
fixed. When you scan a QR, it should just show you the text
and let you copy it if you want. If you decide to open it
as a URI, that should be your call.
If just one QR code out of a hundred is bad, that means you
have a one percent shot at running into a malicious one.
Security is all about checking everything in a group, since
you never know which ones might be sketchy. Like, here in
Berlin, if you show up to a concert with a bag, some guy is
going to look through it. Even if hardly any bags have anything
they shouldn't, they still have to check every single one.
I really don't have any hands-on experience with QR codes, and
I barely know how they work, but I figure they just hold URIs
that get opened up. That would make them active content.
Letting stuff run without the user doing anything is risky,
kind of like letting macros go off in a doc file as soon as you
open it. Imagine if every time you downloaded an exe, it just ran
right away. That would be a nightmare!
So, if that's actually how QR codes work, that needs to be
fixed. When you scan a QR, it should just show you the text
and let you copy it if you want. If you decide to open it
as a URI, that should be your call.
So, if that's actually how QR codes work, that needs to be
fixed. When you scan a QR, it should just show you the text
and let you copy it if you want. If you decide to open it
as a URI, that should be your call.
Despite what Vanguard said, I'm not aware of any QR app that
automatically visits a URL, or connects to a wifi SSID, or calls a phone number *just* because you scanned one of those types of QR code ... it's
akin to saying mice are dangerous because you can click links with a mouse.
I really don't have any hands-on experience with QR codes, and
I barely know how they work, but I figure they just hold URIs
that get opened up. That would make them active content.
Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:[...]
On 2025-07-03 15:41, Frank Slootweg wrote:
So QR codes are multi-purpose, *some* are dangerous, but others
*enhance* security/safety/privacy/<whatever>! :-)
And AFAIK, the danger is only when opening an URL without pausing.
Indeed. VanguardLH sort of implied that there are QR scanning apps (or
QR scanning parts of camera, etc. apps), which directly open the URL
without pausing, but didn't give details, so for the moment that's FUD.
Marion <[email protected]> wrote or quoted:
To them, if one QR code is malicious, all QR codes are malicious.
If just one QR code out of a hundred is bad, that means you
have a one percent shot at running into a malicious one.
Security is all about checking everything in a group, since
you never know which ones might be sketchy. Like, here in
Berlin, if you show up to a concert with a bag, some guy is
going to look through it. Even if hardly any bags have anything
they shouldn't, they still have to check every single one.
On 03.07.25 17:26, Arno Welzel wrote:
Jörg Lorenz, 2025-07-03 17:22:
On 03.07.25 14:19, Allodoxaphobia wrote:
On Wed, 2 Jul 2025 17:02:20 +0200, Jörg Lorenz wrote:
On 02.07.25 15:24, VanguardLH wrote:
My concern is a QR code can contain a URL.
That is their purpose.
And scammers/crackers/evil-doers see an opportunity.
QR-Codes in public places are very insecure. And in addition QR-codes
should never be used for financial transactions or other security
sensitive activities.
Not the QR-Codes themself are insecure - its the websites they link to.
The code is very often faked to divert to such a (insecure) site.
Popular where payment processes are involved like EV-chargers for instance.
| Sysop: | Keyop |
|---|---|
| Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
| Users: | 714 |
| Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
| Uptime: | 134:38:29 |
| Calls: | 12,087 |
| Files: | 14,997 |
| Messages: | 6,517,356 |