Scan QR code android without app: Reading a QR code is a very simple action involving the phone’s camera and software that interprets the graphic of the code. The most common is to choose to download an application. Still, it is not necessary: your mobile phone already has integrated QR code reading, both through the Google application and in the camera app.
Scan QR Code Android Without App
Taking a look at the most downloaded apps from Google Play, it is common to come across applications dedicated to reading QR codes on your mobile, sometimes also to create them. Such applications can be a risk to your phone as they often flood the device with advertising, not to mention that they offer a function that you already have installed on your mobile. Do you want to know how to read QR codes without installing anything? Let’s see a couple of ways.
Your Camera Application Surely Already Reads QR Codes
Left, HiVision on Huawei mobiles; right, QR reading option in the MIUI camera app
As we said, on Android smartphones, there are usually two ways to know what QR codes hide. These codes can be used to share WiFi networks, web addresses, contacts, and even payments from your mobile: just by reading them from another phone, you can access the option that hides the image. And the camera app is good for the job.
To check if the camera application of your mobile phone reads QR codes, just access its options: brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, and even Google include QR reading as standard.
- Open the camera app and go to the settings.
- Identify an option similar to ‘ Scan QR Codes. ‘ If it is not active, turn it on.
- Brands like Huawei integrate QR reading in their ‘HiVision’ mode. Activate it, accept the permissions, and focus on the QR to read it.
- LG integrates QR recognition into Lens – turn it on to scan QR codes.
Camera Settings in One UI 2
Most brands offer the reading of QR codes on their camera, so you only have to point to the code without taking the photo to know what it says (you may have to activate the smart modes, as we have reviewed). In this way, you save yourself from installing third-party applications, avoiding any risk derived from advertising while saving space on your device.
Google Lens Also Reads QR codes
Google Lens can read the content of any QR code, both with the camera and from a photo in your gallery
One of the key functions of the Google search application is the brand assistant, Google Assistant. This software provides various tools with a key for the task we seek: Google Lens. This automatic recognition system is so powerful that it allows us to identify animals and buildings and even translate between languages in real-time. It also reads QR codes, of course.
To read the QR from Google Lens, and without downloading any application, you need to have installed Google services and applications. Except for the latest Huawei, and some imported phones, yours should have everything you need to know what the QR codes hide:
- Say ‘Ok, Google,’ press and hold the Home button, or use the Google Assistant app to call the Assistant on your phone.
- Tap the Google Lens icon, a square with a dot inside that appears at the bottom of Assistant, to the left of the microphone.
- Accept the terms of Google Lens if you have not used it before.
- Point the mobile camera at the QR and tap on the screen for Lens to take the photo. Make sure the magnifying glass icon is selected at the bottom.
- Google Lens will tell you what the QR code means. If it has any hidden action (add a contact, a WiFi, or open a website, for example), it will give you the possibility to execute it by clicking on the box below.
- In addition to capturing a QR with the Lens camera, it also allows you to read the code of any photograph you have stored on your mobile: click on the image icon (upper right corner) to load the image from the gallery. Lens will identify everything it recognizes in the photo, including the QR.
