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How to Scan QR code From an Image on an iPhone

by Kaushal

Scanning the QR code is easy; you pull out your phone, point the camera toward the code, and voila you just retrieved the information. But, what if you have to scan a QR code from a picture stored on your iPhone? Well, pulling out another phone to scan it is one way to go but I have better ways. Let’s check out how to scan a QR code from an image on an iPhone.

Method 1: Using the Apple Photos App

The Photos app offers a native feature to scan a QR code from an image on the iPhone. All you need to do is open the image, tap the scanner icon, and the Photos app will open the QR code.

Here are the step-by-step instructions to scan QR code from an image on an iPhone:

1. Open the picture or the screenshot having the QR code in the Apple Photos app on your iPhone.

2. To scan the QR code from an image, tap on the Scan icon at the bottom-right corner of the image.

3. Tap the QR code and you will see options to take actions on the QR code based on the data present in it.

A few things to note about this method:

  • This method only works on iPhone XS or later.
  • Live text feature must be enabled in Settings > General > Language & region for the Scan icon to show up.
  • The Scan icon might not show up for some downloaded images. In such a case, take a screenshot of the image and you will see the Scan icon on the screenshot.

Tip: The native ability to scan QR codes from images on iPhone will work in other apps too. Open the image in any app and tap on the Scan icon. Alternatively, long press the QR code in the image to scan it.

Method 2: Using Third-Party App

Qrafter is a simple free app that can scan a QR code from a photo as well as the Camera. Use these steps to scan a QR code from a picture on an iPhone:

1. Start by installing the app on your iPhone.

2. Open the app after installation is done and tap Scan from Photos. Tap an image that consists of a QR code.

3. Wait for the app to scan the QR code and it will then show the information stored in the QR code. You can then proceed to copy the info to the clipboard, send it via text message or email, etc.

The app is intelligent enough to give you additional options if the QR code has more information than just simple text. For instance, if you scan a QR code with a YouTube URL in it, it will give you the option to open the URL, watch the video in the app, send it via email, etc.

if QR code has more information then you'd see more actions

While the app is easy to use, it shows you an ad every time you want to scan a QR code from an image. Also, you have to manually open the photo inside the app to retrieve the information. If you’re going to scan QR code images more frequently, you’ll find the next method more useful.

Tip: Check out other useful QR code apps for iPhone.

Method 3: Using Google Photos App

If you don’t like Google Photos already, here is a solid reason to have it on your iPhone. Google Photos has Google Lens built-in that can recognize objects from any photo, including QR codes. Using Google Photos to scan QR codes is effortless and you don’t have to worry about ads either.

Simply, install the Google Photos app from the App Store on your iPhone. Open the app and grant it access to your Camera Roll. Once you see all the images in the app, open the one with the QR code. Tap on the Google Lens icon at the bottom. It would take a few seconds to process the image and pop up the relevant information.

Tip: Learn how to edit photos in Google Photos like a pro. And if you like the app, know how to make Google Photos default on iPhone.

Method 4: Using Siri Shortcut

This method takes advantage of Siri Shortcuts and lets you scan QR codes from images. It works even on a web browser which means if you find a QR code online, you can still scan it directly without taking a screenshot.

1. Start by installing the shortcut in the Apple Shortcuts app.

2. Once the shortcut is installed, open the Shortcuts app, and tap on the three-dot icon on the shortcut.

3. Right now, this shortcut will only show up in the Share Sheet of images. We’ll expand it to everything so that it will show up in apps like Safari, Files, etc. Tap on Images in the Receive Input section at the top and enable the toggle next to Files, Safari web pages, and URLs. Similarly, you can enable the toggle for other content types.

4. Tap on Done followed by Done to save the changes. That’s all you need to do, you can now scan the QR code image from anywhere on your iPhone.

5. To demonstrate, I opened a QR code in Safari. Long-pressing the image pulls up the Context menu. Tap the Share button followed by QR Reader from Images to begin scanning.

It even works with other apps such as WhatsApp, Photos, Files, etc. I received a QR code from a friend and this is what was in it. Enjoy.

QR code gif playing Rick roll

Tip: If you use Google Search, Google provides a native scan feature on all images. Look for the scan icon at the bottom of the image to scan QR codes, and copy or translate text from images in Google Search.

Create Your Own QR Code

These were some of the quick methods to scan a QR code from an image on an iPhone. Learn how to scan QR codes from pictures on other devices or online. Also, know how to create a QR code for any website.

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