How to Scan QR Codes From an Image on Mobile

Scanning QR codes on an Android or iPhone is quite easy these days. Simply point the phone camera toward the QR code for it to detect it. But how should you scan a QR code that is part of an image or screenshot in your phone’s gallery? This tutorial will provide the answers. Don’t worry, as you don’t need to use another phone to scan the QR code on your mobile. Let’s check how to scan a QR code from an image on Android and iPhone.

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Scan a QR Code From an Image Using Live Text (iOS)

If your iPhone supports the Live Text feature (iOS 15+), you can use it to scan QR codes from pictures or screenshots saved on the iPhone by following these steps:

1. Launch the Apple Photos app on your iPhone.
2. Open the picture with the QR code.
3. Tap on the “Live text icon” at the bottom-right corner of the image.
4. Tap on the QR code in the picture.

5. The Live Text feature will scan the QR code and show the result. You will get multiple options to use the result. For instance, you can open the link in a browser, add to the reading list, copy the link, or share it with others.

Scan a QR Code From an Image With Google Lens (Android and iOS)

Google Lens is a great utility for identifying information in images. It’s used to copy and translate text from images, find similar images, identify things like animals and plants, scan QR codes, and more.

Fortunately, Google Lens offers a native feature to use QR codes from images in the gallery or camera roll on both Android and iOS. It comes preinstalled in different forms on almost all Android devices, such as a standalone app, widget, or baked into the Gallery or Camera app.

Let’s check out the different ways to use Google Lens to scan QR codes from images on Android and iPhone.

Tip: Check out the best image search engines to find the images you want. Spoiler: Google is not on the list.

1. Using the Google App (Android and iOS)

The Google app provides one of the easiest ways to use the Google Lens feature to scan a QR code from a picture on your mobile. Follow these steps:

1. Install the Google app on your iPhone. You don’t need to download it on Android, as it’s already preinstalled.
2. Open the Google app and tap on the “Lens” icon in the search bar.

3. The Google Lens screen will appear showing the images on your phone. if you don’t see the images, tap on the Gallery icon in the bottom-left corner, then tap on the image containing the QR code. Wait for Google Lens to scan the QR code and show the information.

2. Using the Google App Search Widget

Google Lens is also available in the Google app search bar widget on Android and iOS phones. To use it, you must first add the widget on the home screen as shown below.

Add the Google Search Widget on Android

1. Touch and hold an empty space on your Android phone’s home screen. Tap on “Add widgets.”

2. Go to the Google widgets. Touch and hold the “Search” widget and drag it to the home screen. The Google search bar widget will appear on the home screen. You can skip the first two steps if the Google search bar widget is already on the home screen.

3. Tap on the “Google Lens” icon in the search bar to open Google Lens. The images in your gallery will show up. Tap on the image containing the QR code.

4. Google Lens will scan and detect the information in the QR code.

5. If Google Lens doesn’t read the QR code properly, make sure the “Search” tab is selected at the bottom.

6. Also, if you don’t see the images in the Gallery in step #3, tap on “Search with your camera” instead, and hit the Gallery icon at the bottom. Select the image with the QR code.

Add the Google Search Widget on iOS

On iOS 14 and later, you can add widgets to the iPhone’s home screen. The Google app widget provides a Lens button that can be used to scan images on yoru iPhone that have a QR code.

1. Touch and hold an empty area on your iPhone home screen until the icons start jiggling.
2. Tap on the “+” (Add) icon at the top.

3. Scroll down and look for Google. Tap on it to see the available widgets.

4. Swipe left and tap on “Add widget” under the widget showing the Lens button. The widget will be added to the home screen. Tap anywhere on the screen to stop the icons from shaking.

5. Press the Lens button in the Google widget to open Google Lens. Select the image with the QR code.

6. Alternatively, press the “Search with your camera” button and tap on the Gallery icon at the bottom-left corner.

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3. With Share Sheet (iOS)

Google Lens also appears as a shortcut in the Share Sheet on an iPhone, provided you have the Google app installed on your iPhone. You can use that to scan QR codes from images as shown below.

1. Open the photo in any app on your iPhone and hit the “Share” icon.

2. Scroll down and tap on “Search with Google Lens.”

3. Press the “View results” button.

4. Google Lens will show the results of the scanned QR code in the image.

4. Via Google Photos (Android and iOS)

Google Lens is also part of the Google Photos app for both Android and iPhone. It is preinstalled on most Android phones.

Follow these steps to use Google Photos on Android and iOS to scan QR codes from images.

1. Download the Google Photos app to Android or iOS, if it isn’t already on the device.
2. The Google Photos app shows your pictures and videos taken with the Camera on the main screen. Tap on the “Library” option at the bottom to view other albums on your phone, like screenshots, downloads, etc.

3. Open the image with the QR code and hit the Lens button at the bottom. The QR code will be read and will show the appropriate information.

Want to keep some images private on your phone? Learn how to use Google Photos’ Lock Folder.

5. From Your Phone’s Gallery App (Android)

Some phones like OnePlus include the Google Lens feature in their Gallery app.

1. Open the photo with the QR code in the native Gallery app.
2. Tap on the Google Lens icon to scan the code.

3. The results should appear immediately.

6. With the Google Lens App (Android)

If you can’t access Google Lens using the methods mentioned above, you can use it to scan QR codes from pictures already saved by installing its dedicated app.

1. Download Google Lens from Play Store, if it isn’t preinstalled, then open the Google Lens app on your phone.
2. Select the photo containing the QR code.

3. Wait for the Lens to read the code and show the results.

Scan the QR Code From an Image Using Siri Shortcuts (iOS)

You can scan QR codes from screenshots or other images using a QR reader shortcut in the Share Sheet on your iPhone.

1. Install the QR Reader from Images shortcut on your iPhone. Tap on the link, and the shortcut screen will appear.
2. Tap on the “Add Shortcut” button, then open the Shortcuts app to find the QR Reader from the images shortcut.

3. Touch and hold the QR Reader from the images shortcut and select the “Details” option in the menu. Make sure “Show in Share Sheet” is enabled.

4. Open the image containing the QR code and hit the “Share” button.
5. Scroll down the Share Sheet and tap on “QR Reader from Images.”

6. If asked to grant permission to access the photo, tap on “Allow.” The QR reader shortcut will scan the QR code and show the result at the top.

Tip: if this method doesn’t work, copy the photo and run the shortcut manually.

Scan the QR Code From an Image on Samsung Phone

There are three ways to scan QR codes from images on Samsung, in addition to the Google Lens methods mentioned above.

1. QR Code Quick Tile

Samsung offers a quick tile that lets you scan new QR codes as well as those present in screenshots and images on your phone.

1. Open the Quick Tile panel on your Samsung Galaxy phone by swiping down twice from the top edge.
2. Swipe left on the available tiles. If you see the “Scan QR code” tile, jump to step #4, otherwise, scroll to the last page of tiles and press the “+” (Add) button.

3. Touch and hold “Scan QR code” in the top panel and drag it to the bottom panel to add it to the Quick Tiles. Hit the “Done” button.

4. Whenever you want to scan a QR code in an image, open the Quick Tiles panel and tap on the “Scan QR code” tile.

5. Tap on the Gallery icon on the next screen and select the image to scan.

If you have a Samsung phone, you may want to get the Samsung DeX app and create an Android desktop environment on an external display.

2. Samsung Internet

If you like browsing with Samsung Internet, know that you can use it to scan QR codes from images too. But first, you will need to add the QR code scanner to Samsung Internet.

1. Open the Samsung Internet app on your phone.
2. Tap on the three-bar icon. If you see the QR code scanner tile, jump to step #5; otherwise, select “Settings.”

3. Go to “Layout and menu” followed by “Customize menu.”

4. Drag and drop the QR code scanner from the top to the bottom panel.

Tip: if you don’t see a QR code scanner under “Layout and menu,” go to “Useful Features” in the browser’s Settings and enable “QR Code scanner.”

5. Go back to the main screen of Samsung Internet and tap on the three-bar icon. Tap on the QR code scanner button.

6. Tap on the Gallery icon at the bottom of the scanner screen. Load the image with the QR code.

3. Bixby Vision

On Samsung devices running One UI 3 and earlier, you can use Bixby Vision in the Gallery app to scan QR codes from images. This feature has been removed in One UI 4 and above.

1. Launch the Samsung Gallery app and open the photo containing a QR code.
2. Tap on the eye icon at the top to scan the QR code from the image.

Scan a QR Code in an Image With Third-Party Apps

In addition to the above-mentioned methods, you can use third-party online tools and apps to scan QR codes from the images on your phone.

• QR & Barcode Scanner (Android)
• QR & Barcode Reader (Android)
• QR Code Reader & QR Scanner (iOS)
• QR Reader for iPhone (iOS)
• webqr.com (Online)
• qrcodescan.in (Online)

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can you scan a QR code on a PC?

Yes, you can scan existing pictures or a new picture containing the QR code on a PC. Check out four ways to scan QR codes on a computer.

Can you use Google Lens to do reverse image search?

Yes, you can use Google Lens to find similar images on both Android and iPhone. Learn other ways to do reverse image search on Android and iOS.

How can I create a QR code quickly?

You can create a QR code for any website using the Chrome browser on a PC, Android, or iPhone. Open the website in Chrome on your mobile. Tap on the three-dot icon and select “Share” from the menu. Choose “QR code” to create the QR code for the website.

All screenshots by Mehvish Mushtaq.