Apple Building QR Code Scanners into Cameras

Apps used to scan QR codes are a dime a dozen (or, perhaps that’s not a fitting analogy, as the majority of them are free). At one point, companies were scrambling over one another trying to create the most seamless and faultless scanner they could.

Of course, there aren’t but so many different ways you can create a QR code scanner. How many bells and whistles could their possibly be?
Going by this philosophy, Apple decided that maybe it was time to incorporate the QR code scanner into existing technologies, making the need for a scanning app obsolete. They managed to do this in the Decode Camera, which brings QR code scanning to the much-used camera function.

With this development, users actually have a scanner built into their phones’ camera. The camera allows users to toggle between the basic camera function and the scanner function. Once the switch has been made, the camera begins automatically looking for codes to scan.

This may seem like a big “so what?” to many. But when you think about it, such an innovation allows users to:

• Have one less app on their phone. Just open up your camera and there it is.
• Not be forced to open he code’s content right away (the camera allows them to open it upon scanning or later on).
• After a code has been scanned, the camera resorts back to it its normal status, meaning that the next time you need to take a picture, there is no need to switch functions.

Such an innovation clearly indicates the popularity of QR codes. It makes one wonder how much credibility the “QR codes are dead” enthusiasts have in their argument. If Apple is incorporating these types of technologies into their products, it seems clear that QR codes remain as popular as ever.