Vodafone blog

Regardless of whether you’ve heard of QR codes before, or you haven’t, you would have likely seen a few of them around.

Whilst they’re not new, 2011 was certainly a big year for QR codes. They’re increasingly appearing on billboards, packaging, and in magazines and brochures. So what are they, and what are they used for?

What are QR Codes?

QR codes, in short, are a 2D barcode. The extra ‘dimension’ allows for more information top be stored than in a traditional barcode.

The amount of information stored depends on the exact size and amount of squares that make up the QR code.

Why use QR Codes

Despite the ‘cool’ factor, they’re actually a very handy way to communicate complex and lengthy information, such as website URLs – which is the most common use for QR codes.

Instead of typing in a long and possibly complicated web address, a user can simply ‘scan’ the code and be taken straight to the destination site. They’re also used to provide quick and easy access to new apps.

How to use QR Codes?

This is possibly the greatest thing about QR codes – they’re really easy to use!

Android phones come with QR code reading applications, and Windows Phones scan QR codes through the search app built into the phone.

For iPhone customers, you can simply download one of the many free QR code reading applications from the iTunes marketplace.

Many other phones have QR code reading applications too. The QR code below takes you to our Cricket application (or page where an application isn’t available for your phone).

Once you have the application open, you point your camera at the QR code (and press the scan button where necessary) and the app does the rest of the work. It’s really that easy.

So next time you’re walking passed a billboard and spot a QR code, why not try scanning it to see where it takes you?

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