How to scan a QR code on Android
On most phones this needs no app at all, so start with what you have. The cases worth knowing about are the ones the camera cannot handle, and how to tell whether a code is worth tapping.
Your phone very likely already does this
From Android 9 onwards, QR scanning is built into the camera on most phones by way of Google Lens. Open the camera, point it at the code, hold steady for a moment, and a banner appears with the link. Tap it. On some phones the feature sits behind a Lens or "modes" button in the camera rather than working straight from the viewfinder, so it is worth a look before installing anything.
Android 13 added a QR scanner tile to Quick Settings, which is the fastest route on a phone that has it. It is not there until you put it there: open the Quick Settings panel, edit the tiles, and drag it in.
On Android 8 and older there is no built-in scanner and an app is the only route.
Scanning a code that is already on the screen
This is the case the camera cannot help with, and it is now the common one: a code in a screenshot, in an email, or on the same screen you would have to point the camera at.
- Save or screenshot the image.
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Open it in Google Photos and tap Lens.
Lens reads codes out of a still image, which is what makes this work at all.
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Or use an app that accepts a shared image.
Sending the screenshot to a scanner through the share sheet skips the round trip through the gallery.
A QR code is just text, and usually a link. Nothing about the pattern says where it goes, and a sticker over the original is the oldest trick there is. Read the address in the banner before you tap it, and be wary of a code in a public place that asks you to pay or to sign in. A scanner that shows you the decoded text before opening anything is safer than one that jumps straight there.
When a separate app earns its place
For pointing at a code once, the camera is enough and an app is not worth the space. What a dedicated scanner adds is everything around that moment: a history of what you scanned, so a code you read last week is still reachable; other formats, including the barcodes on packaging that Lens handles inconsistently; making your own codes for a link, some text or a wifi network; and working with no connection at all.