Types of QR codes and what a phone does with each

How the types of QR codes differ

A QR code stores text. What makes a “Wi-Fi code” different from a “website code” is a small prefix that tells the phone what to do with the text: https:// opens a browser, WIFI: offers to join a network, BEGIN:VCARD offers to save a contact, mailto: opens a new email, SMSTO: a new message, tel: the dialler, geo: the maps app, and BEGIN:VEVENT the calendar. Some types are just a URL with a particular shape: WhatsApp chats, app store listings, payment links, social profiles and video links are all web addresses that the destination service knows how to handle. Crypto addresses use bitcoin: and ethereum: URIs that wallet apps recognise.

Choosing the right type

Start from what you want to happen when someone scans. If the answer is “open a page”, use the URL generator on the home page, or one of the use-case pages that prefill it. If the answer is “do something on the phone without a browser”, pick the matching type: Wi-Fi to join a network, contact to save a card, email, SMS or phone to start a message or call, location to open directions, event to add to a calendar. Text is for anything that should simply be displayed, such as a serial number or a short note.

What to know before you pick

Content length sets the code’s density. A short URL makes a small, forgiving code; a full contact card with an address makes a dense one that needs more space in print. The capacity line under each preview shows the module count, and the size guide turns that into a printed width. Some actions depend on the phone: joining Wi-Fi from a code needs iOS 11 or Android 10 or later, and older Android phones may need a scanner app for anything but URLs. And one static code cannot detect which phone scanned it, so an app link points to one store or to a page of your own that lists both.

Whatever the type, the code is verified by decoding it before you download, and it will keep working for as long as the thing it describes exists. If you are unsure which kind an existing code is, the reader shows its content.