We come across many situations in daily routines upfronting QR codes. Despite having a smartphone, we fail to scan the QR codes perfectly without knowing the exact methods. In this guide, we are going to help you in scanning QR codes on your Samsung Galaxy S21.
There are basically two different terms barcode and QR code. So don’t be confused with it. QR codes are more loaded with information than barcodes and hence provide more information about the particular thing.
The structure of the QR code depends on height and width which makes it two-dimensional. Furthermore, it can be easily readable by the camera of the smartphone.
Therefore rather than using some third-party apps to scan QR codes, we can use the built-in camera app in the latest smartphones to get this job done.
Methods To Scan QR Code on Samsung Galaxy S21 – Here’s The Instructions Below
There are multiple methods that can be used to scan QR codes:
- Using a Built-In camera app
- Using Google Lens
- Using Third-party apps
The Built-in method is preferable if you want to avoid third-party apps. You can also find the built-in method more fast and easy to use by just following some simple steps. Let’s discuss all of the methods in detail.
How To Scan QR Code on Samsung Galaxy S21 Using Built-In Camera App?
Samsung Galaxy S21 built-in camera comes with the feature of Scan QR codes. So, you don’t need to look for the QR code scanner in your smartphone anywhere else. Just open the camera app and you can start scanning the QR code.
Before going to scan the QR code with your phone camera, first, make sure that the scan QR code feature is enabled.
Here is how you can find the Scan QR Code option in the camera settings of your Samsung Galaxy S21,
- Launch the “Camera” app.
- Head over to the camera “Settings” by tapping the gear icon at the top left corner of the screen.
- Now, you will be able to see the “Scan QR Codes” option. Just tap the toggle button to enable it.
Once, you are done with enabling the Scan QR codes feature in the camera app settings, now proceed to the following:
- Launch the “camera” app on your phone.
- Now, place the “QR code” in the center of the screen to activate the camera to start the scanning process.
- Once, the QR code is being focused and scanned successfully by the camera app, you will see a result will pop up in the form of some information. That information could contain anything such as a web address or info about a particular thing whatever.
- Just tap on the popup result to get the required information.
OR
You can also access the Scan QR code feature directly from the quick panel of your Samsung Galaxy S21 by following the below simple steps:
- Launch the “quick panel” by swiping down.
- Here, locate the “Scan QR Code” among different available options.
- Once, you find the option, tap on it.
- It will automatically start using the camera of your phone.
- You will be able to see the “Find a QR code” text at the top.
- Now, place the QR code at the center to fit into the frame.
That’s it, you have successfully scanned QR codes with the built-in camera app of your phone. Moreover, you can also utilize the default Google app feature known as Google lens for this purpose.
How To Scan QR Codes Using Google Lens on Samsung Galaxy S21?
- Search Google app in the apps menu and open it.
- Tap on the Google lens icon.
- Now, It will ask you to search with your camera.
- Simply, tap the camera icon and Google lens will then be launched with your built-in camera app.
- Now, place the QR code in the frame to scan it and hit the search button at the bottom.
Also, allow all the permissions to the Google app related to the camera on your Samsung Galaxy S21. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Launch the “Settings” on your phone.
Step 2: Next, tap “apps” and search for “Google”.
Step 3: Select “Google” and tap “Permissions”.
Step 4: Select “Camera” options among other options.
Step 5: Tap the option “Allow only while using the app”.
That’s it, you are done with scanning the QR code using the Google lens with your built-in camera app.
OR
If you have an older version of the Google lens app and it is present in the camera app, then you can follow the below steps.
- Launch the camera app.
- Tap the Google Lens icon
- Fixed QR code in the frame
Launch the Camera App
Head over to the camera app on your smartphone and open it. Let’s not be confused with it, here I am talking about the built-in camera app, not the third-party camera apps.
Therefore, do consider launching the built-in camera app on your smartphone.
Tap The Google Lens Icon
- Open the “Google” app on your smartphone.
- Now, you will be able to see the “Google lens” icon in the search Google search bar.
- Tap on the “Google lens” icon.
- It will ask you to “search with your camera”. Just tap on the “Camera icon” to allow Google lens to utilize your phone camera for scanning the QR codes.
Fixed QR Code in the Frame
Now, place the QR code into the frame and then tap the targetted area such as the QR code. Once, the information pop-ups out of the QR code. Now, finally, tap the popup information. In case of any web address, then you will be directed to that particular web page.
How To Scan QR Code Using Third-Party Apps?
If you prefer using the third-party app for scanning QR codes on your Samsung Galaxy S21, then you should download and install QR & Barcode scanner app.
Step 1: Download QR & Barcode Scanner app.
Step 2: Once, downloaded the app, now launch the app.
Step 3: It will ask you to allow several permissions including the camera.
Step 4: Proceed with allowing all the permissions to the QR & Barcode scanner app.
Step 5: Finally, place the QR code in the frame to let the camera focus on it accurately.
Step 6: Now, it will start scanning the QR code and will pop up with the information contained in the QR code. The information could be pointed to a web address or discount codes or restaurant menu etc.
That’s it, you have successfully scanned the QR code on your Samsung Galaxy S21.
What If Scanning QR Code Not Working on Samsung Galaxy S21?
If you encounter any issue while scanning the QR code on your Samsung Galaxy S21, then follow the below solutions to fix it:
- Soft Reset your smartphone
- Clear the cache of the Camera app
- Long press Screen while Scanning QR Code
Soft Reset your Samsung Galaxy S21
The most recommended method to adopt at first while facing any kind of issue is to soft reset your phone. This also refers to restarting/rebooting your phone. Follow the steps below:
- On your Samsung Galaxy S21, press and hold the “Power” and “Volume down” buttons for several seconds.
- Once, the power options appear on the screen, now release the button.
- Select the “Restart” option from the available options.
- Now, your smartphone will automatically reboot.
- Wait for a while to let your phone boot up successfully.
That’s how you can perform a soft reset on your Samsung Galaxy S21.
Clear The App Cache
- Head over to “Settings” on your phone.
- Next, tap on the “Apps”.
- Now, locate and tap on the camera app.
- After that, tap on the “Clear Data -> Clear Cache”.
Long Press The Screen While Taking Scanning QR Code
After targeting the QR code with your camera and it starts scanning, but you didn’t get any response, then try out this hack. Hopefully, you will get the required result by scanning the QR code.
This hack includes directing your default camera app to launch Google Lens, here’s how you can do that.
- Open the camera app.
- Next, at a specific distance position the QR code in the middle to let the camera start focusing.
- Once, the camera starts focusing and you still didn’t get any results, just long-press the screen (Tap and hold the screen).
- Hence, the camera app will be directed to Google lens to play its part. Now, Google lens will provide you with the result against this QR code and you can further simply tap on the results to launch it.
You can follow a detailed guide on how to fix Samsung Galaxy S21 QR code scanning not working that includes all fixes.
Conclusion
If you want to scan the QR code on your Samsung Galaxy S21, you can do this by following the above-mentioned methods. The first method includes the built-in camera app that includes the Scan QR code feature.
Google lens is also an accurate and fast method for scanning QR codes. While using the Google lens app for scanning QR codes, you should make sure to allow all the permissions to it, especially regarding the camera app.
You can also use some of the third-party apps for scanning QR codes. The best app for this purpose is QR & Barcode scanner app.
If you face any issue regarding the QR code scanning, then you should consider clearing the camera app cache.