QR codes have become a ubiquitous part of our digital lives, offering a quick and convenient way to access information, websites, and more using your smartphone’s camera. However, if you’re experiencing issues with the Android camera not recognizing or reading QR codes, it can be frustrating, especially when you need to access important links or data. In this guide, we’ll address the common causes behind the “Android Camera QR Code Not Working” issue and provide you with practical solutions to resolve it.
How to Fix Android Camera QR Code Not Working
QR code is nothing but a scannable pattern that stores a lot of data. This data can turn into a link, image, or text. Especially, after the Android 13 update, it has become quite easy to scan a QR code. In this article, we have given the solutions to solve the camera not reading QR code issue on Android devices.
Quick Answer
To fix this QR code error, install Google Lens and then follow the below steps:
1. Open Camera and tap on Settings.
2. Go to the General section.
3. Turn on the toggle for Google Lens suggestions.
Reasons Behind Android Camera QR Code Not Working Issue
There are a number of issues that can stop QR codes from working on your Android phone, let us look at these reasons below:
- Issues with the camera lens of your Android phone
- Wrong placement of QR code
- Lighting and distance issues
- Google Lens suggestions feature turned off
- Outdated version of Google Lens
- Outdated version of the Android operating system
The QR code scanner on your Android phone might not be working due to opening a web page, signing into a social account, or due to the reasons mentioned above. If so, there are a few methods that you can easily attempt on your device to fix the problem right away. Let us have a look at these tested & tried methods in detail below:
Note: Since Android smartphones do not have the same Settings options, they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Hence, ensure the correct settings before changing any on your device. The steps are performed on Vivo 1920 and may vary for other Android devices.
Method 1: Clean Camera Lens
The first thing that you would want to do in order to fix the QR code issue on your Android device is to clean your camera lens. Sometimes, dirt on your camera lens can keep you from reading the code properly. You can therefore swipe the camera with a clean cloth to remove the dirt from it. Once you have cleaned, try scanning the code properly again.
Method 2: Relaunch Camera
Another easy solution to fix the issue of QR not working is to force quit the Camera application and then relaunch it. It is extremely is to attempt, you can check the steps below for relaunch camera process:
1. Long press the Camera icon on your Android device.
2. Now, select App info from the pop-up menu.
3. Tap on Force stop in the App info window.
4. After a few seconds, tap on Camera to launch it again.
Also Read: How to Get QR Code from Carrier
Method 3: Use In-Built QR Code Scanner
1. Launch the Camera application on your Android phone.
2. Point the camera at the code and tap on the screen.
3. Tap on the square code scanning area to process the code.
4. Wait for a few seconds for the device to scan the code.
Method 4: Resolve Lighting and Distance Issues
The next thing which is important to consider while scanning the code is the distance and lighting between your Android device and the code. Issues in lighting and distance can inevitably create a problem in scanning QR codes. So, follow the suggestions provided below to resolve this issue:
- In the case of a low-lighting environment, turn on the light because bright light is a necessity during scanning QR codes.
- Make sure that no shadows fall on the code while the scanning process.
- You can also use a plain or simple background while code scanning to avoid confusing your camera focus.
- You should ensure that your phone camera is at a suitable angle and not tilted.
- You should also take care of the distance by making sure to not hold your Android device too close or too far away from the code.
Method 5: Install Google Lens
If you already don’t have Google Lens installed on your Android, then you must download it now to avoid this issue. Google Lens makes it extremely easy to scan QR codes and does not leave any possibility of errors.
If you have installed the app, then try to update it to solve the Google Lens QR code not working issue.
Method 6: Enable Google Lens Feature
Downloading Google Lens is not enough, you need to enable Google Lens to activate it to scan codes. Enabling it will help you to access the relevant page link. Scanning the code is managed by the Google Lens Suggestions feature in the Camera application of your Android device. You can follow the steps below to turn it on:
1. Launch the Camera application on your Android phone.
2. Now, tap on the Settings icon on the Camera home screen.
3. Go to the General section.
4. Navigate to Google Lens suggestions in it and swipe the toggle on.
Method 7: Update Google Lens
If the Google Lens application installed on your Android phone is outdated it can result in the camera not scanning the QR code. Therefore, once you have enabled the Google Lens feature, you must make sure that the app is up-to-date. You can learn all about updating apps on your Android phone with the help of our guide on How To Automatically Update All Android Apps At Once.
Method 8: Update Android
Along with updating the Google Lens app on your device, you must also make sure that your operating system is updated with the newest version available. There can be a glitch in your system causing the Camera to act up and not scan the QR code. So, try updating your Android software with the help of our guide on How To Manually Update Android to Latest Version.
Method 9: Use Third-Party QR Code Scanner
Not just Google Lens but there are other applications in the Play Store of an Android phone that can help you with scanning the QR code easily and resolving Android camera QR code not working. You can simply open the Play Store and search for a QR code scanner in it to find yourself a perfect fit.
We hope that our guide on the Android camera QR codes not working was elaborate enough and helped you to fix the issue. For more, leave your queries and suggestions with us in the comments section below.
