Twitter today introduced Snapchat-style QR codes, which are designed to make it easier to find and follow friends on the social network. Each Twitter QR code is unique to an individual Twitter user, so when scanned, it'll bring up the person's account.

To access your Twitter QR code, you'll need the official Twitter app for iOS. In the app, go to your profile, tap on the gear icon, and select the "QR Code" option to generate your own personal QR code or scan someone else's code.

twitterqrcode
Scanning a QR code is as simple as using the iPhone's camera to either scan from a secondary screen or an image you've saved to the camera roll. You can follow MacRumors on Twitter by scanning the below code with your iPhone and the Twitter app.

macrumorsqrcode
QR codes were first made popular by Snapchat as a quick way to find your friends without having to search for them, but they may not be as popular on Twitter because the QR code settings are buried so deeply within the app.

Twitter's QR codes are currently rolling out to users and may not be immediately available for everyone.

Twitter for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Tag: Twitter

Top Rated Comments

Slix Avatar
110 months ago
Because sending an @ handle or a link is too difficult these days. *eye roll*
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vjl323 Avatar
110 months ago
Because sending an @ handle or a link is too difficult these days. *eye roll*
There's one very good use of QR codes that do make this useful - "IRL" use. Eg: Follow Us on (insert social media name and URL here). Having a sign with a Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest/Twitter/etc links - people with smart phones will look at it, and maybe they will stop to type the URL out. But if they see a QR code, they can simply snap a shot of it and later use the social media app to load that QR code in and 'friend' or 'follow' the business.

Yes, they could take a pic of the URL, but then you have the whole "look at the URL, type part of it in a browser, visit the photo again to make sure i didn't make typos, etc" and that's a bit of a pain when you're trying to do something quickly.

For online - yeah, QR codes are harder, but if you've got a business and have cards or signs up, that's a very quick way to send people your profile info w/o having to make them type a URL.

Bonus points for making the QR codes slightly different if using it to send a customer to one's own website - you can have the URL embedded in the QR code lead to a different URL (which redirects to the home page) and analyze the logs later to see which QR codes people are scanning when in a store/business (each sign with the QR code would be tracked, so if a customer scans it on the front door sign, you'd know vs the sign in a different part of the building - same with printing it on a biz card - this way you can track an "offline referer" of sorts - so you know the person used a biz card, or a front door sign to discover your website).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
110 months ago
Random question about QR codes in general (not about Twitter):

When you see QR codes printed on a poster or something in the real world... what are you supposed to scan them with? Does it need a special app? How is this not built into the OS ?

If I have this question... will the average person know what to do with them?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vjl323 Avatar
110 months ago
Random question about QR codes in general (not about Twitter):

When you see QR codes printed on a poster or something in the real world... what are you supposed to scan them with? Does it need a special app? How is this not built into the OS ?

If I have this question... will the average person know what to do with them?
Good question; Apple embraced QR codes with iOS 7, but has kept them limited to the Wallet app; many 3rd party camera apps, however, recognize QR codes automatically and will open up a browser when viewing the code. But you're correct in that most folks who just use the native camera app and don't use the Wallet app, will not know what they need to download to use it.

I do see a lot [a lot!] of Android folks using their phone to scan QR codes on items in stores - I have never looked close enough to see what kind of app they were using, but Android too lacks native QR scanning for this kind of purpose.

You can see how quick Apple's QR reading is by scanning a QR code with Wallet [add a Pass to get to the QR reading screen].

That said, paper business cards that have my QR code are used daily [the biz card's QR code goes to a specialized link, so I can see in my logs that they came via the biz card]. Granted, those who have my biz card tend to be more into technology for technology's sake, so my experience with that is a bit skewed.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
110 months ago
We did some research when I was studying marketing in college in early 2012 (I minored in that and photography in addition to my design degree) and not many people actually use QR codes. We found the same thing when I got a job at another university on the marketing and communications team. Students weren't engaging with them IRL and our survey showed only a fraction knew how to use them. I also think they're ugly, have poor UX, and as there is no native support for them on iOS, I recommended that we stop using them and my boss agreed. They were a trendy marketing thing that was popular for a while because it made you seem tech-savvy to your middle aged boss who doesn't understand digital marketing, and somehow it still hasn't completely died off.

It kind of works for Snapchat because they invented their own system in the iconic shape of their app icon and the ability to scan is built into the app itself. This is yet another example of Twitter throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks because nobody wants to buy them. At least they could have made them more unique to their own the brand rather than just sticking a tiny avatar in the center and a small bird in one corner.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tennisproha Avatar
110 months ago
By using them in the Wallet app - as my post said. :) Open Wallet and then tap the "+" for adding a new pass. You'll then be able to use Apple's QR reader to add a pass into your Wallet. Works very well, and because this tends to be a one-time thing [unlike ApplePay competitors who use QR codes which is a complete waste of time], it is a very fast way to get a pass into your wallet app.

Using QR codes for transactions [eg: what ApplePay competitors tend to do] is foolish and wasteful; but using QR codes to save typing out a long string of characters that auto correct could "fix" and slow down the process even further, is a good thing. No fear of typos, and it is a lot faster than typing a URL out [not everyone has short domain names nor wants to create a short URL from another company to print on their signs/biz cards/marketing material] or typing a long string of numbers and letters for adding a Wallet Pass.
I didn't know you could do that. Thanks for explaining. And I agree with your reasoning. It makes sense.

I'm also a big fan of Apple Pay. Works great.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Beyond iPhone 13 Better Triad

Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone May Finally Go All Screen

Tuesday April 15, 2025 6:31 am PDT by
Apple is preparing a "bold" new iPhone Pro model for the iPhone's 20th anniversary in 2027, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As part of what's being described as a "major shake-up," Apple is said to be developing a design that makes more extensive use of glass – and this could point directly to the display itself. Here's the case for Apple releasing a truly all-screen iPhone with no...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday April 15, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is less than two months away, and there are already a handful of new features that are expected with the update. Apple should release the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key...
CarPlay Hero

Apple Releases Wireless CarPlay Fix

Wednesday April 16, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
If you have been experiencing issues with wireless CarPlay in your vehicle lately, it was likely due to a software bug that has now been fixed. Apple released iOS 18.4.1 today, and the update's release notes say it "addresses a rare issue that prevents wireless CarPlay connection in certain vehicles." If wireless CarPlay was acting up for you, updating your iPhone to iOS 18.4.1 should...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

10 Products Still Coming From Apple in 2025

Friday April 11, 2025 4:14 pm PDT by
Apple may have updated several iPads and Macs late last year and early this year, but there are still multiple new devices that we're looking forward to seeing in 2025. Most will come in September or October, but there could be a few surprises before then. We've rounded up a list of everything that we're still waiting to see from Apple in 2025. iPhone 17, 17 Air, and 17 Pro - We get...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.4.1 With Bug Fixes

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:11 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.4.1 and iPadOS 18.4.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There have been complaints about ...
iPhone 6s MacRumors YouTube

Apple Says These Products Are Now Vintage

Tuesday April 15, 2025 9:53 am PDT by
Apple today updated its vintage products list to add the 2018 Mac mini and the iPhone 6s, devices that will get more limited service and repairs now that they are considered vintage. The iPhone 6s initially launched in 2015, but Apple kept it around as a low-cost device until 2018, which is why it is only now being added to the vintage list. The iPhone 6s had Apple's A9 chip, and it was...
tvOS 18 Thumb 1

Apple Releases tvOS 18.4.1

Wednesday April 16, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released tvOS 18.4.1, a minor update to the tvOS 18 operating system that came out last September. tvOS 18.4.1 comes two weeks after Apple released tvOS 18.4, and it is available for the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD models. tvOS 18.4.1 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the new software....