A contact QR code works offline, needs no app, and never expires. Here is how they work and how to make one properly.
Paper card versus contact QR codeWhat actually happens to a paper business card, and what happens when the details go straight into the phone instead.
A vCard QR code holds your contact details directly inside the code itself. Point a phone camera at it and the phone offers to save you as a contact – no app, no website, no internet connection.
It is the same file format your phone already uses when you share a contact by message. The QR code is just a way of printing that file where a camera can read it.
What goes inside
A vCard is plain text with one field per line. A typical one looks like this:
Field
Holds
FN / N
Full name, and the split first/last name
ORG
Company or organisation
TITLE
Job title
TEL
Phone numbers, tagged as mobile, work or home
EMAIL
Email address
URL
Website, and a separate labelled entry for LinkedIn
Keep it to what someone actually needs. Every extra field makes the code denser, and a dense code is harder to scan from across a table.
Plenty of “digital business card” services give you a QR code that points at a hosted profile page. That is a worse product for three reasons:
It needs internet. Basements, lifts, conference halls with saturated wifi, and overseas travel without roaming are exactly where you hand out contact details.
It expires. If the service shuts down or you stop paying, every card you ever printed becomes a dead link.
It tracks the scan. Whoever scans your code ends up on somebody's server logs, which is a strange thing to inflict on a new acquaintance.
A vCard QR code has none of these problems, because the data is in the code. The trade-off is that you cannot change it after printing – if your number changes, you print a new one.
Where to use it
Email signature – people scan it off your message with their own phone.
Printed business cards – keeps the card readable while removing the retyping.
Name badge or lanyard at conferences and trade shows.
Van, ute or shopfront window – for tradespeople this beats a phone number nobody writes down.
Your phone's lock screen – so you can share your details without handing over your unlocked phone.
One catch worth knowing: a phone cannot scan a QR code that is displayed on its own screen. If you are showing the code to someone, they scan it with their phone. A code on your lock screen is for other people, not for you.
Getting a code that actually scans
Print it at least 2 cm across, and larger if it will be read from more than arm's length. A rough rule is that scanning distance is about ten times the width of the code.
Keep the white border. The quiet zone around the edge is part of the specification – crop it off and readers fail.
Dark code on a light background. Inverted codes work on some scanners and not others.
Do not stretch it. QR codes must stay square.
Test it before you print a thousand. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android, and check the details that come up are right.
Frequently asked questions
Do people need an app to scan it?
No. The built-in camera on any current iPhone or Android reads QR codes automatically. Point and a banner appears.
Does it work without internet?
Yes, entirely. That is the main advantage over a QR code that points at a web page.
Can I include a photo?
Technically yes, but do not. An embedded photo makes the code enormous and often unscannable.
How much text can a QR code hold?
Thousands of characters in theory, but practicality bites long before the limit. Keep a contact card under roughly 300 characters and it will scan easily from a phone screen or a business card.
Will it work on an old phone?
Contact QR codes have been supported natively since iOS 11 and Android 8. Older devices may need a free scanner app.