Optiscan is the fastest iPhone QR code scanner and generator available on the App Store. It can be used to share contacts, web addresses and text with other devices.

Optiscan 1.5

After a six month hiatus, Optiscan returned to the App Store in November 2009. There are a few issues with version 1.5. If you’re having a problem, please update to the current version, which is 1.7 as of 8th Feb 2010 and will shortly be 1.8.0.

QR Codes

• What is a QR code? A QR code is a square matrix code designed by the Japanese corporation Denso-Wave in 1994. The “QR” comes from “Quick Response” as these codes were designed to be decoded rapidly. QR codes are easy to recognise as they always have a bordered square in three of the four corners.
• Where can I generate a QR code? You can use Optiscan to generate barcodes, but if you want to practice decoding QR codes on your iPhone, then you can also generate QR codes at http://zxing.appspot.com/generator/. Note that the calendar option is not supported.
• Who uses QR codes? QR codes are still new in the UK but are rapidly becoming more popular. Harrods used QR codes in their April 2008 advertising campaign designed to appeal to a more tech-savvy market. The Pet Shop boys used QR codes in their video for “Integral”. The film 28 weeks later had a large QR code billboard in London advertising the film and many Android and Nokia phones now include a QR Code scanner.

How do I use Optiscan to scan a QR code?

1. In the scan tab, touch the screen to start scanning.
2. Centre the QR code in the red box that is superimposed on the viewfinder.
3. Hold the phone still while the QR code is decoded, without pressing the camera button. If the QR code is very dense you may need to hold it still for a bit longer.
4. The phone will automatically click and show results as soon as it finds the QR code.

How do I create a QR code using Optiscan?

You can create a QR code using the share tab. The following types of data are supported.

• Contact. Select the Contact icon on the share tab, and choose a contact name from the contacts list. After you have selected the contact, you can select which information you want to include in the QR code (for example you may not want to send home phone numbers). Press the OK button, and you will see the QR code.
• URL. Select the  URL icon on the share tab, and then type in the URL. After you have finished press the “Done” key on the keyboard and the QR code will be shown. There is no need to type in “http://” in front of the URL.
• Note. Select the note icon on the share tab. Enter the text that you wish to use and press the OK button on the top right of the screen.

Tips for Using Optiscan

1. Try moving the camera slightly further away from the code — the iPhone camera doesn’t focus well at close range.
2. Hold the camera still — motion blur can affect decoding.
3. Try a bigger QR code. QR codes that are printed or displayed very small can be hard to decode with the iPhone camera.
4. Avoid reflections on the QR code. The iPhone screen is highly reflective, and in bright light reflections can affect the decoder.
5. If you press the camera button to take a photo while in scanning mode, and use the resulting photo, Optiscan will look more carefully for a QR code. This might help with codes that have been printed very small on newsprint.
6. Try practicing on the QR codes in this article!

More Questions

• How do I share a barcode I’ve previously shared or scanned? If you select an item in the History or Saved tab, you see a menu option called “Show Barcode”. Selecting this will display the QR code.
• How do I decode the QR code I found on an aluminium can? Try holding the phone very still for a few seconds, and make sure that you are in an area of good light with no reflections on the can. Move the camera slightly further away from the barcode than usual, since the curvature of the can would otherwise prevent decoding.
• What is the purpose of the encoding option? The QR code standard doesn’t specify an encoding, so Optiscan tries to find the best one from the decoded information. If it doesn’t look correct, then try the “Change Encoding” option at the bottom of the decoded information. If this still doesn’t work, then please report the issue.
• How can I scan a QR code with an iPod Touch? Although the iPod Touch doesn’t have a camera, it can still be used to decode QR codes. Use Safari to find a QR code on the web. Keep your finger pressed on this QR code and save it to the iPhone Gallery. When you start Optiscan, select the scan tab and tap to start scanning. Choose the saved QR code from the Gallery and the QR code will be decoded.
• When will you support calendar entries? There is no iPhone API for this, so until Apple provide support for it, this is out of our control.
• What about Kaywa codes? Kaywa encodes a numeric sequence in a QR code, with no indication that the number should be handled by Kaywa’s proprietary server. We are unable to support them at this time, because there is no way to tell that Kaywa produced the number.
• Why don’t QR codes from iBeam work? The QR codes created by iBeam use a proprietary format to transmit contact details. We do not support this format at  this time. However, Optiscan can still scan iBeam codes as text, which you can email yourself for later manual addition to your contacts. If you would like us to add iBeam format support, send us feedback at optiscan-feedback@airsource.co.uk.
• Why do you only support QR codes? What about Data Matrix, Aztec, EZCode, and others? If there is sufficient demand for other formats, we will be happy to add support. There are over 40 possible formats we could support, many of them proprietary and therefore needing licences. Optiscan supports QR codes because that is the most widely used format.
• Why doesn’t this QR code work? It’s a clear picture, and should decode. If a QR code is too small or too dense it may not be possible to decode it with the iPhone camera. See the “Tips for using Optiscan” section above for some hints that might help. If the hints don’t help you, then why not take a picture of the QR code with the iPhone camera and send it to us at optiscan-feedback@airsource.co.uk so we can have a look. If you know what software was used to generate the QR code, please also let us know.
• How do I report problems? The best way to report problems is to use the “Report issue” menu item after you have decoded your QR code. If you press the “info” button on the scan page, you will also see a “send feedback” button. Alternatively you can send us an email at optiscan-feedback@airsource.co.uk or leave a comment for us on the blog.
• Will you update Optiscan? Absolutely! We are currently working on 1.1, which will incorporate several requested features. We will continue to support and upgrade all our products.
• How can I buy Optiscan? Optiscan is available on the App Store right now.