How to Download and Use a QR Code Reader

Never downloaded an App before? Great time to start. First, while many apps are free, some will charge a fee. The ones we are suggesting here are free.

First: Find where to get your apps on your smartphone.
Look at the icons on your phone. Look for an icon (little graphic) that seems to say something about buying apps.

• On iPhones, you will see an icon that says: App Store
• On Androids you will see an icon that says: Market
• On Blackberries look for Blackberry App World (if an older version you may have to download that)

Second: Download the App

1. Press the  app icon (in Androids press Market, iPhone press App Store)
2. Press the Search button (on my phone it looks like a magnifying glass with nothing in the circle)
3. Type in QR code reader
4. Press the Search button again
5. Usually whatever comes up first is the most popular and free. Make sure it is free.  You can choose which one you want but when in doubt, go for the first one. For Android, QR Droid comes up first (usually). For iPhone, QR Code Reader for iPhone comes up.
6. Press ‘Install Free’
7. Text that says ‘Accept Permissions’ appears. Click on it
8. It should start downloading

Third:  Use the App

1. Go to the Apps icon (this comes installed on your phone)
2. Click on QR Droid (or whichever one you selected) or QR Code Reader
3. With an iPhone, you are ready to just hover over it with your camera
4. If you have an Android, two sections appear – Generate and Decode. Under Decode, click on ‘from camera’
5. It goes to your camera. Hold it over the image until the image fits squarely into the brackets
6. Once the image is in the right part of the phone screen, it pulls up the URL in another screen – that is the landing page which the QR code is sending you to
7. Hit the ‘Open’ button to go there

Now close this page and go back to the Mojo Tech Tip on QR Codes.