QR codes are showing up everywhere, here’s how to read them

Whether you are planning a trip to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal or even out to dinner, the one thing you will start seeing now more as various states reopen in this COVID-19 world are QR codes.

As part of the CDC’s guidelines for reopening the economy, contactless interactions are recommended for use when possible. The use of the QR codes – Quick Response codes – are becoming more commonplace for restaurant menus, tickets and additional information.

QR codes were first created in 1994 as the popularity of bar codes increased. They contain more data than a bar code that points to a website or application.  The QR code consists of black squares arranged in a square grid on a white background.

Restaurants have been using the QR code to allow people to scan it using the camera;s on their phones which will up a ebiste or a PDF of the menu. This stops the need for physical menus.

Disney has been using QR codes asking guests to scan them to help fill out surveys. Universal Studios has been using them at the entrance of virtual queues to help people get to the website for people to sign up for virtual lines. In addition, the return tickets for virtual lines have contained QR codes to be scanned by Universal team members.

How to read QR codes

For those who are not used to using QR codes, Apple and Android phones have made it simple.

Apple has a built-in QR code reader in the camera. All you need to do is open the camera app, point the camera so the QR code is visible and hold it steady for a few seconds. The camera will then issue a prompt to click to a website.

Android phones are similar. Open the camera app, point the camera for a few second and you should get a prompt to click to a website. If nothing happens, you can go to Settings and enable QR Code scanning.