First of all we should say that there are tons of apps out there that claim to do this, and a lot of them are very good. For the purpose of this tutorial we have chosen two popular apps that we are familiar with and we are installing both on an Android phone. You’ll be able to find similar free apps for iPhone in the App Store.

How to scan QR Codes with an Android smartphone

Download QR Code Reader from Google PlayLaunch QR Code ReaderAllow the app permission to take pictures and record videoPoint the phone’s camera at the QR code so it sits inside the square shown onscreenThe app will read the QR code and offer up a link to the related website

How to scan barcodes with an Android smartphone

Download Barcode Scanner from Google PlayLaunch Barcode ScannerPosition your phone camera so the green line shown on screen runs horizontal across a product barcodeSelect either Product search or Web search depending on what information you want to discover