Instagram launches QR codes worldwide, allowing people to access a profile from any camera app


Instagram brings QR codes to the app. Users can now generate QR cores that can be scanned from any third-party support camera apps. It launched the product for the first time in Japan last year. The idea is that companies can print their QR code and customers have to scan it to easily open their Instagram account. From there, people can view store hours, buy items, or just follow the account.

To generate your QR code, go to the settings menu on your profile and tap on QR code. You might still see Nametag there, but eventually it will become QR code. You can then save or share the image. Instagram previously deployed a similar system called Nametags, which were internal QR-like codes that could only be violated by the Instagram camera. The function is now completely deprecated.

Several other apps use their own QR-like system, including Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and Spotify. (Only Twitter supports real QR codes.) But with the pandemic, it’s not surprising to see Instagram embrace the more open QR system. Restaurants have started dropping QR codes instead of their physical menus, and other companies are asking people to scan a QR code to load their website. While Nametags may have worked for this purpose, QR codes make it easier for people to scan and make them less dependent on taking out the Instagram camera to access information.