QR Codes Encode More Than URLs: A Developer's Guide to QR Data Types

Most people think QR codes are just fancy links. Point your camera, open a webpage. But the QR specification supports multiple data types, and the interesting applications go well beyond URLs. What a QR code actually stores A QR code stores a string of characters. That's it. The magic is in how the scanning application interprets that string. Different prefixes trigger different behaviors: URL : https://example.com - opens the browser Wi-Fi : WIFI:T:WPA;S:NetworkName;P:password123;; - connects to a network Phone : tel:+15551234567 - initiates a call SMS : smsto:+15551234567:Your message here - opens a text message Email : mailto:user@example.com?subject=Hello&body=Content - opens email vCard : Multi-line contact card format - adds a contact Calendar event : BEGIN:VEVENT...END:VEVENT - adds a calendar entry Geo location : geo:40.7128,-74.0060 - opens maps The scanning app recognizes these URI schemes and routes to the appropriate handler. This is why scanning a QR code can open your Wi-