qr codes

March 30th 2026

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

Data storage? Yes! A replacement for printed menus? No!

Tech News Tom Hawking Mar 30

February 20th 2026

New Research Suggests You Actually Want QR Code Menus Replaced by… Augmented Reality?

Could a 3D burger spinning on your phone screen save the restaurant industry?

Commerce Justin Caffier Feb 20

January 14th 2026

Border Patrol agents are confronted by activists after making an apprehension on January 11, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Dem Congressman Wants to Make ICE Agents Wear QR Codes

There's this analog device called a badge that has worked wonders for generations, maybe consider that too?

Tech Policy Matt Novak Jan 14

January 26th 2025

Scientists Strapped QR Codes Onto Thousands of Bees to Learn How Far They Actually Fly

Researchers put a sensor at the entrance of beehives to register each time the pollinators entered or exited, and how long they were gone.

Biology Margherita Bassi Jan 26

September 4th 2024

A credit card terminal and coin deposit slot on a parking meter on August 28, 2024 in Redondo Beach, California.

Stop Scanning Random QR Codes

Are you paying PayByPhone or PoyByPhone?

Crime Matt Novak Sep 4

March 26th 2018

A Bug in the iOS Camera App’s QR Code Reader Could Send iPhone Users to Malicious Websites

A vulnerability in the way iOS’ camera app handles QR codes could potentially result in users being unknowingly redirected to malicious destinations. Per 9to5Mac, security researcher Roman Mueller of Infosec recently discovered that a flaw in the camera app’s automatic QR code scanning function could result in it displaying a link and then sending users…

Tech News Tom McKay Mar 26

August 5th 2016

Hacker Builds a QR Code Generator That Lets Him Into Fancy Airport Lounges

Nowhere is the distinction between the haves and have-nots more apparent than when waiting for a flight at the airport. But it turns out you might not need an actual first class ticket to get into a swanky airport lounge—just a custom Android app that spits out a boarding pass-spoofing QR code. Przemek Jaroszewski is…

Privacy & Security Andrew Liszewski Aug 5

April 12th 2016

The New Windows Blue Screen of Death Has… a QR Code?

Welcome to the future. A future where the Windows Blue Screen of Death now features a QR code as well as a sad face. The Register reports that the latest developer build of Windows 10—that’s build 14316, if you’re counting—now features a URL that you can follow, using your phone, to help you get to…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 12

June 19th 2015

A QR Code on Heinz Ketchup Linked Straight to German Porn

When Daniel Korell scanned a QR code on a bottle of Heinz Ketchup, he got more than he bargained for. Rather than bring up the competition page he was expecting to see, it instead linked to a German porn site called Fundorado. Oops. According to The Local, the reason it happened isn’t because of hijinks…

Tech News James O Malley - Gizmodo UK Jun 19

November 17th 2014

This Clever Design Could Replace Ugly QR Codes With Light

QR codes are certainly practical, but they’re also dumb and stupid and ugly and instantly ruin almost anything they’re placed on. That’s why this tech that uses simple light as a replacement for QR codes is so awesome. The idea comes from Fujistu, and it’s pretty darn simple: replace QR codes with a LED lightbulb.…

Tech News Chris Mills Nov 17

October 30th 2014

Watch This Haunted Poster Come To Life and Scare the Hell Out of People

Giant poster ads are bad enough. But they’re even worse when they suddenly come to life and attack you. As far as terrifying pranks go, this one is pretty high up there. And it just keeps getting better. Created by Gröna Lund, a theme park in Stockholm, Sweden, the poster entices people passing by to…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Oct 30

September 22nd 2014

Share Your Home Wi-Fi Easily Using an NFC Tag or QR Code

Get your best buddies around for a movie marathon and before you can hit “play” they’re all going to want access to your Wi-Fi. This is the age of the second screen experience after all. You could simply tell them your network’s name and password, but here are a couple of alternatives that might be…

Gadgets David Nield Sep 22

December 3rd 2013

Here’s how to decorate the house of the future, right now

Today we asked you totell us what was the most futuristic thing about yourself, and you responded by telling us about your jobs, your personal tech, and with an idea about just how to decorate the house of the future, right now, from commenter eideticex: Well my current endeavor with augmented reality using QR codes…

io9 Ria Misra Dec 3

February 23rd 2013

Tattoo shop comes up with a legitimately clever use for QR codes

QR codes are one of those technologies where the execution just hasn’t lived up to the concept. But every now and then, someone comes up with a cool application of those little black squares. Berrge Tattoo in Istanbul uses this newspaper ad to make sure their tattoo artist applicants at least have the fine motor…

io9 Lauren Davis Feb 23

December 18th 2012

How QR Codes Work and Why They Suck So Hard

QR codes are a technology that desperately wants our attention. They appear everywhere from supermarket shelves and magazines to hiking trails and tombstones. Never heard of a QR code? You’re looking at one right now. Scan the image at the top of this article, and it’ll open a link to the mobile version…of this article.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Dec 18

November 14th 2012

Definitive Proof That Robots and QR Codes Are Not the Future of Bartending

It’s generally assumed that robots will eventually take over all jobs currently staffed by humans. But tending bar could be one of the hold outs, if this Social Drink Machine is any indication. It lets patrons place orders through a combination of social media, mobile apps, and QR codes, but in this case the whole…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Nov 14

October 31st 2012

At Least This QR Code Clock Appreciates How Useless It Is

For all intents and purposes QR codes are a dead technology only being kept alive by marketing machine life support. For some reason advertising types think it’s easier for consumers to snap a photo of a pixelated square than remember a URL, but as Michael Ciuffo points out with his obfuscated QR code clock, it’s…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Oct 31

October 13th 2012

Acoustic Barcodes Are Probably Super Popular In Some Alternate Universe

With technology like NFC on the rise, you might think the humble barcode might not be long for this world. As it turns out, that old medium has at least one more trick up its sleeve. Going tactile and operating with sound just might be what it takes to make barcodes cool (again?). The premise…

Tech News Eric Limer Oct 13

October 3rd 2012

Whoa, An Actually Useful Way to Use QR Codes (Or: A Lazy Parent’s List of the 20 Most Popular Christmas Toys)

So Target has done the impossible. It’s used QR codes in a way that is so useful that it actually outweighs how goofy, unwieldy, and ineffectual they are. It does this by, essentially, by simplifying something even worse: Holiday shopping at Target. The idea is that the 20 most popular toys for kids will all…

Tech News Kyle Wagner Oct 3

September 11th 2012

World’s Largest QR Code Is Stupidly Pointless

This is officially the world’s largest QR code. Carved into a field of maize in Alberta, Canada, it measures 309,570 Square feet and links to the Kraay Family Farm website. It is also dumber than every other stupid QR code that exists. https://gizmodo.com/wtf-qr-codes-the-definitive-compendium-of-a-sad-and-ho-5890314 Photographs of it—all invariably taken at an angle unless the photographer happens…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Sep 11

qr codes

A QR Code Too Small to See Hints at a New, Non-Annoying Use for the Format

New Research Suggests You Actually Want QR Code Menus Replaced by… Augmented Reality?

Dem Congressman Wants to Make ICE Agents Wear QR Codes

Scientists Strapped QR Codes Onto Thousands of Bees to Learn How Far They Actually Fly

Stop Scanning Random QR Codes

A Bug in the iOS Camera App’s QR Code Reader Could Send iPhone Users to Malicious Websites

Hacker Builds a QR Code Generator That Lets Him Into Fancy Airport Lounges

The New Windows Blue Screen of Death Has… a QR Code?

A QR Code on Heinz Ketchup Linked Straight to German Porn

This Clever Design Could Replace Ugly QR Codes With Light

Watch This Haunted Poster Come To Life and Scare the Hell Out of People

Share Your Home Wi-Fi Easily Using an NFC Tag or QR Code

Here’s how to decorate the house of the future, right now

Tattoo shop comes up with a legitimately clever use for QR codes

How QR Codes Work and Why They Suck So Hard

Definitive Proof That Robots and QR Codes Are Not the Future of Bartending

At Least This QR Code Clock Appreciates How Useless It Is

Acoustic Barcodes Are Probably Super Popular In Some Alternate Universe

Whoa, An Actually Useful Way to Use QR Codes (Or: A Lazy Parent’s List of the 20 Most Popular Christmas Toys)

World’s Largest QR Code Is Stupidly Pointless

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