SMS QR Code Generator (Free)

1. 1

   Enter the phone number

   Type the number that should receive the text, with the country code if people abroad will scan it.

2. 2

   Write the message (optional)

   Pre-fill the text, such as a keyword like JOIN or a booking request.

3. 3

   Check the preview

   Open “What’s inside this code” to see the number and message it holds.

4. 4

   Download it

   Download a PNG or an SVG.

5. 5

   Test it

   Scan the code and check the messaging app opens with the right number and text. You don’t need to send it.

An SMS QR code holds the phone number and the message in the SMSTO format, which iPhone and Android camera apps recognise.

SMSTO:+15550100142:JOIN

SMSTO:

marks it as a text message

+15550100142

the number, as digits with the country code

JOIN

the message, after the second colon

The person sees the message before it’s sent and can change or cancel it. Their carrier’s normal text message charges apply.

For SMS QR codes

• Print the keyword and what it does next to the code (“Text JOIN for offers”), so people know what they’re signing up for.
• Use a number that can receive texts. Many landlines can’t.
• If you use texts for marketing, follow the consent and opt-out rules where you are.

For any printed QR code

• Size: print the code at least 2 cm (0.8 in) wide for something held in the hand. For signs and posters, make it about a tenth of the scanning distance: roughly 10 cm (4 in) wide to scan from 1 m (3 ft).
• Contrast: use a dark code on a light background. Light-on-dark codes and pale brand colors fail on some phones.
• Quiet zone: keep a blank border of at least 4 modules (the code’s small squares) around it. Don’t crop it or put text and graphics right up against the code.
• File type: use the SVG for print, since it stays sharp at any size. The 2048 px PNG is enough for print up to about 17 cm (6.8 in) wide at 300 dpi.
• Surface: avoid glare from glossy laminate, tight curves (bottles, cups) and folds that cut through the code.
• Test: scan a printed proof with an iPhone and an Android phone, at the real distance and in the real lighting, before you print in bulk.

SMS codes are static in CirculateQR too: the phone opens the message straight from the code, so the number and message can’t be changed after printing, and scans aren’t counted.

If you need to change the details later or count scans, use a dynamic code that opens a hosted page, such as a contact form or a link page with a Text us button.

The code you make on this page is static: free, permanent and private, but fixed once printed. Static and dynamic codes compared.