How to Get a Wi-Fi QR Code to Work When the Camera Does Nothing
any home router; brand menus described generically · Last checked · Suggest an edit
https://instructions.wiki/wifi/get-a-wifi-qr-code-to-work
The camera is pointed straight at the Wi-Fi code on the router or the printed card, and nothing happens. A Wi-Fi QR code is a short text string starting with WIFI: that holds the network name and password, and the camera only acts on it in a specific mode with scanning turned on. Use the right scanner and the phone offers to join.
On iPhone, scan in Photo mode with scanning on
Open the Camera app and stay in Photo mode; codes are ignored in Video or Portrait. If no yellow banner appears, go to Settings, Apps, Camera and turn on Scan QR Codes, then point at the code again and tap the yellow Join network banner.
Use the Code Scanner if the banner never shows
Open Control Center and tap the Code Scanner (a QR icon). If it is not there, add it under Settings, Control Center. The Code Scanner reads the code and shows a join prompt even when the Camera app stays silent.
On Android, scan from the Wi-Fi settings
Open Settings, Network & internet, Internet and tap the QR icon next to Add network (Pixel). On a Samsung phone, open Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi and tap the scan icon at the top. This scanner reads Wi-Fi codes directly and joins the network without a browser or banner.
Use Google Lens as a fallback
Open Google Lens (from the Google app, the search bar, or the camera on many Android phones), point it at the code, and tap Join network when it appears. Lens decodes Wi-Fi codes on both Android and iPhone.
Scan a code from a photo
If the code is in a screenshot or picture, open it in Photos. On iPhone, touch and hold the code in the image and choose the join option. On Android, tap the Lens button in Google Photos or share the photo to Lens, and it decodes the code.
If the scan reads but the join fails. Codes for hidden networks or 5 GHz-only networks do not work on every phone. Add the network by hand using the name and password from the code, which is all the scanner would have done.
If the code came from another phone. A code shared from a phone with Private Wi-Fi Address turned on works like any other. The password is what matters, not the device that generated it.