Do QR codes expire?
Recently, we sent a QR code to a client. She asked if it was safe to use on things like bookmarks because she’d heard that free QR codes expire after a month.
Is this true? Do free QR codes expire? What about paid ones? The technical answer is that no, QR codes do not expire, but in practice, the answer is a little more nuanced.
What is a QR code?
In case anyone reading this is wondering what we’re talking about, let’s start with an explanation of what a QR code is. At its simplest, a QR code is a pattern of black and white squares that can be read by a smartphone camera.
They are often used to link to websites, but they can store any type of text. They are also used for applications such as two-factor authentication codes, tickets, or connecting to Wi-Fi networks.
Just as a barcode is a representation of a number, a QR code is a representation of a piece of text. How the text is encoded into squares and decoded back into text is defined by an open standard, so a QR code created now will still be readable years from now.
A QR code bus ticket. When boarding the bus, the QR code is read by a special machine that confirms the ticket is valid.
So they don’t expire?
Technically, no. It will always be possible to decode the pattern of squares into the text that was used to create the pattern. If that text is a link to a web page, your smartphone will offer to open the web page in your browser.
But sometimes that link will stop working, which is where the confusion about QR codes expiring comes from. When you create a QR code of a link, the service that you use might offer extra features, such as tracking how many people are using the QR code.
They do that by having the link go to their website first, where they can collect data, then the browser is redirected to your website. That redirection can be switched off at any time.
Our QR code creator does not do that — it simply creates a QR code that represents the text you enter.
Let’s use an example to illustrate the point. Let’s say you want to create a QR code to take people to your book at https://www.example.com/book
If you create a QR code with our creator tool, and scan it with your smartphone, you will see that it shows the text “https://www.example.com/book”.
How QR codes can expire
However, some QR code creators offer analytics or other extra services. They need the user to go through their site before being redirected to the destination you set so that they can collect data about how the QR code is being used. If you scan the QR code from such a service, you might see that it shows text like “https://free-qr-with-analytics.com/abc123”.
An example of a QR code without redirection.
Going to that link will take you to https://www.example.com/book, but it goes to the free-qr-with-analytics.com site first. Because it’s reliant on that other site, the owners of that site can deactivate the redirection at any time. They might simply turn it off, or they might require a fee to keep it working.
An example of a QR code with redirection.
Conclusion
We’d recommend using QR codes that do not rely on a third-party site because that site can deactivate them at any time. Codes made with our QR code creator can’t be deactivated, so that’s a good choice.
If you want to see what a different creator does, scan the code with your phone. If it shows the text you entered, you’re fine. But if it shows some other text, then you’re reliant on the site staying online and not removing your redirection.
You might decide that it’s worth paying for a service that provides analytic or other information. Just bear in mind that the physical codes may exist for many years, and that they may stop working if you stop paying or the site goes offline.
In either case, it may be a good idea to include a written web address as well as the QR code. This is particularly relevant if your readers are from a demographic that is less likely to use a smartphone.
#marketing #qrCodes
