How to use your smartphone as a real barcode scanner

Nowadays, smartphones have become indispensable mobile devices for many activities and functions , in fact, thanks to these devices you can take photos or record videos, carry out searches on the Internet, communicate and share with social networks... Furthermore, the countless functions of a smartphone can be increased if you also consider the possibility of downloading specific apps on the phone. Smartphones can also be useful for commercial activities, because there are specific applications that allow you to use them as barcode scanners to scan and scan barcodes.

The smartphone as a barcode reader

Surely one of the most effective and useful uses to consider for a commercial activity is the reading of the barcode from the screen , and therefore using the smartphone as a barcode reader. Thanks to our cell phones we have the possibility of holding in our hands a real smartphone barcode reader.

What is a barcode and what types are there?

First of all, the barcode is also known as barcode , under this term you can find linear or two-dimensional barcodes. As for the latter, the most commonly found are called QR Code (which stands for Quick Response). All these barcodes, once identified and read by a reader (or a specific device), are able to access certain multimedia content. Specifically, it is a sort of optical translation of alphanumeric or only numeric codes, in a set of graphic elements arranged in specific ways (such as black vertical bars alternating with white spaces), which allow barcode readers and their sensors to be able to identify them.

How to read a barcode with your smartphone

Normally, barcodes are scanned and decoded by a computer, a PC or a terminal equipped with an adequate barcode reader, but we are not talking about how to read the barcode with suitable and appropriate tools, but how to do it through our cell phones. There are numerous apps on the market created specifically for the purpose of reading both linear and two-dimensional barcodes , including QR codes. Many of these allow you to share the multimedia content of the barcode with other devices such as the PC, therefore allowing you to use the smartphone as a barcode reader for the PC.

But what are the most suitable and recommended applications to have a barcode reader on your screen? On the respective Android and iOS stores we could find a vast choice of many apps that allow the reading of barcodes, but most are paid, difficult to understand, infested with annoying advertising or requests for in-app purchases. So for those who prefer something intuitive, simple and free we propose these applications that are listed below.

Apps for Android

For smartphones with Android operating system , we recommend two main applications: ZXing Team's Barcode Scanner and QR & Barcode Scanner.

Barcode Scanner

Surely one of the best applications in this sector in terms of efficiency and simplicity, is “ Barcode Scanner ”. The graphics are intuitive, after installing the application from the Google Play Store, we should place the smartphone horizontally. Then we could go to frame (respecting the space of the red rectangle and positioning the code in the center of the screen, adjusting with the yellow line) the barcode to be scanned.

From here you can choose between the various options that the Barcode Scanner application offers; among these we have the 'Share' option that allows you to share the code with other smartphone applications, such as social networks, email or messaging applications; the 'Product Search' that allows you to access the multimedia content of the barcode, and consequently open the respective link in your browser; and finally this app has the 'History' option, thanks to which all the barcodes scanned by the user are stored and saved, and therefore a sort of easily consultable library is created.

QR & Barcode Scanner

Another solution, perhaps slightly less intuitive, is “ QR & Barcode Scanner ”. In addition to its basic barcode scanning function, it can perform a quick search for the product contained within the barcode, with various price proposals on the web , illustrating the most convenient ones. In addition, the app is also able to perform searches on some shops in the immediate vicinity.

App for iOS

As for devices with iOS operating system (Iphone or Ipad) we have two types of apps suitable even for inexperienced users: - Barcode-x -Iphone QR Reader

Barcode-x

As for this app , we can say that it has a clear and fast operation. Once the application is opened, just click on 'Scan' and have the code located. Once the content of the barcode is opened, you can search for it on the web, and there is the possibility of exporting the created catalog (even of multiple codes at the same time) via email.

QR Code ϟ

Once installed on our device, we will need to frame the code in a horizontal position (with the possibility of also using the flash, if necessary). A new feature , compared to other apps, of this program is the possibility of scanning images already present in our gallery through the ' Scan from Photo' , and the possibility of creating new codes with the 'Generator'.

Other options

However, these applications do not guarantee the same performance as a normal barcode scanner, in fact there is the limitation of the minimum reading range, a scanning speed and a reading capacity that is certainly lower than a scanner. Therefore, you can choose to adopt a smartphone as a barcode reader when you have small codes or in any case not too complex, because despite everything, it is an excellent solution.

However, there is also the option to scan and read a barcode online through certain websites. Among these we can mention Inlite, which allows you to scan many types of barcodes and Qr codes, after having uploaded the image relating to the code, but also Online barcode scanner, with the same function.

In the Usatocomenuovo e-commerce you can find the Scanner Readers category where you can buy refurbished barcode scanners for your business and spare parts for your reader.