Check where a QR code goes before you open it
Scanning a QR code is safe; opening the link is where scams happen. QR Code Scan Kit shows the full web address before anything opens and warns you about the common tricks: look-alike letters, hidden redirects, the @ trick, bare IP addresses and links that download an app file. The check runs on your phone.
Coming sooniPhone · iPad · iPhone Duo
- 01
Scan the code
Point the camera at it, or pick a screenshot with Photos. Nothing opens on its own.
- 02
Read the address
The card shows the whole address, the site name in large type and a "not secure" label for plain http links.
- 03
Read the warnings
If something looks wrong, a coloured banner says what, in plain words, for example "This downloads a file to install".
- 04
Decide
Open the link, copy it or close the card. A link with a danger warning needs a second tap to open.
A real example
A sticker on a parking meter says "Scan to pay". The card shows the address is not the city's site but a look-alike, so you pay at the machine instead.
What it warns about
Look-alike letters in a site name, links that hide where they go, the @ trick, bare IP addresses, plain http and installer files such as .apk.
On your phone
The check doesn't send the link anywhere. Link previews load the site like any visit, and you can turn previews off in Settings; links marked dangerous are never loaded.
Never "safe"
No checker can promise a link is safe, so the app never says it. If a code asks you to log in or pay when you didn't expect it, don't.
- A new scam page on a normal-looking address can pass every check. Look at who put the code there.
- It checks the link in the code, not the website's content after you open it.
Are QR codes safe to scan?
Scanning is safe. The risk is the link: fake stickers (quishing) send people to look-alike payment or login pages. See the full address first and be wary of codes that rush you to pay.
Which QR code scanner is safe?
One that shows the full address before opening, doesn't track you and has no ad networks. On the App Store, check the App Privacy label for "Data Used to Track You"; QR Code Scan Kit has none.
Is my QR code safe?
If you made it yourself with a static generator, it holds only what you typed. For a code you found, scan it with a checker first; our free link checker works in the browser too.
