Kardo / Guides

How to save a contact from a QR code (iPhone and Android)

Someone hands you a QR code at an event or on a card. You want their details in your phone, not a screenshot you will lose. Here is how it works on iPhone and Android, and what to check when it does not.

What the QR code actually does

A contact QR code does not hold the whole contact. Most hold a link to a page, and that page offers the contact as a file. Scanning opens the page, and one more tap on the page saves the person to your Contacts. Because the QR holds a link, the details you get are whatever the person has on their card today, even if the QR was printed months ago.

On iPhone

1. Open the Camera app and point it at the QR code. Wait for the banner at the top of the screen.
2. Tap the banner. The card opens in Safari.
3. Tap Save to Contacts. iPhone shows a contact sheet with the name, photo and every field.
4. Tap Add Contact. They are now in your Contacts app.

On Android

1. Open the Camera app, or Google Lens, and point it at the QR code. Tap the link that appears.
2. The card opens in your browser. Tap Save to Contacts.
3. Android downloads a small contact file (ending in .vcf). Open it from the notification or your downloads, and choose Contacts to import it.
4. Check the details and tap Save.

The exact wording differs between phone makers and Android versions, but the steps are the same: scan, open the link, save, confirm.

If it downloads a file instead of opening Contacts

This is the most common snag. It usually happens when the link opens inside another app, such as WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook, which use their own built-in browser. Those browsers often download the file and never hand it to Contacts.

• Open it in your real browser. Use the menu in the corner of the built-in browser and choose Open in Safari or Open in Chrome, then tap Save to Contacts again.
• Scan with the Camera app, not from inside a chat app, so the link opens in Safari or Chrome straight away.
• Open the downloaded file. On iPhone, find it in Files and tap it. On Android, open it from Downloads.

If nothing happens when you scan

• Move closer and hold steady. Glare and a curved surface make a QR harder to read.
• Make sure the whole square is in view, including the blank border around it.
• Ask for the link instead. A card link works the same as its QR code.

Sharing your own card the same way

If you want people to save you this easily, Kardo gives each person on your team a card at its own link and QR code. One tap saves it to a phone's Contacts with your photo and every field, and the card stays up to date after that. Running an event? See our guide to digital business cards for events.

Not every phone and browser combination behaves the same way, so if you find a case that does not work, write to [email protected].