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Create QR Codes for Students Easily and Securely

Creating QR codes for use in class is easy to do on any Apple Device. Better still, these QR codes do not have embedded trackers in them. 

Tapping save to photo album to finish creating the QR Code Generator shortcut

QR codes are a great way to give learners a link and ensure that they go to the correct location. It’s too easy for a learner to mistype the address and go someplace that you wish they didn’t. There are a lot of QR code generators online and in the App Store. For the longest time, this was the only option. The downside was that these links were tracked by other parties and that opened a whole new set of issues for students.

There is another option that is built into your iPad, iPhone, and Mac. It only takes a second to set it up and create QR codes quickly and securely. You’ll find it in the Shortcuts app. This set of instructions are built on the iPad, but the steps are the same on the Mac and iPhone.

I have broken the process into three parts: Creating the Shortcut, Using the Shortcut, and Saving the QR Code.

Here’s how to do it:

Part 1: Create the Shortcut

TLDR:

  1. Tap the Plus (+) icon.
  2. Search "QR" and select "Generate QR Code"
  3. Change "Text" to "Clipboard"
  4. Select "Save to Photo Album"
  5. Change the name

Video Demonstration: 

Detailed Description:

Start a new shortcut: Open the Shortcuts app. Tap the Plus (+) button in the top right corner of the screen to start a new shortcut.   

The shortcuts app open. An arrow points to the + to start a new shortcut. The arrow says "Tap the +"
Select "Generate QR Code": Type the letters qr into the search bar on the right side of the screen. Tap on the "Generate QR Code" item that shows up in the results. You will see a new action show up in the main part of the screen that says "Generate QR code from Text" 
The create new shortcut screen. An arrow points to the search bar. The arrow says "Search QR"
  
the create new shortcut screen with the search results for QR. An arrow points to Generate QR Code.
 
The create new shortcut screen with one action. The action says "Generate QR code from Text"
Select the Clipboard: Tap the word "Text" in the action. This word is a different color from the rest of the statement. At the bottom of the screen, a list of new options will be presented. Tap on Clipboard. 
An arrow pointing to the word text in the action on the create new shortcut screen.
 
An arrow pointing to "Clipboard" in the variable selection menu at the bottom of the screen.
Select Save to Photo Album: In the menu on the right, under "Next Action Suggestions", you will see "Save to Photo Album". (NOTE: If you don't see this button, search "photo"). Tap this button to add it to the action steps. The step should say "Save QR Code to Recents" 
An arrow pointing to the "Save to Photo Album" button in the menu under the Next Action Suggestion section.
 
The create new shortcut screen shows two actions. Save QR Code to Recents is the second action.
Change the shortcut name: Tap the name of the shortcut in the top right corner. The name is beside the button "< Shortcuts". Tap "Rename" in the menu. Change the name such as "Create QR Code" 
An arrow points to the name of the shortcut in the top left corner.
 
A menu open under the shortcut name. A textbox is to the right of the menu and says "Rename the shortcut"

That’s it. The new Shortcut is saved to your Shortcuts library. The QR code that is generated is saved to your Photos library.

Part 2: Use the Shortcut

TLDR:

  1. Copy the website address.
  2. Tap on the Create QR Code shortcut
  3. Open the QR code image in Photos

Video Demonstration:

Detailed Description:

Select the website address: Open the website you want to create a QR code for. Tap the link to select the link. 

The Wikipedia article for the American Bison open in Safari. An arrow points to the web address bar.

Copy the link: Tap on the selected address again to bring up the menu. Tap on Copy. 

An arrow pointing to the selected address in the URL bar. The arrow says "Tap again for menu."
 

Tap the shortcut to run it: Open the Shortcuts app. The newly created shortcut will the in the top left corner. Tap the shortcut to run it. Wait for the checkmark to signal that the shortcut has finished running. 

The shortcuts app open to the All Shortcuts page. The Create QR Code shortcut is in the top left corner and is outlined. An a

Open the QR code image: Open the Photos app. The newly created QR code is the last image in your library. It will be in the bottom right corner. Tap the image to open it. 

The Photos app is open. The last photo is a QR code. An arrow points to the image and says "Here is your QR Code."

You can use this image just like any other image in your photos library.

Part 3: Save the QR Code

TLDR:

  1. Name the QR code image.
  2. Share the image to a new album.

Video Demonstration:

 

Detailed Description:

Open the Information Panel: Open the QR code image you created in photos. Tap the information button in the top right corner. It is an i inside of a circle. 

A QR code open in photos. An arrow points to the information button.
Name the code image: Give the QR code file a name by using the "Add a Caption" field in the information panel. Tap done when finished. 
The information panel for the image open. An arrow points to the Add a Caption field.
Share to a new album: Tap the Share button in the top left corner. 
An arrow pointing to the share button.
 
The share menu is open. An arrow points to the Add to Album button.
Name the album: Give the new album a name. You can then save all of your QR codes here to find them quickly. 
The album menu is open with a field for naming the new album.

You can also search the photo library for the QR code at any time by using the name you gave it.

Have fun. 

Additional Information:

If you are interested in adding this shortcut to the Services menu on the Mac, check out this post on How to Add a Shortcut to the Services Menu.

You can also access shortcuts from the Menu Bar. Learn how in this post on How to Add a Shortcut to the Menu Bar.

How To Use a Widget for Classroom Shortcuts


Coding Apps iPad iPhone Mac
15 replies

August 17, 2023

Done! Thanks so much Mike for the easy to follow instructions.

August 20, 2023

Love this Shortcut, Mike! I shared this with our faculty during a PD day last week, and it was a hit! :)

February 09, 2024

This works great, thanks for writing the article. I have a couple of questions... one is out of curiosity, one is important.

  1. Do we know which QR code generator Shortcuts actually calls? It seems to be built in, but I find it odd that the only place it is visible is in Shortcuts. I would think it would also be available in Safari etc. Is the internal QR library documented somewhere?
  2. I used it to generate a QR code for my (very simple) personal URL. I could not find it in Photos a few days later - I moved it, but not sure where. So I generated it again. The second QR code image works but is not the same as the first. Various web sites say QR codes for the same string could differ if the error correction code is at a different level. But... why would that occur using the same Shortcut, calling the same library, with the same clipboard content, just on a different day?
  3. It's important to know whether this is using an internal Apple library which is only encoding the provided string. Some third-party QR generators actually encode a string which includes the string, but passes it to their own web site to be resolved and passed back to the user's app/browser. This raises two risks:
  4. The 3rd party snoops on the users who scan the QR code, e.g. capturing their browser information. Some promote this as a "feature", enabling you to go to their web site and track your users. Others don't disclose that they do this.
  5. The 3rd party can go out of business and take down their service, which renders the QR codes useless. Users need to generate new QR codes and replace them wherever they are used... which is not possible in printed materials. "Pure" URLs encoded into QR codes don't have this risk.

Thanks.

July 24, 2024

@rsworden

My understanding is that the QR code is generated internally in the Shortcuts app itself. It isn't sent to an outside source for generation. The image is a 2D binary representation of the URL that was copied to the clipboard.

I could not tell you why the 2nd run was different for you. I haven't seen that before so I would only be able to make random guesses. I did run into the issue of not being able to find the code I made later. I'm working on an update to show some tips and tricks for it. Thanks for the info.

October 04, 2024

I've noticed this before and couldn't figure out why QR codes change even if I use the same text.

From whatching this random video on Youtube "How do QR codes work?" by Veritasium, I understood that QR codes have 8 masks. And remembered our comment.

If you want to have an ability to change the content (link) of the QR without generating a new one - use a link shortener with permanent link option (example: a.com/qr, and the shortener will let you change to any link but will keet the same a.com/qr as a facade). I hope you get the idea.

February 14, 2024

These are not complete instructions.

April 18, 2024

I don’t understand this at all

May 20, 2024

There are no instructions on where to paste/input the link. Get a technical writer PLEASE

June 07, 2024

This procedure does NOT tell you how to create a qr code. It tells you how to create a shortcut which you can then call for creating a qr code. To run the shortcut and actually create the qr code, click the run icon (right-pointing triangle).

July 06, 2024

@myakSTEM, do you know if there is an easy way to incorporate the shortcut into the Services menu that shows up when right-clicking the URL in Safari? 

July 26, 2024

@blue2002

Great question. I found out how to do it. It's very simple. Just drag the shortcut to Quick Actions in the Shortcuts app. I put all of the info and a demonstration in a new post: How to Add a Shortcut to the Services Menu.

July 26, 2024

Hi everyone. Several of you pointed out some errors with my original post. I updated and expanded it beyond just creating the shortcut to create QR codes. Thanks for the feedback.

August 01, 2024

Doesn't work. I followed your instructions and I have a QR Code Generator on my phone that doesn't do anything. I click it and it just goes to a setup screen. All I want to do is to create a QR code for a one -page pdf document.

August 01, 2024

Hi @navchop. Make sure you have copied the link to where the document is stored immediately before running the shortcut. This only embeds text, such as a URL.

October 06, 2024

Could I use this to generate a QR code for connecting to wi-fi? I have completed the first step, but got stuck at the second when it asked me to copy the URL

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