My iphone 15 won't scan QR codes

It's not a bug with camera focus, you are trying to focus on a QR code located too close to the camera lens to be focused on.

You do not need to fill any box depicted on-screen with a bar or QR code, as long as it's visible and the image is in focus, the software can recognize it.

For best results, hold your phone at least 6" or so from the code you are trying to scan (for an iPhone 13); for an iPhone 14 or 15, keep the device 8" away from the code.

There's no issue to be fixed.

The camera has a minimum focus distance, and once you are farther away from the bar code than that, it will scan instantly without issue.

Do not try to fill an area of the screen set aside for the bar code, just back away from it until it is in sharp focus and it will scan.

I scan bar codes and QR codes almost daily.

Do not get exceptionally close to the code - you do not need to fill any box drawn on the screen for the code to go into - and you do not need to tap and focus unless you want to .

Simply back the phone away from the code until it is in sharp focus and it will scan immediately, no extra work required.

There is nothing for Apple to fix.

The normal camera has a minimum focus distance of approximately eight inches and holding it closer than that will not work for apps which use the normal camera.

I can scan any bar or QR code I like with my 15 Pro Max, just as I could with my 14 Pro Max, and can pay with the Walmart app using Walmart Pay which works by scanning a custom-generated QR code on the register's screen.

Newer iPhones don't have focus issues, either.

1) The minimum focus distance for the new phones is further away than it was for the iPhone 6 and its inferior sensor and lens.

2) Stop trying to scan a bar code from so close; you can scan it from amazingly far away and it will scan, perfectly.

3) If your app doesn't work, it's because the app vendor didn't follow the instructions Apple gave developers in 2021 as to how to properly use the scan/zoom API on devices with higher minimum focus distances.

The list of apps that can scan properly with zero issues on the iPhone 13/14/15 Pro/Pro Max is endless - Amazon, Apple, Safeway, Scandit, Walgreens, Walmart and more.

It's not a "failure" in any way because there is nothing for Apple to fix; it's working 100% correctly and as designed.

It works perfectly, just hold the phone further away from the object you are scanning, typically about 7.7".

Do not hold the code close to the phone, the normal lens can't focus on anything less than 7.7" away and so will not read the bar code.

The bar or QR code does not need to fill a box for the code if the app provides one.

There's no need to tap to focus or anything else.

If you want to experiment with scanning different types of codes, I recommend you try the free Scandit app:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/scandit-barcode-scanner/id453880584

I scan bar codes and QR codes daily with my 15 Pro Max, and also use the Amazon, Target and Walmart apps which all do bar code scanning with no issues whatsoever.

By default an app doesn't choose a camera mode, but it can do so if it so chooses.

Most of the time the 1x camera works perfectly and apps are designed to use it.

You talk about making sense and then throw "four feet" out there which is a perfectly ridiculous number; the minimum focus distance for the 15 Pro Max is roughly eight inches.

Even if you do stand four feet away and the QR code is the size of a "postage stamp," it will scan perfectly.

If you're really curious about what app developers need to do, Apple detailed it nicely in this presentation in 2021 which covers the "minimum focus distance" property introduced in iOS 15:

"Here's a sample app called AVCamBarcode. It showcases our AVFoundation barcode detection APIs. The UI guides the user to position an object inside of a rectangle for scanning. In this example, I've chosen a fairly small QR code on a piece of paper. The barcode is only 20 millimeters wide. By tapping on the Metadata button, I see a list of all the various object types supported by AVCaptureMetadataOutput. There are a lot of them. I'll choose QRCodes and then position my iPhone 12 Pro Max camera to fill the rectangle with the QRCode. Unfortunately, it's so small that I have to get very close to the page to fill the preview. That's closer than the camera's minimum focus distance. The code is blurry, so it doesn't scan.

To guide the user to back away, I need to apply a zoom factor to the camera preview... like so. Seeing a zoomed image on the screen will prompt them to physically move the camera farther away from the paper. I can do that with a slider button, but it would be much better if the app took care of the zoom automatically.

That's where the new minimumFocusDistance property of AVCaptureDevice comes in. It's new in iOS 15. Given the camera's horizontal field of view, the minimum barcode size you'd like to scan -- here I've set it to 20 millimeters -- and the width of the camera preview window as a percentage, we can do a little math to calculate the minimum subject distance needed to fill that preview width. Then, using the new minimumFocusDistance property of the camera, we can detect when our camera can't focus that close and calculate a zoom factor large enough to guide the user to back away. And finally, we apply it to the camera by locking it for configuration, setting the zoom factor, and then unlocking it. After recompiling our demo app, the UI now automatically applies the correct zoom amount."

What’s new in camera capture - WWDC21 - Videos - Apple Developer

so even if an app worked with say an iPhone 6, app developers need to keep up or their apps will break and become irrelevant. Ironically, after almost three years few app developers have incorporated the recommended API the talk above covers.

The list of apps that do scan codes properly is lengthy but includes those from Amazon, Scandit and Walmart to name but three.

I have a iphone 14 pro. The problem is on the older iphones (pre-iphone 14) it can auto switch to macro mode when using qr scanner. I proved this when i was in the apple store and the assistant showed his. I thought the problem was my camera. so they replaced the lens. Didnt fix it, so replaced my phone. Didnt fix it, so reset the phone and used with a fresh install (no backup) - didnt fix it.

They need to update the s/ware for it to allow macro mode when using the QR scanner. Thats it.... just like the older phones do.

This is an issue that apple needs to address with their machine learning algorithms or hardware (or software). Not the app developer…

Expecting app changes for specific phones cameras reminds me of now having to develop for many different configurations of android devices… (fragmentation) yikes.

https://youtu.be/s2vlKvmf3pU?feature=shared

8:14 into the video…

You need to be 8 inches or greater away.

Lots of comments in the video reflect the issue

Hello,

please try this steps:

• reinstall or update the app you using to scan QR codes,
• clean the camera lens,
• remove any camera lens protector you may have,
• use Apple camera app to scan QR codes (to activate this function go to Settings > Camera, scroll down and turn on Scan QR Codes option).

There's something OS side that isn't handling focusing properly. My bet is it is on these new macro mode feature that iOS 17 has.

To prove it try this: Go to the stock camera app and focus on a QR code from far away, then move the phone closer. You'll notice a focus shift and a flower icon show in the lower corner of the screen. The phone changed modes automatically to this macro mode and was able to focus up close. Then go to the iOS native QR code scanning app/utility. Try the same thing. It won't focus.

Apple needs to fix this or provide devs a way to call this macro mode from within their apps. They don't even have it right within their own apps.

The phone does not "choose the mode," the app does.

Every single QR reading app I've tried reads codes instantly.

I've stated before, do not try to fill the area indicated by an app with the code, but instead, back the camera away from the code until the code is in focus and it will be read immediately.

For example I made purchases at a Walmart store and gas station using Walmart Pay, which relies upon on-screen QR codes. In both cases the app read the code within less than ½ second of pointing the iPhone 15 Pro Max at the code.

You said they do not focus on the code until you move away… that's not a problem, they can read the code as soon as it is in focus.

If you start with it in focus, the process is instantaneous.

It's not dismissive, it's how being a software developer works.

The third-party developer is completely responsible for making sure their application works with future versions of iOS and future Apple hardware.

These changes were introduced at WWDC in 2021.

Also:

Scanning data with the camera | Apple Developer Documentation

That's more than enough time for them to have made their products compatible with newer versions of iOS and the iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max and 15 Pro/Pro Max.

I explain this in more detail in this post:

My iphone 15 won't scan QR codes - Apple Community

I’ve had the same issue, except the app I was using needed me to ID verify and it will not let you take a picture of your drivers license from the distance that the iPhone 15 Pro camera needs to take it out without being blurry. I also have to take a picture of the back of my ID and it wants the barcode up close to fit in it’s transparent barcode, which it will not do without being blurry. I use this app for a side gig and because I couldn’t ID verify I couldn’t use the app. I called Apple. She advised me to go to the Apple Store. I went to the Apple Store. He said my camera failed to meet the requirements and they replaced the camera. I tested it out later and it still won’t scan anything up close in 3rd party apps. It has to be a certain distance away from it. At some point with a lot of people having the same issues, I would hope they would fix it. They can’t say it’s third-party issues because my previous iPhone worked fine doing it. And they can’t expect a million other apps to accommodate to apples new issue with the camera.

Contact that app maker and get them to fix their app as it's poorly designed.

Other apps seem to be able to do ID verification using normal photos and scans of the rear of the ID with no issues.

It is the responsibility of the app vendor to keep track of new interfaces and to keep up with new hardware.

The mechanism to resolve these issues was released to developers in 2021.

What’s new in camera capture - WWDC21 - Videos - Apple Developer

I’ve tried to restart my phone and it is now working! Perhaps someone else need this. Just an update for my previous reply