My iphone 15 won't scan QR codes

Iphones minimum focus distance on the “main lens” used to be 150mm 5.9 “ on the new iphones 15 pro its 200mm or 7.87” thats quite a difference in minimum focus distance… with the older hardware it got use the higher quality main lens for close up photos inside these parameters…

No, it IS up to the app developer.

The framework and iOS have no problem reading the codes, it's the insistence of the app developer at having the code or ID fill the frame they set aside without using the zoom parameters mentioned in the video to change how it appears to the user.

The app developer erroneously requires the ID to fill their frame, and that's what needs to be fixed.

There are multiple app developers whose apps work just fine this way; Amazon and Walmart (to use Walmart Pay) are but two.

If you download and play with Scandit you can see how far away you can be and have bar code reading work.

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

Then contact the app's author.

For example, the Walmart app does not support tap to focus but does properly scan the Walmart Pay code on the register.

There is no fix to implement.

Simply hold your phone far enough away from the code for the camera to be able to focus on it.

What was described is how developers can fix their apps, which is the actual issue; some developers do not properly handle bar code scanning despite Apple's information to developers to tell them what to do.

This is definitely an iPhone 14/15 problem. Previously I had a 12 and it never had this issue. When trying to scan barcodes or QR codes with third party apps like the Alexa app to add a plug for example, the camera/app will not allow zoom adjustment to be able to capture the QR code. This may be due to the new lenses in the cameras, but that excuse still does not address the fact we have tons of folks out there that have this same issue with the cameras. Either Apple or the Third party Devs need to collaborate on a fix or allow in app zoom to resolve or this will just get worse as the cameras evolve.

I opened a ticket with Amazon for this same issue and it’s a dead end & deaf ears.

Found a work around for devs to implement within the app. Disagree that this responsibility sits in individual app devs. There are 1000’s of apps that use the camera that previously had no knowledge of the specifics of how a phone camera focuses. Apple needs to be responsible for ensuring their HW works with their supported OS’s. Case-in-point is this doesn’t even work on Apple’s native QR scanning utility. So if anyone is going to yell at devs, it should be at Apple’s devs since they don’t even have it right on their own QR scanner.

At a minimum there needed to be documentation to call this out.

For the devs:

Call

AVCaptureDevice.selectBestCameraAvailable

and enable the auto focus property

it’s fixed. My 15 Pro uses the triple camera after the fix.

It is up to application developers to keep up to date with Apple's products and to update their apps accordingly, for example:

Scanning data with the camera | Apple Developer Documentation

That, in part, is what WWDC is all about each year.

Again, you seem to think camera selection is required for code scanning to work when in fact it works perfectly with just the normal lens.

However, as an application developer, you may choose to provide an alternate interface.

For example, the excellent Scandit app uses only the normal lens.

The issue seems to be that for close up needed to scan the QR code the Pro uses the macro lens but the software tries to use the standard lens which won’t focus close enough. This ought to be ann easy fix so not sure why it hasn’t been done.

Neither the iPhone 15 nor older phones switch to the macro lens.

The normal lens is always used for reading codes, you just need to have the code far enough away that it can be focused upon.

The recommended API has been the same since at least the iPhone 12:

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

There is no bug to address.

Then make an appointment to have your phone examined, as there may be a defect as it definitely works on mine and every other I've tried.

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

The author of the third-party application needs to properly code their app.

Most apps, including those from Amazon, Scandit and Walmart, have zero issues.

I’m using an iPhone 15 Pro for past few days and have been unable to scan a British National Lottery ticket using their app and just now trying to add a Nest camera to out Google account. Mrs did both using her iPhone 14. My theory as to why is both apps (and perhaps any others requesting a QR scan) are using one of the IPhone 15 Pro’s lenses - which isn’t the correct or most suitable one. Please fix.

I thought the same. It does work, just need to do the following:

point camera at the bar code/QR - it will be out of focus. Draw back slightly until the bar code comes into focus. It will ping & a green tick will appear.

It takes a little practice.

If their app couldn't scan something, it's either user error or the fault of the app.

The iPhone 15 models can all scan bar codes and QR codes, every time.

I just went grocery shopping last night and my grocery store has digital coupon QR codes on many items, and my iPhone had issues with none of them.

Likewise, Walmart Pay, which scans a QR code that appears on the register, also works perfectly.

A good way to test whether it's the app or not is to download the free Scandit app, which can scan multiple codes in multiple formats, and is free:

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