The 11 kinds of QR code, and what each one holds.
A QR code is a container for a short string of text. What makes a WiFi code different from a vCard is nothing but the shape of that string, and the convention a phone follows when it recognises it. Here is every type Studio makes, what it puts inside the code, and what a phone does with it.
Specimen · This page
URL
Opens a web address.
The common case: a code that opens a web page. Point it at a product page, a menu, a form, a video — anything with an address.
Text
Shows a plain text note.
A code that holds words and nothing else. No address, no app, nothing to open — the phone simply shows the text.
WiFi
Joins a Wi-Fi network.
A code that joins a network. Guests point a camera at it and are on the WiFi without anyone reading a password out loud.
Starts a pre-filled email.
A code that starts an email. The recipient, the subject and the body can all be filled in before the person types a word.
Phone Number
Calls a phone number.
A code that starts a call. The phone brings up the dialler with the number in it, ready to ring.
SMS
Opens a pre-filled text message.
A code that opens a text message. Useful for short-code sign-ups, service requests and anything where you want the wording to be exact.
vCard
Saves a contact to the phone.
A code that saves a contact. For a business card, an email signature, a conference badge or a sign on a door.
Location
Opens a point on the map.
A code that points at a place. Not an address that has to be looked up — a pair of coordinates that opens directly on a map.
Event
Adds an event to the calendar.
A code that puts an event in someone’s calendar. For posters, invitations, tickets and anything with a date people will otherwise forget.
Opens a WhatsApp chat.
A code that opens a WhatsApp conversation with you, optionally with the first message already written.
EPC Payment
Starts a euro bank transfer (EPC).
A code that opens a euro bank transfer with the details filled in. This is the EPC standard European banking apps read — on an invoice, a donation card or a market stall sign.