Instagram’s latest mobile update includes universal QR codes that make it easy to share and view individual profiles. Following a successful test in Japan, the feature is rolling out globally to anyone with a compatible camera app.
A more user-friendly approach to 2018’s Nametags—which could only be scanned via the application’s internal camera—QR codes are accessible through any stock shooter (iPhone or Pixel handsets included), as reported by The Verge. Quick Response (QR) codes—designed in the mid-’90s for the Japanese automotive industry—are machine-readable optical labels that contain data for a locator, identifier, or tracker that points to a website or application—in this case, an Instagram profile.
Create your own geometric badge by navigating to your Instagram profile > menu > QR Code. (If it still says “Nametag,” check that you’re running the most recent version of the app.) Personalize the page with a backdrop of profile-appropriate emoji, gradient colors, or mini selfies. Once satisfied, tap the share button in the top right corner to publish your code online or distribute it through email or text. For greater reach, save the image to your phone then add it to printed materials like business cards, flyers, and posters.
“Various businesses and groups, such as shopping facilities, restaurants, sightseeing spots, and music festivals operate Instagram accounts and use them as important touch points with customers,” parent company Facebook wrote in a December announcement, translated from Japanese. “However, when appealing your company’s account offline at stores or at event venues, it has been necessary to describe the account name in characters or use a name tag,” the blog post continued. “From now on, you can display your QR code in the Instagram app, so you do not have to do that.”
