Twitter introduced QR codes into its apps for Android and iOS on Wednesday. Not having QR codes was a major existential threat to the social network as a business. Also it was the main reason no one followed anyone on the platform, according to The Verge.
Twitter deploys Snapchat-like QR codes
QR codes are an unpopular way to add friends on Facebook Messenger but quite a popular way to add friends on Snapchat. Now QR codes are on Twitter as well starting today.
QR codes were quite popular once because they made several things quite simple. The scannable codes are not a game changer anymore, but they still have utility. For instance, Snapchat uses them to add other users without having to search them. Just with a simple scan, a person was able to follow his friend or someone else.
The QR creator has a QR reader as well, so the user can scan the codes of other Twitter users. Just click the “QR scanner” button under the code to access it, and to return to the QR creator, press the button again.
The QR codes on Android appear in the slide-out menu on the left under night mode, and also in the menu that you discover by clicking the ellipsis in your profile. In iOS, the scanner appears only in the profile. You can share your QR code by using the share sheet on your smartphone, if you manage to find it.
Making it easier to add and follow?
Twitter’s QR codes work the same way as Snapchat’s QR codes. Users have to go to their profile and click “Settings” to create the code.
“From here it’s as simple as taking a screenshot and sharing it on other social media platforms, in email, or even printing it on a business card,” says The Next Web.
Previously, users had to click a giant button that read “Follow” at the top of the person’s profile to follow them. But now, following a person on the social network is as easy as navigating to one’s profile. A user just has to tap the gear icon, the “QR code” and scan the friend’s QR code by tapping the blue button, which opens the scanner. Your friend should have navigated to their profile and excavated the QR code, notes The Verge. As of now, the feature is not available to all users.
