Android phones to read QR codes at distance
Technology giant Google is preparing to bring a major feature to devices supported by its operating system Android. Phones will now be able to read even remote QR codes.
Soon Android phones won't have as much trouble reading distant QR codes as before Google is working on a new code scanner that automatically detects, zooms in and reads a QR code in the camera frame.
The feature hasn't quite made it to devices yet, but it's in the latest APIs that Google is making available to developers. According to the sources, Google's QR Code Scanner works in the system app but is also available for other apps.
If developers implement the code scanner API, users will not need to grant camera permissions, saving developers time by not having to create a custom experience. The API leverages Google's machine-learning technology to read QR codes and provides only one QR object to the app to protect users' privacy.
REQUIRES ANDROID VERSION 13 OR HIGHER
As Android expert Mishaal Rahman noted, the easy QR code scanning feature will be available on devices running Android 13 or newer, because QR code scanners use the ML Kit Barcode Scanning library to which the feature has been added.
It remains to be seen how effective the new feature will be on Android smartphones equipped with substandard cameras, and whether it will be widely available on devices other than Google's own Pixel phone models. But the feature is very useful and may soon be available to the general public.
Source: The Verge
