Free SMS QR Code Generator
Create a QR code that opens a text message to your number, with the message already written. Free, no account, and the number never leaves your browser.
What an SMS QR code is
An SMS QR code is a static QR code that stores a phone number and an optional message in the SMSTO: format, so scanning it opens the phone’s messaging app with a text to that number ready to send.
Enter a phone number and, if you like, the message. The code stores both in the standard SMSTO: format. When someone scans it, their messaging app opens a new text to your number with the message filled in; they tap Send to send it from their own phone.
That makes SMS codes good at one job: getting a short, predictable message from someone who is standing in front of your sign. A keyword to join a list, a reference to book a slot, a word to vote with. If you need a conversation rather than a keyword, a WhatsApp link or a phone code may suit better.
How to create an SMS QR code
- 01
Enter the number
Use the full international form, starting with + and the country code. Short codes for SMS services work only in their own country.
- 02
Write the message
Optional, and best kept short — a keyword or a sentence. Every character goes into the pattern, so a long message makes a denser code.
- 03
Generate the code
Select Generate QR. The number and message are encoded in your browser and are not sent anywhere.
- 04
Test on iPhone and Android
Download the PNG or SVG and scan it with both kinds of phone if you can. Check that the message appears in the draft, not just the number.
What to put in the message
A keyword
JOIN, INFO, or STOP for a text service that reacts to keywords. The prefilled message spares people from guessing the spelling, which is where keyword campaigns lose replies.
A reference
“Booking enquiry – table 12” or “Order 4471 ready?”. A reference in the message tells you where the text came from without asking.
A vote or answer
A code per option on a poster or a slide, each with a different prefilled word. Counting the texts gives you the tally.
Leave it blank
With no message, the code simply opens a new text to your number. That is useful when the conversation varies too much to script a first line.
SMS or WhatsApp
SMS needs no app and no internet, only signal, and reaches every phone. WhatsApp is free over data and better for conversations. For WhatsApp, encode a wa.me link as a web address instead.
Costs
The text is sent from the scanning phone, at that person’s normal rate. If your number is premium-rate or abroad, say so next to the code.
Where an SMS QR code works
- Text-to-join lists and alerts
- Polls on slides and posters
- Appointment and table requests
- Order collection notices
- Feedback after a visit
- Parking and venue help lines
- Competitions and giveaways
- Out-of-hours contact signs
The code never sends a text on its own. It opens a draft, and the person scanning decides whether to send it — and can change the message first.
Most phone cameras read the message part of the code. A few scanner apps keep only the number and open an empty text, so print the keyword next to the code as well.
The number and message cannot be changed after printing. If the number may change, use one you can keep or forward.
Questions about this
Their messaging app opens a new text to your number with the message you set already in it. They tap Send to send it from their own phone.
No. Phones always leave the final Send to the person holding them. The code only prepares the message.
Yes. The iPhone camera recognises the SMSTO: format and opens Messages with the number and text filled in. Android cameras and Google Lens do the same.
Not with an SMS code — that opens the phone’s text messaging app. For WhatsApp, build a wa.me link with your number and message and encode it as a web address; the WhatsApp guide explains how.
No. Both are encoded in your browser and never sent to a server, stored, or logged. Once printed, the code is readable by anyone who scans it.
Keep it to a sentence or less. A long message makes the code denser and harder to scan, and some phones split long texts into several messages.
No. The number and message are stored in the pattern itself, with no redirect or account behind them, so the code works for as long as the number does. The flip side is that it cannot be edited once printed.
Not as scans — a static code has nothing in the middle to count them. What you can count is the texts that arrive, and a different prefilled word on each print run tells you which one they came from.