SMS QR code generator

How to make an SMS QR code

1. Enter the number that should receive the text. Use the full international format, like +1 555 123 4567, or your short code if you have one.
2. Type the message you want prefilled. For a keyword system, that's the exact keyword, like JOIN or YES.
3. Style it and download it.
4. Scan it with an iPhone and an Android phone, and send the test message from both.

What happens on the phone

The code uses the SMSTO format phone cameras recognize. Scanning it opens Messages on an iPhone or the default texting app on Android, with your number in the To field and your message in the text box.

The person still taps send, and they can change the message first. Their carrier's normal texting rates apply, the same as any other text they send.

Spaces, dashes and parentheses in the number are fine, since we strip them before encoding. A tablet or laptop without a texting app may show the number and message as plain text instead.

Write the message for the person sending it

Your prefilled text is the first thing they see, and it reaches you from their number. Write it so they're comfortable sending it as is: Hi, I'd like to confirm my appointment. If your system matches keywords, put the keyword first and keep it exact. People rarely edit a prefilled message, and your system can't guess what a typo meant. Plain keywords like JOIN match more reliably than JOIN-NOW or Join Now.

Keep it short. The message is part of the pattern, so a paragraph makes a dense code, and a single standard text is only 160 characters anyway.

Get consent before you text back

A scan and a sent text show interest. They aren't blanket permission to add someone to a marketing list. In the US, marketing texts fall under federal rules that require clear consent, and most texting platforms enforce their own versions. Say on the sign what people are signing up for and how often you'll text, and honor STOP replies right away. Replying to the exact thing someone asked about, like confirming their appointment, is a different case, but the same courtesy applies.

Where SMS codes work well

• Text-to-join lists on posters, counters and event screens
• Appointment cards at clinics and salons, so people can confirm with one text
• Feedback prompts on receipts and table tents
• Church and nonprofit sign-ups that run on text keywords
• Service businesses that would rather get a text than a call for quotes

Put your number and keyword in above, send the test from two phones, and print your opt-in terms right next to the code.