mobile-websitemobile-phonesqr-code

QR code with URL, does it *REALLY* need the http://?


It seems like most (if not all) QR readers on my iPhone handle URLs without the http:// just fine but I was wondering if that is universal? Android? BlackBerry? Is there an RFC somewhere that I should be reading

I'm building a QR management/url shortener system and was wondering if it was absolutely necessary. If not, I can drop 7 characters from my QR's URLs and make them the lowest level of complexity (16 characters or less). Which, from everything I've read, is a Good Thing™.


Solution

  • I haven't found any absolute documentation that says it must have it. But... After testing a number of QR reader apps, it's clear that many of them will 'guess' at a url if there is no http:// in it. But many do not and display it as just a string. Since it's a URL, it really does need it. And if any apps won't read it, then I have to bow to them and add it for all of them.