Android devices are about to receive an update that includes automatic zoom for these barcodes.
Scanning a QR code using a smartphone isn’t difficult as a concept, but when it comes to the reality of the process, it can be fussy and rather irritating.
Android has been working on upgrades to make things easier and more convenient.
Over the last few years, Google has added features such as building a scanner right into the camera of a phone to make it simpler to scan a QR code. Still, there are issues that can make it a clunky, time-consuming process, even when it’s meant to take only a second or two. Among the most common challenges is that barcodes are often too small or too far away, requiring careful zooming or physically approaching the image.
Google is now working on another update that will make it faster, easier and more natural to be able to scan. Among the changes that are expected to be integrated within the near future is an auto-zoom feature. This has reportedly already been added to the ML Kit’s Barcode Scanning API and its own Code Scanner API. Once this change is in place, device users won’t need to manually zoom or physically move to be able to capture those barcodes.
Instead, a phone will be able to use zoom to automatically adjust the proximity of the QR code.
Because the changes are to be found in both the Google Code Scanner API and the ML Kit Barcode Scanning API, it means that both Google’s own applications and third-party applications will be able to access these features.
As a result, it won’t only be the camera app that will be able to automatically zoom to scan QR codes that aren’t at the ideal proximity. Third-party apps calling on either of the APIs will also be able to do so.
Of course, the Android 13 and above built-in scanner will also have it integrated right into the camera app. Though the change to the way QR code scanning works is only slight, it is enough to make it notably more convenient to use.
