QR code origins traced to Toyota factory and rise of iPhone scanning apps

The two‑dimensional QR code was created in the early 1990s by engineer Masahiro Hara at Denso, a component supplier for Toyota. Faced with workers having to read up to 1,000 linear barcodes a day, Hara designed a code that could store more information, be read from any angle and tolerate grease or damage. The QR code quickly spread beyond factories to everyday use in restaurant menus, train tickets, packaging and even car windshields.

Modern smartphones can read QR codes natively, but a range of iPhone applications now offer advanced features. TQRCG provides ad‑free, high‑speed batch scanning and searchable archives. QRbot integrates scanning with Spotlight and the Apple Watch, exporting data to CSV. Kaspersky QR Scanner adds security checks against malicious links, while Dynamsoft Barcode Scanner Demo supports a wide array of symbologies, including Data Matrix and Aztec, even with blurry images.