One printed code. A destination that fits the scan.
Send iPhone users to the App Store, Android users to Google Play, or lunchtime visitors to a lunch menu. Update your routing rules later without reprinting the QR code.
What is a Smart QR Code?
A Smart QR Code is a dynamic QR code that can send different visitors to different destinations depending on how, where, or when it is scanned. Instead of creating several QR codes for different audiences, you create one code and define routing rules.
With GenQRCode, those rules can use a visitor's IP-based country, device or browser, day of the week, or time of day. The physical QR code stays the same. Its routing configuration determines where each visitor goes.
How Smart QR Codes work
A Smart QR Code has an ordered list of rules followed by a required fallback destination. Think of it as a short set of questions asked whenever someone scans.
Scan the QR code
- Is the device an iPhone or iPad? Open the App Store. If not, check the next rule.
- Is the device Android? Open Google Play. If not, use the fallback.
- Fallback: Open the product website.
The first matching rule wins. Rules are checked from top to bottom. As soon as one matches, its destination is selected and later rules are ignored. If no conditional rule matches, the required fallback is used.
Choose how the conditions match
All conditions match
Every selected condition must be true. For example, Country = Netherlands AND Device = Android targets Android visitors in the Netherlands.
Any condition matches
At least one selected condition must be true. A rule with Netherlands as its country and Android as its device can match visitors from the Netherlands or Android visitors elsewhere.
None of the conditions match
Use this to exclude the selected conditions. With Netherlands and Android selected, the rule matches only visitors who are neither in the Netherlands nor on Android.
Fallback
This final, unconditional destination catches scans that did not match an earlier rule. Every Smart QR Code needs one.
Multiple choices inside one condition are alternatives. Selecting Netherlands, Germany, and France means Netherlands OR Germany OR France. Selecting iPhone and iPad in one device condition works the same way.
What can a Smart QR Code detect?
Country
Use the visitor's IP-based country to show a local website or offer. This does not require the visitor to share GPS location. VPNs, proxies, and IP geolocation limitations can affect the result.
Netherlands → Dutch website
Germany → German website
France → French website
Device or browser
Use the detected device or browser category, for example to choose an app store or browser-specific help page.
iPhone or iPad → App Store
Android → Google Play
Firefox → Firefox help page
Available categories include iPhone, Android, iPad, macOS, Windows, Firefox, Opera, bot/crawler, BlackBerry, Safari, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Unknown/other. Desktop scans may be classified by browser or as Unknown/other rather than macOS or Windows, so keep a useful fallback.
Day of the week
Choose any combination of Monday through Sunday. Day rules use the configured timezone, so select the timezone relevant to your business or campaign.
Monday to Friday → Regular offer
Saturday and Sunday → Weekend offer
Time of day
Set a start time, an end time, and a timezone to change the destination during the day. Use “All conditions match” when combining a time window with a day or country.
11:00–15:00 → Lunch menu
17:00–22:00 → Dinner menu
Time ranges include both endpoints, and the end time must be later than the start time. An overnight window such as 22:00–02:00 needs separate rules for the late-evening and after-midnight portions. Check both in the tester.
Where can a Smart QR Code send visitors?
Redirect to a URL
Send a visitor to an HTTP or HTTPS address, such as an app listing, booking page, online shop, or campaign page.
For more flexible URLs, use {{country}} and {{platform}}. GenQRCode replaces these placeholders with the detected country and device/browser token.
https://example.com/{{country}}/{{platform}}
For an iPhone visitor in the Netherlands, that could become https://example.com/nl/iphone. Your website needs to handle the resulting paths. This can avoid a separate rule for every country and device combination.
Open a file
Choose an uploaded file belonging to your account. A PDF menu, brochure, event schedule, or product manual can be the destination for a particular audience or time of day.
Show a Landing Page
Choose an existing GenQRCode Landing Page. If you update the page later, Smart QR Codes linked to it automatically display the updated content. Read our Landing Page QR Code guide for ideas.
Do not redirect
The “Do not redirect” option does not select a custom destination. Scans currently end up on GenQRCode rather than on a permanently blank page.
One QR Code for the App Store and Google Play
App download posters often ask people to choose between two QR codes. With a Smart QR Code, one scan can open the right store for the detected device.
iPhone or iPad
Apple App Store
Android
Google Play
Other devices
Product or download website
That means cleaner printed material, less confusion, and one QR code to reuse across packaging, posters, flyers, and websites. If an app listing or campaign changes, update the destination without replacing the printed code.
Real-world example: ZuckOff
One QR code for every phone
ZuckOff uses one Smart QR Code for app downloads. Visitors do not need to choose between separate App Store and Google Play codes. The scan selects the destination using these rules, in this order:
- Rule 1: Device is iPhone or iPad
Redirect to ZuckOff on the App Store. - Rule 2: Device is Android
Redirect to ZuckOff on Google Play.
Fallback: Redirect to https://zuckoff.app/.
On this device? Open the Smart QR link.
The result is one download call to action across platforms. Because the code is dynamic, ZuckOff can update these destinations later without replacing existing posters, flyers, packaging, or other printed materials.
Password-protected Smart QR destinations
Password protection belongs to an individual destination, rather than automatically covering the entire QR code. Each destination can have its own password and optional hint. The prompt appears only when that protected destination is selected.
For example, route visitors in the Netherlands to a password-protected staff page and send everyone else to a public website. Staff would need the password to continue; country detection alone is not proof that someone is an employee.
Why rule order matters
- Rule 1: Android + Netherlands → Dutch Android campaign
- Rule 2: Android → General Android campaign
- Fallback: Main website
An Android visitor in the Netherlands matches both rules. Rule 1 wins because it appears first. If the general Android rule came first, the more specific Netherlands rule would never be reached for Android visitors.
Put specific rules before broader rules. Keep the fallback last.
Test your Smart QR before publishing
Use Test your rules in the configurator before saving. Choose a country, device/browser, day, and time, then select Run test. The result identifies the matched rule and destination information.
Try one scenario for every rule, one that matches overlapping rules, and one that should reach the fallback. For time-based rules, check the start, end, and a time outside the window. Then scan the saved QR code on real devices before printing.
A protected result can indicate that password protection is enabled and show its hint. It does not reveal the plaintext password.
Smart QR Code ideas
App downloads
iPhone or iPad → App Store
Android → Google Play
Fallback → Download website
Restaurant menus
Lunch hours → Lunch menu
Evening hours → Dinner menu
Fallback → General menu
Weekend pricing
Monday to Friday → Standard pricing
Saturday and Sunday → Weekend pricing
International campaigns
Netherlands → Dutch page
Germany → German page
France → French page
A weekly event
For a recurring Friday event, combine Friday with time windows: before opening → Registration; during the event → Event information; afterward → Feedback. These are weekly day/time rules, not calendar date ranges.
Device-specific help
iPhone, iPad, or Android → Mobile instructions
Selected browsers → Web instructions
Fallback → General help
Name, domain, and appearance
Give the Smart QR Code an internal name so you can find it later, select its short URL domain, and choose whether it is enabled. The short URL domain is fixed after creation. The visual QR design is separate from the routing configuration; changing destinations does not require a new printed design.
A Smart QR Code supports up to 100 rule entries: 99 conditional rules and one mandatory fallback, subject to the overall configuration size limit. For account allowances, see the current pricing information.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Smart QR Code?
A dynamic QR code that chooses a destination based on scan context such as country, device or browser, day, or time.
Does the QR code itself change?
No. The printed QR code stays the same. Its routing configuration determines where visitors are sent.
Can one QR code open the App Store and Google Play?
Yes. Point an iPhone or iPad rule to the App Store and an Android rule to Google Play. Add a fallback website for other devices.
Can I change destinations after printing?
Yes. Update the rules or their destinations without replacing the printed QR code.
What happens if multiple rules match?
The first matching rule wins. Rules are checked from top to bottom, so put specific rules before broader ones.
What happens if no rules match?
The required fallback destination is used.
Can Smart QR Codes detect a visitor's country?
They use IP-based country detection. VPNs, proxies, and unknown IP addresses can affect accuracy.
Can a destination be password protected?
Yes. Individual destinations can have different passwords and optional password hints.
Can I test my rules?
Yes. Simulate country, device/browser, day, and time in the configurator before saving, then check the saved code on real devices.
Create one QR code that adapts to every scan
Let one QR code serve different audiences, devices, countries, and situations. Create your rules, add a fallback, test a few scenarios, and save a code that sends each visitor to the right place.
Create a Smart QR CodeSign in to create and manage your Smart QR Codes.