WhatsApp QR code generator

How a WhatsApp QR code works

A WhatsApp QR code is a normal QR code that contains a wa.me link. Point any phone camera at it and WhatsApp opens on a chat with your number, with your pre-filled message already typed. The customer presses send and you have a conversation. No app to download, no number to save, nothing to type.

The code never expires and does not go through us. It is just your link, drawn as squares. If you change your number, make a new code.

Where a WhatsApp QR code earns its keep

• Shop counter and fitting rooms: "Scan to ask about sizes". People who would never walk up to staff will happily text.
• Restaurant tables and menus: bookings, orders, feedback. Use a different pre-filled message per table or location.
• Packaging and delivery bags: reorders and support in one scan. This is how a first order becomes a second one.
• Business cards and flyers: better than printing a number nobody types.
• Trade show stands: collect leads without a clipboard. Every scan is a chat you can follow up.
• Car windows, shop fronts, property boards: anywhere people see you while they are not ready to call.

QR code size and printing: rules that save a reprint

• Dark on light, always. A pale code or a code on a dark background fails on many phones. Brand colours are fine if they are dark.
• Keep the white border. The downloaded PNG includes a quiet zone around the code. Do not crop it.
• Shorter message, simpler code. A long pre-filled message makes the code denser and harder to scan when printed small.
• Test before you print. Scan the PNG on screen with two phones, iPhone and Android.
• Say what happens. "Scan to chat on WhatsApp" under the code gets more scans than a bare code.

Other WhatsApp QR codes, and when to use which

• Your personal WhatsApp QR code: in WhatsApp, tap the QR icon next to your name in Settings. It adds you as a contact. Fine for friends, not ideal for a business.
• WhatsApp Business app QR code: in the Business app under Business tools, Short link, you can make a QR code with a default message. It only works for that app number.
• WhatsApp group QR code: open the group, tap its name, Invite via link, then QR code. People who scan join the group. Good for communities, risky for customers because everyone sees everyone's number.
• WhatsApp Web login QR code: the code on web.whatsapp.com that links a computer to your account. Nobody should ever send you one to scan.
• This generator: works for any WhatsApp number, app or API, with any pre-filled message, at print quality.

Which QR code brought the chat?

A QR code cannot tell you who scanned it, but the pre-filled message can tell you where they were. Make one code per location or campaign with a slightly different message ("Hi from the Mall of the Emirates stand", "Hi from the menu") and count the chats that start with each. On the WhatsApp Business API those first messages can be tagged automatically and routed to the right person.

Printing the code is the easy part. The chats it starts need an answer in minutes, in Arabic or English, including at 11pm. That is the part we run.