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QRGenerate

SMS QR Code Generator

Let people text you in one scan. Enter a phone number and an optional draft message — they’re encoded into the QR code entirely in your browser, never uploaded — and the live scannability check tests that the code reads before you print.

Enter a phone number to generate the code.

How an SMS QR code works

The code encodes a short string in the SMSTO:<number>:<message> scheme. When a phone scans it, the camera or scanner app hands that string to the messaging app, which opens a new conversation to your number with the draft text already typed in. The sender reviews it and taps send — the QR code never sends anything on its own. It’s ideal for a “Text us to book” poster, an opt-in keyword, or a feedback prompt on a receipt, where you want to lower the friction of starting the message but keep the final send in the sender’s hands.

Format your number

Always write the number in full international form: a leading plus, the country code, then the line — for example +15555550123. A code printed in one country is often scanned in another, and a bare local number can dial the wrong place or fail to resolve. Skip spaces, dashes, and parentheses; the cleaner the number, the fewer scanners that trip over it. Keep the message short, too — a long draft makes the code denser and the modules smaller, so the scannability check above will flag it before it becomes hard to read.

Frequently asked questions

Does scanning the code send the text automatically?

No. Scanning only opens the phone's messaging app with your number — and any draft message — already filled in. The person scanning still reads it and taps send themselves, so nothing leaves their phone without a deliberate action.

What's the difference between SMSTO: and SMS:?

Both are QR text schemes for starting a message. This generator uses SMSTO:number:message, the format ZXing defined and the one Android and most scanner apps handle most reliably. The older SMS: scheme is recognised less consistently across phones, which is why SMSTO is the safer default.

Can I use an international phone number?

Yes, and you should. Write the number in full E.164 form with the country code and a leading plus, like +15555550123. A bare local number may misdial when the code is scanned in another country, so the international format keeps the code portable.

Will the code stop working or expire?

No. The number and message are baked directly into the QR image, so it is a static code with no server, link, or account behind it. It keeps working as long as that phone number is active.

Related

References

This tool’s QR generation and scannability checks are grounded in the following standards and primary sources.

Reviewed by Jimmy Raymond, Engineer
B.S. Environmental Engineering · B.S. Computer Science · Last reviewed June 3, 2026

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