Android smartphones may soon scan QR codes faster and easier with new auto-zoom feature

QR codes are everywhere these days, from restaurant menus to boarding passes. In India, they are very essential for faster UPI payments. But scanning them can be a hassle, especially if they are too far away or too small to read.  Also Read: High-Risk Alert Issued For Google Chrome Users: Update Your Browser Now

Now, Google is addressing this problem and working on a new feature that could make QR code scanning faster and easier on Android phones. Also Read: Gemini Nano Banana AI Image Editor Rolls Out To Google Search And NotebookLM: Here’s What’s New

The feature uses Google’s machine learning to detect a QR code in the camera frame, zoom in, and read it automatically. The feature is not yet available to users, but it is part of the latest APIs that Google is offering to developers. Also Read: How To Create Unique Rangoli Designs For Diwali Using Gemini Nano Banana AI Tool: Check Prompt

According to Android expert Mishaal Rahman, the auto-zoom function is available in the new bundled ML Kit Barcode Scanning API library version 17.2.0 that can be built into apps (as well as unbundled version 18.3.0, which Google Play Services can download). It is also included in version 16.1.0 of the code scanner API alone.

“Looks like my assumption was right: Google is already preparing to upgrade Android’s QR code scanner with this new auto-zoom feature!” Mishaal wrote in an X post. 

Looks like my assumption was right: Google is already preparing to upgrade Android's QR code scanner with this new auto-zoom feature!https://t.co/ZpAFnUumCI

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) August 4, 2023

The code scanner API allows developers to use Google’s QR Code Scanner system app without having to request camera permissions or build a custom experience. The API leverages Google’s on-device machine learning to interpret QR codes, and it only outputs a Barcode object to the app to maintain privacy for users.

The auto-zoom feature could potentially make its way to devices running Android 13 or newer since their QR code scanner uses the same ML Kit Barcode Scanning library where this feature is being added. It may also already be rolling out via GMS, the proprietary parts of Android that Google licenses to select manufacturers, according to a screen recording from X (formerly Twitter) user AssembleDebug.

The feature’s performance on low-end Android phones with poor cameras remains uncertain, as does its availability on non-Pixel devices. But it is a cool feature, and we hope to see it in more apps and devices soon.

Meanwhile, Google is rolling out several updates to its Search service that will help users protect their privacy and control their online presence. The tech giant has improved its ‘results about you’ tool, which was released last year.

The ‘Results about you’ tool allows users to request the removal of search results that contain their personal information, such as phone number, email or home address.