What even is a QR code?

Think of it as a beefed-up barcode. Those skinny little lines on products only hold about 20–30 characters. A QR code? It can stuff nearly 4,000 characters into the same space. Some Japanese guy at Denso Wave came up with it back in 1994 because the car factory needed something that could track parts faster and survive getting dirty or half-covered. It worked so well they never bothered patenting it—so now literally anyone can make them.

How we got here (short, version)

• 1994 – Invented at a Toyota parts supplier because regular barcodes sucked.
• Early 2000s – Japan loses its mind over them. Everyone else ignores them.
• 2011 – Android adds built-in QR reading. The world slowly wakes up.
• 2017 – Apple finally discovers QR codes exist, adds them to the iPhone camera in iOS 11 like it’s revolutionary.
• 2020 – Pandemic hits. Suddenly every restaurant thinks they invented contactless menus.
• Now – They’re on dog tags, tombstones, crypto scams, menus, concert tickets, crypto wallets, museum tours…

Why they’re actually useful

They scan lightning-fast from any angle, they still work if they’re scratched or half-buried under a sticker, and they hold a ridiculous amount of info. Plus they’re free for everyone to use. No licensing nonsense.

If you want to go down the rabbit hole, here are some solid links:

• Wikipedia’s QR code page – the whole nerdy backstory.
• Grokipedia's page on them
• Some wild usage stats – how crazy popular they’ve gotten.
• qrcode.com – straight from the company that invented them.
• A quick history article – easy five-minute read.