Following the maxim that if something works, it’s better not to touch it, the recently landed Android 13 update is one of the versions with the least new features that we remember. However, it incorporates small details that help in everyday life and that, if they were removed again, they would cause a certain revolution.
This is the case of quick access to QR reader. As surprising as it may seem, natively it was not a function that was present in Android 12 and earlier versions. In this ’13’ it happens, but perhaps too late for what was the culmination of these codes.
Installs in 5 seconds and fires in 1
If you have a Google Pixel with Android 13 or any other device that is going to receive the corresponding update, you can drag the quick settings bar and, by clicking on Edit, move the QR reader to make it more accessible. Once you have it, it’s as simple as tap it to open camera with QR code scanner.
As you will see, there is no mystery and it will not be something that will change your life. It hasn’t changed for me either, but yes I would have been much more useful 2 years ago. The reason? The COVID-19 pandemic and the spread of QR codes in cafes and restaurants to view the menu.
Beyond analyzing whether the virus could really spread easily by manipulating paper letters, the truth is that all (or almost all) establishments offered it in this way. And although many continue, there is no doubt that a QR reader integration as quick access would have been much more useful then, since it would have saved us from having to download third-party applications
And beware, I’m not particularly against installing apps. In fact, I think I would be a Google Play VIP customer if such a distinction existed. However, it seemed too absurd to have to download an app for something so simple. And even more given the rise of malware in apps to read QR codes
Cybercriminals took advantage of the circumstance. All of us who went to an establishment for a drink or dinner had to scan these codes. Having to install an app for this on our Android devices has become great cover. The Google’s fault in this case it is not having correctly applied the security filters of your store. And, indirectly, certainly guilty for not having integrated such a simple and necessary function at a time like this.
Anyway, and without wanting to make an absolute drama of the non-existence of this function until now, I will apply another maxim: better late than never. And grateful for this small detail which, along with many others seen for years on Android, serves to make Google’s operating system more and more mature.
