What phone and SMS QR codes do
A phone QR code opens the dialler with your number ready to call; an SMS QR code opens the messaging app with your number and, optionally, a pre-written message. Both remove the transcription step that loses customers: reading a number off a poster, switching apps, typing it, getting a digit wrong. This generator makes either type in your browser. Choose the mode, enter the number in international format, add a message for SMS if you want one, and download the code.
What is inside the code
Phone: tel:+14155551234
SMS: smsto:+14155551234:Hi, I'd like to book a table for tonight
International format: + country code, then the number with no spaces or dashestel: is the universal standard for phone links. For SMS, the generator uses SMSTO:, which is supported by iOS, Android and virtually all scanner apps and reliably carries a pre-filled body; the alternative sms: syntax varies between platforms.
Always use the international format
Write numbers as + followed by the country code and the national number without the leading trunk zero: a UK number 020 7946 0000 becomes +442079460000; a Thai number 081 234 5678 becomes +66812345678; a US number (415) 555-1234 becomes +14155551234. A code written this way works for a tourist with a foreign SIM and for anyone roaming; a local-format number may fail or dial the wrong country.
| Country | Code | Example |
|---|---|---|
| United States / Canada | +1 | +1 415 555 1234 |
| United Kingdom | +44 | +44 20 7946 0000 |
| Germany | +49 | +49 30 1234567 |
| Australia | +61 | +61 2 9876 5432 |
| Thailand | +66 | +66 81 234 5678 |
| Japan | +81 | +81 3 1234 5678 |
| India | +91 | +91 98765 43210 |
Phone or SMS?
- Phone for urgent or complex matters — bookings by phone, emergency contacts, sales lines, taxi ranks, customer service that is staffed.
- SMS when the recipient may be busy, when the message needs a record, or when you want a keyword: a pre-filled “JOIN” or “MENU” lets a texting service respond automatically.
- SMS with a pre-filled message is also a low-tech lead-capture tool: “Text QUOTE to get a call back” on a van or a shop window.
Common uses
- Vehicle livery and shop windows — call or text without stopping to write the number down.
- Business cards and name badges.
- Restaurant flyers — “Text to reserve”.
- Rental and property signs — “Call to view”.
- Support stickers on equipment — the maintenance line, on the machine itself.
- Event and venue signage — lost property, security, help desk.
- Opt-in campaigns — a keyword SMS to a short code.
Tips
- Print the number in text next to the code for people without a scanner and for accessibility.
- Keep SMS bodies under 160 characters — one message segment — and avoid emoji, which switch the message to a smaller 70-character encoding.
- Codes for numbers are short, so they scan well even at 2 cm; a long SMS body needs a bigger print.
- Test that the pre-filled message appears on both iOS and Android before printing.