To put a QR code on your lock screen, save your business card’s QR code as an image, then set that image as your lock screen wallpaper: on iPhone through Settings > Wallpaper > Add New Wallpaper, on Android through Wallpapers & style. Shrink it so the clock and widgets don’t cover any part of the code. Then anyone can scan it without you unlocking the phone.
Why put a QR code on your lock screen
A QR code on your lock screen means you can share your card by turning your screen on. No unlocking, no hunting for an app, no fumbling while someone waits.
At a busy event you hold your phone up, they scan with their camera, and your card opens on their screen. If you already use your phone in place of paper cards, this saves a few seconds every time. Our guide to using your phone as a digital business card covers the other options, such as a home screen icon.
Step 1: Get the right QR code image
Use a QR code that links to your digital card, not one that contains your contact details directly. That one choice matters more than anything else in this guide.
Contact QR codes come in two kinds:
| QR type | What it holds | On a lock screen |
|---|---|---|
| Link QR | A web address for your card | Safe to show. Update your card anytime without a new image. |
| vCard QR | Your name, phone and email as text | Anyone who glances at your phone can scan your number. Changing a detail means a new wallpaper. |
Your lock screen sits face up all day on café tables, in meetings, on the train. Put a vCard QR code there and your phone number goes to anyone curious enough to point a camera at it. A link QR opens your card, which shows only what you chose to publish.
Every QRCard plan, Free included, lets you download your QR code. It points to your live profile, so when your job title or number changes you edit the card and the wallpaper keeps working. No code yet? See how to make a QR code for your business card.
Save the image to your photo library.
How to put a QR code on your iPhone lock screen
On iPhone, you set a QR code on your lock screen by adding it as a new wallpaper from your photos. Apple’s wallpaper guide gives these steps:
- Open the Settings app and tap Wallpaper.
- Tap Add New Wallpaper.
- Tap Photos and choose your QR code image.
- Resize and position the code if you need to, then tap Add.
- Tap Set as Wallpaper Pair. Apple says the image then appears on both the Home Screen and Lock Screen.
Faster: touch and hold the Lock Screen to open the wallpaper gallery, then tap Add. Apple documents this for iOS 16 and later.
That gallery also holds several Lock Screens you can swipe between. I keep one with the QR code for events and switch back to a normal one afterward, so the code isn’t on show all week.
How to put a QR code on your Android lock screen
On Android, you set a QR code on your lock screen from the Wallpapers & style menu, choosing your photo and applying it to the lock screen only. These are Google’s steps for Pixel phones:
- On your Home screen, touch and hold an empty space.
- Tap Wallpapers & style, then More wallpapers.
- Tap Change wallpaper.
- Select Lock screen so the change doesn’t touch your Home screen.
- Tap Choose a photo and pick your QR code image.
- Tap Preview, check the position, then tap Apply.
Other Android phones name these menus differently, so check your phone maker’s help pages if yours doesn’t match.
How to make sure the QR code scans
A lock screen QR code scans reliably only if the whole code and the clear margin around it stay visible. The clock, notifications, widgets and rounded screen corners are the usual culprits.
DENSO WAVE, which runs the official QR code site, states that “QR Code requires a four-module wide margin at all sides of a symbol.” A module is one of the small black or white squares, so leave empty space at least four squares wide on every side.
In practice:
- Shrink the code until it sits in the open middle of the screen, below the clock.
- Put a plain background, ideally white, around it. A busy photo eats into the margin.
- Look at the preview with notifications showing. On iPhone, Apple’s Customize option lets you remove widgets, so drop any that overlap the code.
- Before your next event, test it with another phone held at a normal arm’s length.
Still won’t scan? Turn up the brightness. A dim screen at night is often the real problem.
Widgets versus a wallpaper
A wallpaper works on any phone with no extra app, while a lock screen widget needs a dedicated app. Some digital card apps draw the QR code for you in a widget. It can look cleaner, but you’re trusting another app with your lock screen.
Use the wallpaper. It’s free, it works the same on iPhone and Android, and with a link QR you set it once.
The catch: a wallpaper is a fixed picture. Change the link itself, say a new username, and the old image keeps pointing to the old address until you replace it. Anyone who can see your phone can also scan it, which is why the code should open your card rather than hold your raw contact details.
To share without showing anything on your lock screen, use an NFC tag instead. Our NFC vs QR code comparison explains the trade-offs.
FAQ
Can people scan a QR code from my lock screen without unlocking my phone?
Yes. The QR code is just your wallpaper, so anyone can scan it while the phone is locked. That is the point, but it also means anyone who sees your phone can scan it.
Why won’t my lock screen QR code scan?
Usually the clock, a widget or the screen edge is covering part of the code or its margin. The QR standard needs a clear margin four modules wide on every side, so shrink the image until it sits in open space.
Should I use a vCard QR code or a link QR code on my lock screen?
A link to your digital card is the better choice. It keeps your phone number off a code anyone can scan from across the table, and you can update your details without changing the wallpaper.
Can I show the QR code on my lock screen only during work hours?
On iPhone you can create more than one Lock Screen and switch between them from the wallpaper gallery. Keep one with your QR code for events and a normal one for the rest of the time.
Does my QR code need to change if I update my card?
Not if it points to a live card link. A QRCard QR code always opens your current profile, so you only redo the wallpaper if you change the link itself.