Android 14 might bring a welcome quality-of-life upgrade for scanning QR codes

We’ve had QR scan codes since forever, but for some reason, they continue to feel a bit clunky to use even though there has been so much time to improve them. It sounds like Google is well aware of that, however, as the company is reportedly working on an auto-zoom feature that would make the whole process of scanning QR codes with your phone easier.

The report comes from reputable Android analyst Mishaal Rahman, who recently shared that Google has updated its ML (machine learning) Kit’s Barcode Scanning and Code Scanner with a new auto-zoom feature. As the name suggests, this enables the camera to automatically zoom in when it is pointed at a QR code that’s too far away.

Essentially, this is a quality-of-life improvement, as users will no longer have to manually zoom in or physically get close to the barcode. Currently, this new feature seems to already be available in Google Mobile Services (GMS), as shown by another X (formerly Twitter) user under Mishaal Rahman’s tweet.

One concern about this new QR scanning feature is how well it would work on different types of Android phones. Google is using its impressive machine learning and AI smarts to make it possible, so would other handsets support the feature? Even though it is supposedly coming with the release of Android 14, we can’t know for certain if it would be a Pixel-exclusive feature.

Android 14 should be just around the corner though, and set to start rolling out this August. Alongside the improved QR code scanning, there are other notable quirks and features coming with the new update. For example, we expect to see improvements with the Material You visual language making it even more customizable than it already is. A more practical change is increased power efficiency and performance.