SMS QR Code Generator
Make a code that opens a text message with the number — and the message — already filled in. The sender still presses send.
How to use it
Enter the number the message should go to, and optionally the text to pre-fill. Scanning the code opens the phone's messaging app with both already filled in — the sender reads it, edits it if they want, and presses send themselves. Nothing is sent automatically, and no phone can be made to send a message just by scanning a code.
Write the number in full international form, starting with the country code:
+919876543210. A number without one only works for people whose phone is
already registered in the same country, which defeats the point of a printed code.
What it is good for
The pre-filled message is what makes this useful rather than a novelty. A code on a parking sign that pre-fills the bay number, a shortcode competition entry, a “text JOIN to subscribe” poster, a maintenance sticker on a machine that pre-fills its asset number — in each case the person scanning is spared typing something they would probably get wrong.
Keep the pre-filled text short. It is a starting point for the sender, not a letter, and every character makes the printed code denser.
Which format this uses
The code holds an SMSTO: payload. There is a competing sms:
URI form, and both are widely understood, but SMSTO is the one QR scanners have
implemented consistently for longest and it handles message text containing punctuation
more predictably.
One genuine limitation: this addresses one recipient. Codes that appear to message several people are relying on app-specific behaviour that does not survive across phones.
Frequently asked questions
Does scanning the code send the message automatically?
No, and no QR code can do that. Scanning opens the messaging app with the number and text filled in; the person still has to press send. This is a deliberate restriction in both iOS and Android, and it is the reason SMS codes are safe to print in public.
Can I put a message in without a number?
No. The format needs a recipient — a message with nobody to send it to has nowhere to go. If you want to hand someone text they can copy, use the Text & URL page instead.
Will it work with a shortcode?
Usually. Five- and six-digit shortcodes work on most phones, though a few carriers handle them oddly when they arrive from a link rather than being typed. Test with the actual shortcode on both an iPhone and an Android phone before printing.
Should the number include the country code?
Yes. Write it as +919876543210. A number without a country code only resolves for people whose phone is registered in the same country, and a printed code is likely to be scanned by someone whose is not.
Do standard message rates apply?
Yes. The code just opens the messaging app; the message is an ordinary SMS from the sender's phone and is billed as one.