[gblargg]

> A software tool should exist to repair QR codes.

Seems that the solution is to add more redundancy (and stop covering the center pixels with an icon). The codes are designed to be self-correcting if the damage is slight enough or more redundancy is added.

[Anonbrit]

If the problem is that the software can't find the centre, it could say so ,- that would hint to people that their icon is the problem

[stavros]

The problem isn't that it can't find the center, it's that you reduce redundancy by replacing those pixels with the icon. It can find the center fine and still be unable to scan because there isn't enough information there.

[fragmede]

but also because the link used has a bunch of tracking clumsily added, which further complicates scanning the thing. Compare the visual complexity of the QR code for HTTP://INSTAGRAM.COM/USERNAME (all caps is important*) vs the cutesy one the app generates.

* https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2025/02/why-are-qr-codes-with-capit...

[stavros]

Yes, but that's more of a failing of the standard (a very natural usage pattern ends up being bad) vs what the user (or some app) did.

[fragmede]

I wanted to lampshade the caps part, but more explicitly, the QR code's Instagram link to my profile has igsh=xxxxxxxxxxxxx%3D%3D&utm_source=qr appened to it, where the X's are some tracking id. that tracking id that instafram app forces on people makes the qr code much more complicated (= smaller dots on a bigger qr code) which scans just fine on a iPhone 16 that instagram devs use, but that an 8 year old $50 Android phone isn't going to like as much.