Can't scan QR codes after iOS 18 Update (again)

I was having the same issue after updating to iOS 18. I did a spotlight search for "QR" and under Apps there was a result called "Code Scanner". It worked great. Not sure if the default camera app is still supposed to be scanning codes, but this is a good workaround for now.

My 7th gen iPad just got 18.1 and the QR code scanning issue is resolved in the app that I needed it to work with.

iPadOS 18.1 does solve the QR Code reading issue introduced in iPadOS 18.0 in the Apple Camera App.

Unfortunately iPadOS 18.1 does NOT fix the issue in the core APIs, so NOT all Apps that include QR Code reading will work correctly on iPadOS 18.1. In fact the issue has been made much worse in iPadOS 18.1 as it also impacts Apps using Facial Recognition.

So, if you only need to use the Camera App, you can safely upgrade to iPadOS 18.1.

If you have other Apps where you need this functionality, do NOT upgrade to iPadOS 18.1.

Note that the issue is very specific to certain iPad models.

iPad Gen 8, 9, and 10 are NOT impacted.

if I go to this site QR Code Generator | Create Your Free QR Codes (qr-code-generator.com)

type in an url to a website

take my ipad pro m2 (ipadOS 18) and enter the control centre

click on the barcode scan icon there

point the cam on the rq website on my computer monitor

the ipad scan and goes to the website in question using the safari browser

The issue is only impacting certain model iPads.

If your iPad is impacted, one partial workaround is to use the Code Scanner.

However, if you have a 3rd party App that scans QR codes, you are completely out of luck.

You just have to wait for Apple to release a fix.

If you just want to read a QR code to open a Web page, this is a valid (but annoying) workaround.

If you have a 3rd party App that reads QR codes for some other purpose, you are completely out of luck.

You have to either: a) Restore your iPad from a backup (if you have one) b) Wait for Apple to release a fix....

I confirm the issue seems to be resolved in 18.1.

Hopefully this is the last time we see this bug re-introduced...

Might work on normal size QR but it won’t zoom or focus for smaller codes. No support or settings