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Plain answers about WhatsApp

How to scan a WhatsApp QR code, and the scam that abuses it

Open WhatsApp, go to Settings, tap the QR icon next to your name, and switch to the Scan tab — that adds a contact. To link a computer or tablet instead, use Settings → Linked devices → Link a device, which opens a scanner for the code on the other screen. The second one grants full access to your messages, so never scan a linking code that somebody else has shown you.

By Updated 6 min read
How to scan a WhatsApp QR code, and the scam that abuses it — illustrated summary card from Vobo, Features explained.

Key takeaways

  • Two different QR codes exist: contact codes, which are harmless, and device-linking codes, which are not.
  • Scanning someone else's linking QR gives them a live session on your account, reading everything.
  • Contact QR codes can be reset at any time, which invalidates every copy already shared.
  • Audit Settings → Linked devices occasionally. Companion sessions work even when your phone is off.

The two codes are not the same thing

This distinction is the whole article, and confusing the two is how people lose their accounts.

The two kinds of WhatsApp QR code
Contact QRDevice-linking QR
Where it livesSettings → your name → QR iconweb.whatsapp.com or the desktop app
What scanning doesAdds that person to your contactsGrants a device full access to your account
Who should scan itAnyone you want to swap numbers withOnly you, on a screen you control
Risk if misusedThey get your phone number, which they would anywayThey read all your messages, indefinitely
ReversibleReset the code at any timeLog the device out at Settings → Linked devices
The two kinds of WhatsApp QR code

Scanning a contact QR code

Adding a contact by QR

  1. Open Settings and tap your nameAndroid: three-dot menu → Settings, then your profile row. iPhone: the Settings tab, then your name at the top.
  2. Tap the QR icon beside your nameYou get two tabs: 'My code', which shows yours, and 'Scan code', which opens the camera.
  3. Switch to 'Scan code' and point at theirsIt detects automatically; there is no shutter button. Grant camera permission if prompted.
  4. Confirm the contactWhatsApp shows the name and number and offers to add them. Nothing is saved until you confirm.

The advantage over typing digits is that it cannot be mistyped, and it handles international formats correctly — a common source of contacts that never appear, discussed in using WhatsApp internationally.

Resetting your contact code

Your contact QR encodes a link to your account. If you have printed it, put it on a poster or shared it more widely than you meant to, you can invalidate every existing copy.

Open the QR screen, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Reset QR code. Old codes stop working immediately. Note what this does not do: it does not hide your phone number, which is visible to anyone you have ever messaged regardless — see does WhatsApp show your phone number.

Linking a computer or tablet

Linking a device the right way

  1. Open web.whatsapp.com on the computerOr open the WhatsApp desktop app. A QR code appears on that screen. Make sure it is genuinely web.whatsapp.com — phishing pages imitating this screen exist.
  2. On your phone, open Settings → Linked devicesOn iPhone this is in the Settings tab; on Android it is under the three-dot menu.
  3. Tap 'Link a device'Your phone may ask for your fingerprint, face or passcode first. That prompt is a safeguard, not an obstacle.
  4. Point the phone at the code on the computer screenIt links within a second or two and the chats load on the computer.
  5. Check the list afterwardsThe same screen lists every linked device with its last activity. Log out anything you do not recognise.
How the QR linking scam works. Every step looks ordinary, which is why it succeeds.
How the QR linking scam works. Every step looks ordinary, which is why it succeeds.

Auditing linked devices

Worth doing every few months, and immediately if anything feels wrong. Settings → Linked devices lists every session with the device type and when it was last active.

  • Log out anything you do not recognise, straight away.
  • Log out computers you no longer use — a session on an old work laptop is still live access.
  • Remember that companion devices keep working when your phone is switched off, so 'my phone was with me' proves nothing.
  • If you find an unfamiliar session, log it out and then turn on two-step verification. The broader response is in can WhatsApp be hacked.

When the scanner will not work

  1. Camera permission denied. Android: Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Permissions → Camera. iPhone: Settings → WhatsApp → Camera.
  2. The code will not focus. Increase the brightness of the screen showing it, and hold the phone about 20 to 30 centimetres away.
  3. The linking code has expired. Codes on web.whatsapp.com refresh every minute or so; reload the page for a fresh one.
  4. You are scanning with the phone's own camera app rather than WhatsApp's scanner. Contact codes work either way; linking codes must be scanned from inside WhatsApp.

If the app is failing more generally rather than just at the scanner, work through why WhatsApp is not working.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find my WhatsApp QR code?

Settings, then tap your name, then the QR icon beside it. The 'My code' tab shows yours; the 'Scan code' tab opens the camera to scan somebody else's.

Is it safe to scan a WhatsApp QR code?

A contact code is safe — it only exchanges a phone number. A device-linking code is not, if it belongs to somebody else: scanning theirs gives their device full, persistent access to your messages. Never scan a linking code shown to you by another person.

Can someone hack my WhatsApp with a QR code?

They can take over reading your messages if they persuade you to scan their WhatsApp Web linking code. It is not a technical break — it is you authorising their device. Check Settings → Linked devices and log out anything unfamiliar.

How do I reset my WhatsApp QR code?

Open the QR screen, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Reset QR code. Every previously shared copy stops working immediately. It does not affect your phone number or your existing chats.

Sources

  1. How to scan a QR code — WhatsApp Help CenterSupports: The contact QR scanning flow, the location of the code and the reset option.
  2. How to use WhatsApp on linked devices — WhatsApp Help CenterSupports: The device-linking process, the biometric confirmation, and that companion devices work when the phone is offline.
  3. About scams on WhatsApp — WhatsApp Help CenterSupports: WhatsApp's own warnings about pretexts used to obtain access to an account.

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