Google Pixel devices are known to be fluid, reliable, and extremely clean, unlike devices from some other Android OEMs that tend to be packed with bloatware.

With that said, Pixel devices are targeted towards people who want to experience the best of Android and how it was intended to be.

You may not find fancy software features and gimmicks on Pixel devices but you do get some useful options.

One such lifesaving feature, which most Android phones do have, is the ability to scan QR codes directly from the stock camera app on Pixel phones.

QR code on Google Pixel devices

Just point the camera viewfinder on a QR code and the required action i.e. opening a link, making payment, etc. will be taken without ever needing to install any scanning app. Pretty neat.

But recently, the QR code function is not performing up to the mark for some Pixel users, where the phone takes quite a long time in scanning the content of QR code. Comparably, way slow than iPhones.

A thread regarding the issue with slow QR Code recognition on Google Pixels popped up on Reddit recently, as highlighted below:

Google Pixel QR code scanning slow
Source

Yes it is. I was in Bicester village and we had to scan the QR codes to go into shops and i was having trouble to get the QR code to show up. My wife’s iPhone 12 pro max recognised it instantly.
Source

But it turns out that the issue of slow QR code scanning on Google Pixel devices has been persistent for some users for a long time.

Has anyone else noticed that the camera takes quite a long time to register QR codes?
I just changed from a galaxy S10 plus and that thing would parse a QR code from literally any angle. I find that with the Pixel 5 I need to be exactly square and sometimes it won’t read at all.
Source

The QR code scanner on my pixel 5 is terribly slow to pick up any code it sees.
In a world filled with having to scan QR codes any time you enter a venue for a drink or a meal etc (thanks covid), it is very frustrating for all including the people behind me waiting to do the same thing.
Source

On the one hand, some say QR code recognition is instant and flawless on the devices such as Pixel 3a.

instant-QR-scanner-for-Google-Pixel-3a
Source

On the other hand, many complaints suggest that QR code scanning on certain Google Pixel devices such as the Pixel 5 is slow and does not work as intended.

This is a tad strange considering that we, or anyone else, would have expected the opposite to be true.

Hopefully, this catches Google’s eye, and they roll out a solution wherein QR code recognition is consistent and seamless across all Pixel phones.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Ramneek Singh
25 Posts

A tech freak obsessed with smartphones, UX, and dark mode who also has a knack for writing.

Next article View Article

Google Drive not letting users play videos, throws 'allowed playbacks has been exceeded' error

Google Drive users have been dealing with an issue for years where they get an 'allowed playbacks has been exceeded' error when trying to play videos. And Google has still...
Feb 20, 2024 2 Min Read