I Built a QR Scanner and QR Code Generator App for Android — Here's What I Learned

dileep — Sat, 26 Sep 2026 07:12:13 +0000

****QR codes have become part of everyday life.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myqrmart.universal_qr_scanner

We use them for websites, menus, payments, Wi-Fi access, event information, product information, and many other things. As an Android developer, I wanted to build a simple utility that could handle some of these everyday QR-code tasks in one place.

So I built QR Scanner, an Android app for scanning QR codes and generating QR codes.

Why I built it

There are already many QR-code applications available, so I wasn't trying to create a completely new concept.

My goal was to build a straightforward utility that combines QR scanning with some useful QR-code generation features.

While developing it, I also wanted to understand how users interact with a small utility app and what features actually make it useful in everyday situations.

What the app can do

Scan QR codes

The app can scan QR codes using the phone's camera and read the information contained in them.

Depending on the content, it can open the associated link or display the information.

Generate QR codes from text

You can enter text and generate a QR code from it.

This can be useful when you want to share information without asking someone to manually type it.

Generate QR codes for URLs

You can enter a website URL and create a QR code for that link.

Someone can then scan the generated QR code to access the website.

Generate Wi-Fi QR codes

The app also supports creating QR codes for Wi-Fi network information.

Instead of manually sharing network details, you can generate a QR code containing the required Wi-Fi information.

What I learned while building it

Building a small utility app sounds simple until you start thinking about the details.

A QR scanner needs to work reliably in different lighting conditions and with different QR-code sizes and orientations.

The interface also needs to be simple because users generally want to open the app, perform the task, and move on.

That made me focus on keeping the core experience straightforward rather than adding unnecessary complexity.

What I'd like to improve

The app is still something I'm continuing to improve.

I'd like to hear from Android users and developers about what they would add.

Some things I'd particularly like feedback on are:

What QR-code formats do you use most often?
What features are missing from the app?
Is the scanning experience fast enough?
Is the interface easy to understand?
Would you find additional QR-generation options useful?
Are there any parts of the experience that could be simpler?

Try the app

I've published the app on Google Play if you'd like to try it:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.myqrmart.universal_qr_scanner

I'd genuinely appreciate feedback, including criticism or feature suggestions.

My goal is to keep improving the app based on how people actually use it.

What's next?

I'm planning to continue working on the app and adding improvements based on user feedback.

For me, releasing the first version isn't the end of the development process.

It's the beginning of learning what real users actually need.

If you have built a utility app yourself, I'd also be interested in hearing about what you learned from your first release.

DEV Community: dileep