The short answer

A QR code stops working for one of two reasons: the camera cannot read the print, or the link behind the code no longer leads where it should. Scan it with your phone's camera. If nothing happens, the problem is the print: its size, its colours, its margin or the surface it is on. If a page opens, the problem is the link: the site it opens has moved, or the page says the code is unavailable and why.

The camera does not react: the print

  • Too small for the distance. A code read from across a room needs to be wider than one on a card. The size calculator gives the smallest width for the distance.
  • Too little contrast. A dark code on a light background reads best. A light code on a dark background, or two close colours, is missed by many cameras.
  • No empty margin. The code needs blank space around it. A frame, a picture or text touching its edge stops it reading.
  • The surface. A glossy lamination that reflects light, a curved cup, a fold or dirt over one of the three corner squares.
  • Too much in a static code. A long text or link makes many tiny dots. An editable code holds only a short link, so its dots stay large.

The pre-print check reads a picture of your code and tells you its contrast and margin, and the test sheet prints it at several sizes so you scan each from where people will stand.

A static code holds its link in its pattern. If the site it opens moved or closed, the code cannot be changed: you print a new one. An editable code holds a short link, so you change where it leads in your account and the printed code opens the new place. Editable and static codes

The page says the code is unavailable

An editable Kuody code that does not open shows a short page saying why. Each has its fix in the code's account:

  • “QR code paused”: a plan stopped covering the code. It kept working for 90 days, then paused. It works again the moment a plan covers it, or when it is chosen among the 3 codes the free plan keeps.
  • “QR code unavailable” with “This QR code has been deactivated”: someone in the account switched it off. Switching it on brings it back.
  • “This QR code is no longer in use”: it was deleted. It stays in the trash for 30 days, and restoring it from there brings it back with the same link.
  • “This QR code has expired” or “Not active yet”: the code has dates, and today is outside them.
  • “Daily scan limit reached” or “Not available in your region”: limits its owner set on the scans of a day or on countries.
  • “This link has been disabled”: our team stopped the link after a report or a legal demand. Its owner sees the reason in the account, and can open a support ticket.

Codes that do not stop

A static code downloaded from the home page does not pass through kuody.com, so nothing on our side can stop it. An editable code that a plan covers is never paused, and the free plan covers 3 codes for good. No advertisement ever stands between a scan and the page it opens. Pricing