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Scan a QR code on the same phone

When the QR code is displayed on the very phone you'd scan it with, the camera can't see it. The fix: screenshot the code, then let Semacode read the screenshot in your browser.

Scan it nowHow it works
Nothing is uploaded – it all runs on your device.

The screenshot trick, in three steps

Screenshot the code

Take a screenshot of the QR code on your screen – in an app, email, ticket or website.

Open Semacode & upload

Open Semacode in your browser and drop in the screenshot. No app to install.

Open the link

Semacode decodes it and shows the link or content, ready to tap and open.

Why the camera can't do it

The same-screen problem

Your camera films the world in front of it, not its own display. A screenshot bridges that gap.

Works in any app

A ticket in your wallet, a chat-app login QR, an email code – if you can screenshot it, we can read it.

Phone or desktop

The same trick works on a computer: snip the code and upload it.

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Frequently asked questions

How do I scan a QR code that's on my own phone screen?
Take a screenshot of the code, then upload that screenshot to Semacode in your browser. It reads the code from the image, so you don't need a second device.
Why can't my camera scan a code on the same phone?
The camera points outward at the world, not at its own screen, so it can never see a code shown on that same phone. Reading the screenshot solves it.
Do I need another phone or an app?
Neither. A screenshot plus your browser is enough – no second device and no install.
Does it work for wallet passes and login QR codes?
Yes. Anything you can screenshot – tickets, wallet passes, chat-app login codes – can be read from the image.

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