As the page does not discuss the motivation behind the API, does anyone know why this is ”native” API and not just a generic image processing script implemented with JavaScript / WebGL / etc.?
Consider the following facts:
1. This was designed by Google
2. Google Play Services provides an API for detecting barcodes, faces and text https://developers.google.com/android/reference/com/google/a...
3. Chrome gets a shape detection API for detecting barcodes, faces and text https://web.dev/shape-detection/
Of course, it's a matter of perspective whether you want to see this as lovers of the free web helping webapps to feature parity with native apps; or Google churning out yet another low-effort standard that's easy for them and difficult for all their competitors.
My experience with an actual bottom-of-the-line prepaid phone was that the first QR scanner app I downloaded from Google Play worked right the first time but I had to try six different apps before I found one that worked with my Samsung Tablet.
A web-based scanner would be a possible answer, though really Google and the phone makers and the carriers should have prioritized a "just works" solution years ago.
My Motorola One can do that as well and IIRC the "moto g4" I had before that too.
It's hidden, but I believe it's built in the default camera app now.
I've learned that my last 3 phones have had it built in.
My current phone (Nokia 3.4) doesn't have it, but previous one (Motorala One) did. Ironic, since I chose them for being about as close to stock as you can get, both in the 'Android One' programme (so also comparatively LTS).
I didn't know Lens had it, I've never used it. (I have all Google apps disabled.)
The Google camera app does support QR codes FWIW, but I don't know if any other vendors except Google use it.
In the past two years, due to COVID, a lot of restaurants and dining establishments got rid of paper menus and left people with "here is a QR code, scan it to see the menu". This is the most common situation I've encountered this in. It wasn't just a few restaurants that did this, it was heavy majority of places here (Seattle).
- Lately it's been pretty common for restaurants to replace their physical menus with a QR code on the table that links to their online menu.
- When I've taken COVID tests recently, the site gives me a sticker with a QR code that links to my results page.
- I encoded my wifi network/password into a QR code and printed it out, so guests can just scan it to join, rather than have to scroll and find the right network and type in a password.
You can put up a QR code to point people to the web app which controls the IoT functions in a space, music system, etc.
They're popular for street-level advertisements for (concerts, events, clubs, jobs) to provide a link to more information without the consumer having to type a url into the browser. This is more important if you don't want to pay for a pithy high-level domain as a landing page for the thing you are advertising.
I have also seen them for easily entering WiFi credentials to your device on a new network.
They can be used in museums to link to self-guided tour information on the artwork/exhibits you are looking at. This used to be done more with rentable/loanable walkman+headset kind of devices, but makes more sense to do on one's own mobile device now.
So my use cases are (1) I am demoing the cards for people, and (2) I give the cards away for free (If it wasn’t for the supply chain crisis I’d be creating a new card design every day) or put up an installation somewhere and people interact with them. Either way I want it to be very easy for people.
Basically everywhere uses a QR code for something of importance
They're also in some restaurants where you can get to a menu to order from your phone.
You also scan QR codes for use in two factor authentication apps.
Covid has normalised QR code scanning in Australia - we have to do it at certain venues in order to show our vaccine passes.
After all, a modern cell phone could be producing 4k 30fps video, and high performance barcode decoders will detect linear barcodes with lines a single pixel wide, even in the presence of moderate noise/blur/overexposure (e.g. the barcode on a shiny can of coke)
Of course, I've got no idea if browsers will provide high performance barcode reading, or something simpler like zxing.
And I've got to say, it's not obvious to me why browsers would implement a barcode scanning API in preference to a more general accelerated image processing API. Plenty of other applications want to do real time video processing in the browser - such as video call background removal.
[0] or things like Google Play Services.