Profile QR Codes Come To Twitter

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Clearly, Snap Inc. has set a high bar against which other social media outlets must vainly jump towards. This translates into a lot of stolen ideas; rip-offs from Instagram and WhatsApp were just the start. Case in point, Twitter has just announced that they are launching profile QR codes.

Similarly picture slideshow displayed in the center of each user's Snapcode, Twitter will feature a profile picture centered on the QR code. Upon activating the Twitter QR code, users are free to use the code online as well as in the physical world, like on business cards or t-shirts (hello aggressive marketing).

Announced 16 November, Twitter's newest feature is available on iOS and Android.

• For iPhones, tap the gear icon in the app and select "QR code" from the drop-down list. Once the code is displayed, tap the top right arrow to bring up options: change your picture within the code, tweet the code with your followers, or share the code on another service. In the same drop-down list, users will find a QR scanner which can be used to scan another's code. Scanning will pull up that user's profile, prompting a confirmation for follow. 
• For Android, utility comes from the slide-out menu on the left, or tap the ellipsis at the top right of the profile page. The menus mirror the iPhone. 

Twitter QR codes must be activated in order to add friends.

📢 hella pumped to announce the launch of QR codes on twitter! they work like snap codes!!

find yours: profile > gear > QR code pic.twitter.com/lvAr97bHj6

— brittany (@brittanyforks) November 16, 2016

Snapchat Did It First!

Marketing Land

QR codes never truly caught on. Initially, the codes were used to grant immediate access to bonus content or URLs; though, the were finicky and required people to download a QR reader app. It took more time to operate around the code than it did to simply type in a URL. Snap Inc. integrated QR codes into their business model early in September 2014 after acquiring Scan.me, a QR code startup. Utilising the startup technology, which connected QR codes to people's identities, each Snapchatter was given a unique, Snapchat-branded QR code. The code is called a Snapcode (also called Snaptag) and it makes adding friends quick and painless. While in camera mode, the Snapcode can be found by clicking the ghost at the top of the screen. Once the QR code is on-screen, a friend can automatically follow by scanning the code with their Snapchat camera.

Incorporating this easy process into the ephemeral visual content-sharing app meshes beautifully with their vibe. It was so well-received that Snap Inc. allowed users to use vector versions of their Snapcode for use on- or off-line applications. All too familiar, I'd say.