Apple ProRAWĪpple ProRAW is a new file format for images which preserves both the untouched RAW image from the camera sensor, and also all of Apple’s intelligent edits to the photo. It can be enabled in Settings > Control Center if you’d rather have a dedicated scanner rather than using Camera. Code Scanner has been around for a while, but it’s off by default so you might have missed it. If you do come across any App Clip Codes, you can scan them from the Camera app, or via the Code Scanner feature in Control Center. The lack of cross-platform support is still an issue though, so I’m tentatively hoping that Apple is working behind the scenes to get Google to adopt the concept into Android. Scooters and meters both use apps to make payments, so App Clip Codes are a lighter-weight alternative. Apple has advertised App Clip Codes stamped on electric scooters, as well as on parking meters.

I expect that App Clip Codes will have an easier time gaining momentum in more technical scenarios that otherwise require an app. I’m not sure how Apple would be able to breach this market since App Clips would at best provide a slightly nicer experience than the perfectly fine one of viewing menus on the web. QR codes are entirely cross-platform, while App Clip Codes are (at least for now) fully proprietary. Especially since the pandemic began earlier this year, QR codes have become a staple at restaurants, bars, and other businesses as an easy no-touch way to access menus and other one-off information.

It feels like mass App Clip Code adoption is going to be an uphill battle for Apple. The App Clip Codes themselves of course still need to be deployed into the world before any are available to be scanned. I’m not quite sure what could have held up this scanning feature since it seems pretty straightforward, but at least it’s here now only a few months late. As of iOS 14.3, these tags can now be scanned by tapping or using the camera of an iPhone or iPad.

These are small NFC tags stamped with a circular QR-code-esque pattern. App Clips Codes are the best way for App Clips to be made available in the wild. They’re a nice way to get a small, quick download of just a portion of an app that you need for a small task. We covered App Clips when they were released alongside iOS 14 in September.

Best qr code reader for mac