How a WhatsApp QR code works
The QR code stores a wa.me click-to-chat link, the format documented on WhatsApp's help page about click to chat (faq.whatsapp.com/5913398998672934): https://wa.me/ plus your full international number, with ?text= and a URL-encoded message if you want one. Phone cameras on iOS and Android recognise the link and offer to open it in WhatsApp.
Because the code is static, the number and message are fixed inside it. Changing either means printing a new code, so test the message before you print large runs. If you need to change the destination later, point the code at a short URL on your own domain that redirects to wa.me.
Colours, contrast and the quiet zone
Scanners look for dark modules on a light background. Keep the code darker than the background and aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1; the generator blocks downloads below that, and when the colours are inverted, because many phone scanners fail on light-on-dark codes. Brand colours work well for the code if they are deep enough, such as navy, dark green or charcoal.
Every code also needs a quiet zone: a blank margin at least four modules wide on all sides, as the QR standard (ISO/IEC 18004) requires. Our downloads include it. Do not crop it away or place the code over a busy photo.
Error correction and adding the WhatsApp logo
QR codes carry Reed-Solomon error correction at four levels. The level controls how much of the code can be damaged or covered while it still scans, and higher levels make the code denser.
When you switch on the centre logo, the tool forces level H and keeps the logo to about 5% of the code area, well inside the 30% recovery budget, so the code still scans. A logo also makes the purpose clear: people are more likely to scan a code when they know it opens WhatsApp.
- L recovers about 7%: smallest code, for clean screens only.
- M recovers about 15%: a good default for screens and digital use.
- Q recovers about 25%: print, packaging and outdoor signs.
- H recovers about 30%: required with a centre logo and for rough surfaces.
Print size and placement checklist
A practical rule is that the code should be at least one tenth of the scanning distance: about 2 to 3 cm for a business card or receipt held in the hand, 10 cm for a counter sign read from a metre away, and much larger for windows and posters. Use the SVG download for print; it is vector and stays sharp at any size.
Put a call to action next to the code that says what happens and why: "Scan to chat with us on WhatsApp for order help." Print your number in text too, for people who cannot scan, and say when you reply.
- Avoid curved, glossy or folded areas on packaging.
- Keep long pre-filled messages for digital use: longer text makes denser codes that need more print size.
- Test-print and scan with several Android and iOS phones under real lighting.
Static QR codes versus Meta's API QR codes
Numbers on the WhatsApp Business Platform can also create QR codes and short links through Meta. According to Meta's developer documentation, those codes allow a pre-filled message of up to 140 characters, the message can be edited later without changing the code, and each phone number can have up to 2,000 of them. Meta does not provide scan analytics for them either.
A static code from this generator works for any WhatsApp number, needs no account and never expires. For field teams, BroadNet's WhatsApp digital business cards give each salesperson a scannable QR card, and every chat lands in one shared inbox where the whole team can follow up.