QR code for an SMS

A QR code for an SMS opens the messaging app with the number and text filled in. A person points the camera and just taps "Send". Inside the code is a string of the form SMSTO:number:text that iPhone and Android understand.

What to fill in

• Phone number — the recipient, ideally in international format (+7…)
• Message text — a draft the person sends as is or completes

You can leave the text empty — then a blank message to the given number opens.

Where it is used

• Promos and subscriptions. "Text START to a short number" — the client will not mistype the number or the word.
• Feedback. A ready message simplifies the first contact.
• Voting and sign-up. A code on a poster or in a hall — the person sends a short command.

What to keep in mind

The code does not send the message itself — it only opens the app with the fields filled in. The person sees the text and decides whether to send. The cost of the SMS depends on the sender's plan, which is worth noting next to the code.

How to check

1. Scan the code on iPhone and Android — a message with the number and text should open.
2. Make sure the international-format number is read correctly.
3. Print the code dark on light, with margins, as a 1024-pixel PNG or SVG.

Add a call-to-action caption and a logo so the person knows to scan the code and send the message.

Number and text format

Write the number in international format with a plus — short service numbers work too. Cyrillic text is encoded and makes the code denser, so keep the message short. On some Android phones the code opens SMS via the SMSTO scheme, on iPhone the Messages app; for the person the result is the same.