# WiFi QR
> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/wifi-qr
> research date 2026-06-03 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards
Specifications:
- [Barcode Contents — ZXing Wiki](https://github.com/zxing/zxing/wiki/Barcode-Contents)
- [Wi-Fi Easy Connect — Android Open Source Project](https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/wifi-easy-connect)
## Overview
**WiFi QR** is a plain-text data format encoded inside a standard [QR Code](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/qr-code) symbol that carries the credentials needed to join a wireless network. When a phone camera decodes the payload, the operating system recognizes the `WIFI:` prefix and offers a one-tap "join network" action instead of requiring the user to type an SSID and password by hand [6][6].
The payload is a single line of `key:value;` pairs of the form `WIFI:T:WPA;S:mynetwork;P:mypass;;`, where `S` is the SSID, `T` the authentication type, and `P` the password [1][1]. It is not an official IETF or ISO standard; rather it is a **de facto convention documented by the ZXing project** that camera apps on Android and iOS implement [1][1].
## History
The `WIFI:` format derives its grammar directly from NTT DoCoMo's [MeCard](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mecard) contact syntax — the same `TAG:value;` structure, the same backslash-escaping rules, and the same terminating double semicolon [1][1]. ZXing documented it in its "Barcode Contents" wiki page as part of the conventions the library encodes and decodes [1][1].
Apple's **iOS 11** (released September 2017) made the system Camera app decode QR codes natively, including WiFi-configuration codes: pointing the camera at a `WIFI:` code surfaces a "Join [Network Name]" banner [7][7]. Android gained an analogous capability, and **Android 10 (Q)** added a system "Share" QR feature in the Wi-Fi settings that both generates and scans network QR codes; that release also introduced support for the Wi-Fi Alliance's separate **Wi-Fi Easy Connect / Device Provisioning Protocol (DPP)** as a WPS replacement, which uses a different QR payload than the ZXing `WIFI:` convention [8][8].
A divergence later emerged around **WPA3**: the WPA3 specification requires characters outside the printable set and semicolons to be **percent-encoded**, whereas the original ZXing convention (and Android's implementation) escapes them with a backslash instead, which means many WPA3-era codes do not strictly follow the Wi-Fi Alliance text [2][2].
## Technical specification
A WiFi QR payload is a single text string. The canonical example is [1][1]:
```
WIFI:T:WPA;S:mynetwork;P:mypass;;
```
Fields are `KEY:value;` pairs; field order is not fixed; the record ends with an extra `;` (a double semicolon overall). The documented fields are [1][1]:
| Field | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| `S` | SSID (network name) | Required. Enclose in double quotes if the name is ASCII but could be read as hex [1][1] |
| `T` | Authentication type | `WEP`, `WPA`, `WPA2-EAP`, or `nopass` for an open network [1][1] |
| `P` | Password | Ignored when `T:nopass`; quoting rule as for `S` [1][1] |
| `H` | Hidden network | `true` if the SSID is not broadcast [1][1] |
| `E` | EAP method | `WPA2-EAP` only, e.g. `TTLS`, `PWD` [1][1] |
| `A` | Anonymous identity | `WPA2-EAP` only [1][1] |
| `I` | Identity | `WPA2-EAP` only [1][1] |
| `PH2` | Phase-2 method | `WPA2-EAP` only, e.g. `MSCHAPV2` [1][1] |
**Escaping.** The special characters `\`, `;`, `,`, `"` and `:` must each be escaped with a leading backslash, exactly as in [MeCard](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mecard) encoding [1][1]. For instance, an SSID that is literally `"foo;bar\baz"` (double quotes included in the name) is encoded as `WIFI:S:\"foo\;bar\\baz\";;` [2][2].
**Open networks** use `T:nopass` (or omit the password); a trailing literal newline in the payload causes the join to fail on both iOS and Android [2][2]. Under WPA3, the Wi-Fi Alliance mandates percent-encoding of non-printable characters and semicolons, a rule Android does not follow in practice [2][2].
## Use cases
- **Venue / guest Wi-Fi posters.** Cafés, hotels, offices and rentals print a WiFi QR so guests join without being told a password. Both iOS and Android trigger a system-level "connect" action on scan [1][1] [6][6].
- **Phone-to-phone sharing.** Android 10's Wi-Fi settings can display a QR for the currently connected network so a second device joins by scanning it [8][8]; iPhones surface the same flow [7][7].
- **Bulk provisioning.** Printed codes let staff onboard many devices to a network without typing long WPA2/WPA3 passphrases [6][6].
## Implementations
| Project | Lang | Stars | Last active | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [zxing/zxing](https://github.com/zxing/zxing) | Java | ~34k | 2025 | Reference library; its "Barcode Contents" wiki defines the `WIFI:` convention [1][1] [5][5] |
| [evgeni/qifi](https://github.com/evgeni/qifi) (QiFi, qifi.org) | JavaScript | ~700 | 2025 | Pure-browser generator; credentials never leave the device [3][3] |
| Android `WifiDppQrCode` (AOSP) | Java | — | 2025 | System scanner/generator in Wi-Fi settings; also handles DPP codes [8][8] |
## Comparison
- **WiFi QR vs manual entry.** A scan eliminates transcription of long WPA2/WPA3 passphrases and the SSID, which is the format's whole reason to exist [6][6].
- **ZXing `WIFI:` vs Wi-Fi Easy Connect (DPP).** The `WIFI:` convention simply hands over a plaintext passphrase. DPP, introduced with Android 10, performs a public-key onboarding handshake and is a WPS replacement; it uses a distinct QR payload and supports WPA2 and WPA3 [8][8].
- **WPA3 percent-encoding vs ZXing backslash-escaping.** The two escaping schemes disagree, so a payload generated to the strict WPA3 rule and one generated to the ZXing/Android rule can differ for the same credentials [2][2].
## Fun facts
- The `WIFI:` grammar is a direct descendant of a **Japanese mobile-phone contact format**: it borrows the `TAG:value;;` structure and backslash escaping from NTT DoCoMo's [MeCard](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mecard) [1][1].
- QiFi deliberately runs entirely client-side so that "WiFi stays as secure as it was before" — the password is never sent to a server to render the code [3][3].
## Status
**Active and ubiquitous.** Both major mobile OSes decode `WIFI:` codes through the system camera (iOS since iOS 11; Android natively, with a dedicated generator/scanner in Wi-Fi settings since Android 10) [7][7] [8][8]. The format remains a community convention rather than a ratified standard, with an unresolved escaping mismatch around WPA3 [2][2].
## Sources
[1]: https://github.com/zxing/zxing/wiki/Barcode-Contents
[2]: https://stevetech.me/posts/wifi-qr-codes-are-broken
[3]: https://qifi.org/
[5]: https://github.com/zxing/zxing
[6]: https://qrcodekit.com/news/qr-code-mobile-os-breakdown/
[7]: https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/05/14/how-to-make-a-qr-code-to-connect-guests-to-your-wi-fi
[8]: https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/wifi-easy-connect
[1] [Barcode Contents](https://github.com/zxing/zxing/wiki/Barcode-Contents) — ZXing Wiki
[2] [Most WPA3 WiFi QR Codes are broken](https://stevetech.me/posts/wifi-qr-codes-are-broken) — Steve's Blog, 2024
[3] [QiFi — pure JS WiFi QR Code Generator](https://qifi.org/) — Evgeni Golov
[5] [zxing/zxing](https://github.com/zxing/zxing) — ZXing project, GitHub
[6] [QR code mobile OS breakdown: iOS vs Android in 2026](https://qrcodekit.com/news/qr-code-mobile-os-breakdown/) — QRCodeKit, 2026
[7] [How to make a QR code to connect guests to your Wi-Fi](https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/05/14/how-to-make-a-qr-code-to-connect-guests-to-your-wi-fi) — AppleInsider, 2021
[8] [Wi-Fi Easy Connect](https://source.android.com/docs/core/connect/wifi-easy-connect) — Android Open Source Project
## Deployments
_No country reports mention this standard by name._
## Regions / aggregations not mapped to a single country
- Universal