Android phones get auto zoom function when scanning QR codes from a great distance

Google is working on the ability to automatically zoom the camera in when scanning a barcode, such as a QR code, on Android devices to better read the code from a greater distance.

This function should make it possible that, as soon as the phone recognizes a barcode, the camera will automatically zoom in to read the code. That appears from an update for Google’s code scanner API and the ML Kit Barcode Scanning API bundle. The APIs are used, among other things, for the built-in ‘QR code scanning’ option in Android phones, but can also be integrated by other developers into their apps.

It is not yet clear when the feature will be available for Android users. Developer Mishaal Rahman expected that Android 13 may offer support for this, since that operating system uses the ML Kit Barcode Scanning API library. A user reports that the feature is already available through the Google Mobile Services beta, so the autozoom feature may be rolled out soon.