QR Codes – Static vs. Dynamic
The Big Picture
QR codes contain information, usually in the form of a text string. That text string can be something as simple as a name, but usually it is a link to an email, a map, a video, or another website.
A static QR code points directly to the final destination (the email, map, video, other website). A dynamic QR code points to an intermediate placeholder destination. From there it is redirected to the final destination.
An Example
Let’s say you have a video of Grandpa telling a family-favorite story. You place that video on youtube and generate the youtube share link, which looks something like:
A static QR code would contain a text string of this very link: https://youtu.be/4UMcBWbE8vk. You can generate a free QR code for this link using one of the many sites on the internet that offer this service. You can then print that QR code and place it next to a photo in your grandpa’s personal history. Anyone reading the book can scan the QR code with their phone and view the video.
So What?
So why would you want to pay money to get a dynamic QR code? What if you had to edit your video? What if you want to move your video from youtube to vimeo or to a private server? What if…? Any changes of you make would change the destination link. Your printed static QR code would instantly be useless.
If your printed QR code wasn’t static, but dynamic, it would link to a placeholder destination instead (e.g. https://qr7.us/WbCgh), where you can easily change the final destination. The printed QR code would always point to the desired video, no matter what you do to the video or where you move it.
I’ve used the Rememberize dynamic QR codes in several of our own family projects. I have made changes to both videos and audio files that have affected the links. Because we used the dynamic QR codes, we did not have to reprint books or send out 20+ QR code stickers to update the books we have shared with the family.
Dynamic QR codes are used extensively in commercial applications. Service providers charge between $5 and $15 per QR code per month. At Rememberize, we wanted to bring this commercial-level functionality to the personal user for one-time flat fee. We can do this because our server doesn’t have to handle thousands of scans per QR code.