Bootcamp · Day 4
Bootcamp Day 4: read your scan data
Open your QR code's analytics and you'll see, for each scan, where it happened (country, region, city), what they used (device, OS, browser), and when it happened — plus totals, unique scans in the last 24 hours, and the trend over time. Today you'll learn to read those three signals and use them for the one thing that pays off: figuring out which placement of your code is actually working. The data is coarse and pseudonymous — MyQR doesn't store the scanner's raw IP address — so this is about patterns, not people.
Where do I find my scan data?
Open the QR code you made on earlier days and look at its analytics. Every scan of a dynamic code shows up there automatically — there's nothing to switch on.
Because a dynamic QR code points at a short redirect link, MyQR counts each scan as it passes through. You'll see total scans, how many were unique in the last 24 hours, and how the count is trending over time. Static codes don't have this — they go straight to your URL with no stop to count — which is the whole reason Day 1 had you make a dynamic one. If you want the refresher, see dynamic vs static QR codes.
The free QR generator is open to everyone with no signup, and full accounts with the analytics view are free too — sign in with your email and you're in. One thing to know: the homepage code can't be re-pointed or claimed into an account later, so make the code you'll print from your dashboard.
What does the country, region, and city tell me?
Location tells you where your code is being seen in the real world — which helps you spot whether the right audience is finding it, and which physical spots get the most attention.
If you stuck a flyer up in one neighborhood and the scans cluster in that city, your placement is doing its job. If they're scattered across places you never put a code, something else is sharing your link — maybe a screenshot got passed around, or you posted the link online too. Location is the first sanity check that the right people are finding you.
- Lots of local scans: your in-person placement is landing with the people nearby.
- Scans from far away: your link is travelling online, not just on paper — worth knowing before you print more.
- Almost nothing: the code may be in a spot nobody looks, or the call-to-action isn't clear. Day 3 covered where to place it: print and place.
Location here is approximate and coarse on purpose — MyQR doesn't store the scanner's raw IP address, so you're reading patterns across a crowd, not tracking individuals. The full detail of what's recorded lives in the Privacy Policy.
What does device, OS, and browser tell me?
Device tells you what your scanners are holding — almost always a phone — which decides how your landing page needs to look and feel.
QR codes are scanned with phone cameras, so expect your device breakdown to lean heavily mobile. That's not trivia — it's a design instruction. If most scans are on phones, then whatever your code points at has to look right on a small screen first: big tap targets, short text, fast loading. We'll act on that tomorrow when you build the page.
- Mostly iPhone or Android: design for thumbs and a vertical screen, not a desktop layout.
- A surprising share of desktop: people are probably opening your link from a saved message or email, not the printed code — a hint about how your link actually spreads.
- Browser and language: handy if you serve more than one audience and want to know who's really showing up.
What does the time of day tell me?
Timing shows you when your code gets attention — which tells you when to post, restock a stack of flyers, or run a promotion.
Watch the trend over time and the times scans cluster. A lunch-rush spike on a café table tent, an evening bump on a gig poster, a quiet stretch when a display gets ignored — each is a small instruction. Scans pile up around a weekend event? That's when your audience is paying attention, so that's when your next message should land.
You don't need fancy math. Just ask: when do people actually scan, and what was happening then? Then do more of what caused the peaks.
How do I tell which flyer or poster is winning?
Give each placement its own QR code, then compare their scan counts and trends side by side. The one with more scans — or steadier scans — wins.
This is the single most useful thing you can do with scan data. Don't put the same code in two places and guess — make a separate dynamic code for each spot, version, or design, and let the numbers settle the argument.
- 1.Make one dynamic QR code per placement — e.g. "front-door poster" and "counter flyer."
- 2.Point them at the same destination (or different ones, if you're testing offers).
- 3.Print, place, and wait a few days so the counts mean something.
- 4.Compare total scans, unique scans, and the trend. The higher, steadier one is your winner — print more of that, drop the loser.
Because the codes are dynamic, you can even re-aim the losing one at the winning page without reprinting anything. For the bigger picture of what each scan record contains, read see who scanned your QR code.
Once paid plans launch, if you ever stop paying, a paid dynamic code keeps redirecting to its last destination forever — we call it cancel-to-static. So the codes you print today never go dead on you. How cancel-to-static works.
Do it now: find your top location and time
Open one of your codes' analytics, note its single busiest location and its busiest time of day, and write down one thing you'd change because of it.
- 1.Open the analytics for a QR code you've already put out in the world.
- 2.Find the location with the most scans. Is it where you expected?
- 3.Find the time of day that gets the most scans.
- 4.Write one sentence: "Because most scans come from ____ around ____, I'll ____." That sentence is your plan for next week.
- 5.No real scans yet? Scan your own code from your phone, then refresh — watch the event appear so you know where to look later.
Tomorrow, on Day 5, you'll build the landing page behind the code — a clean page you make in minutes that turns a curious scan into a next step. Everything you learned today about phones and timing feeds straight into it. Continue to Day 5: build the page behind the code.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my scan location only roughly right?
On purpose. MyQR keeps scan data coarse and pseudonymous and does not store the scanner's raw IP address, so location lands at a country, region, and city level rather than pinpointing a person. That's enough to compare placements and spot patterns. The specifics of what's recorded are in the Privacy Policy.
How many scans do I need before the data means anything?
Enough that a clear pattern stops moving when new scans come in — often a few days of real-world exposure rather than a fixed number. If two placements are close, give them more time before you call a winner. We go deeper on this in how many scans is good.
Can I download my scan data?
Yes. MyQR gives you a one-click CSV export of your data, so you can keep it, open it in a spreadsheet, or compare codes your own way. You also get instant account deletion — no cancellation maze.
Do static QR codes give me this data?
No. A static code sends people straight to your URL with no stop to count, so there's nothing to measure. Only a dynamic code records scans — which is why Day 1 of this bootcamp had you make a dynamic one.
Sources
Keep reading
Make a tracked QR code to read
Paste a link, get a tracked QR code that counts every scan with country, device, and time — free, no signup to start. Make one per placement and let the data pick the winner.