How to scan the QR code on a pet's tag (iPhone and Android)

• Open the Camera app. You don't need a QR app: iPhones have read QR codes in the Camera since iOS 11.
• Point it at the tag so the square code fits comfortably in the frame, about a hand's width away.
• Tap the link that appears on the screen. The pet's page opens in Safari.

• Open the Camera app and point it at the code. Most Android phones from the last few years show a link to tap.
• If nothing appears, use Google Lens: it's in the Google app and in many camera apps as a Lens button. Point it at the code and tap the link.
• On some older phones, QR scanning has to be switched on in the camera's settings.

• Wipe the tag. Mud, water and fur over the code are the usual reason it won't read.
• Find more light, or turn on your phone's torch.
• Hold the phone a little further away and keep it steady: phone cameras struggle to focus very close up.
• If the pet won't keep still, gently hold the tag between two fingers, or scan it once they've settled.
• Still nothing? Look for a phone number or address on another tag or on the collar, and take the pet to a vet or rescue centre to scan for a microchip, which is free.

The pet's page opens in your phone's browser: their name and photo, anything important such as medication or whether they're nervous, and a way to contact the owner. On a PetTag there's a form to message the owner, which works even when they've kept their number private, and you can attach your location to it. See what the page looks like.

If the owner has turned on lost mode, the page says the pet is reported missing, and the owner is emailed when the tag is scanned, with the rough area it was scanned in, worked out from your phone's internet connection. Your name and number are only passed on if you put them in a message.

A pet tag's code should only ever open a web page. Before you tap, look at the link that appears: a PetTag opens a pet-tag.app address. If a code asks you to install an app, log in or pay, don't. Our guide on whether QR pet tags are safe has more.

If you can reach the owner, arrange to reunite them. If you can't, keep the pet safe and see our guide on what to do if you find a dog or cat, including when to tell the council about a stray dog.