Apple has added the barcode to the smartphone screens for a practical and very simple reason.
Apple adds a hidden QR code to all iPhone screens for a reason that many consumers are finding to be curious and quite logical at the same time.
The quick response barcodes are being added to the glass itself and nearly hidden to the naked eye.
The reason Apple has been adding a hidden QR code to its iPhone screens is simply to help track how many glass cover units are produced and how many suppliers are discarding instead of selling or installing.
The barcode is nearly impossible to see with the naked eye, but you can spot it if you know what you’re looking for and where. The key is to look very closely at the screen of an iPhone, looking for a tiny square.
This method is one of several that Apple has been using for some time now as a part of its production cost management strategy. It first implemented this technique in 2020 when it took on new efforts to make sure it was producing high-quality products.
According to a report from The Information, Apple engraves the nearly microscopic barcodes onto the glass cover of an iPhone at a number of manufacturing stages.
The QR code on an iPhone screen is only the size of a grain of sand, so it is very hard to see.
The QR code on an iPhone screen is only about the size of a grain of sand, so it is very hard to see.
While it can’t be seen as a square barcode itself with the naked eye, it is still large enough for Apple’s technology to monitor and reduce the occurrence of defects along the Apple supply chain. The codes are only readable using special Apple scanning equipment that includes a laser and which is installed at the supplier factories in China.
Apple uses the QR code on each glass screen to track just how many cover units have been produced and how many suppliers are discarding. The suppliers are Biel Crystal and Lens Technology. They have previously tried to avoid sharing the true defect rate with Apple, which risks increasing production costs for the iPhone maker.
With the barcodes and scans at the close of the production process, Apple can know that it is paying only for the units that meet its quality standards. According to the report, this strategy saves the company millions of dollars per year.
