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Location QR code generator

A location code carries latitude and longitude, so scanning it drops a pin on a map rather than searching for an address. It is for places an address cannot describe: a field entrance, a trailhead, the correct gate of a large site, a stall in a market.

Coordinates do not get confused by two streets with the same name or a postcode covering half a village, which is the whole reason to use them.

What should it do

Drop a pin on a map.

Content

Design

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How precise the numbers need to be

Decimal places matter in a very concrete way. Four decimal places locates a point to about eleven metres, five to about a metre, six to roughly ten centimetres. For a building entrance, five is plenty; for a field gate, four will do.

Going further is false precision — consumer GPS is accurate to a few metres at best, so eight decimal places describe a point more exactly than any phone can find, while making the code denser for nothing.

The geo: scheme and what apps do with it

The payload is a geo: URI: the scheme, the two numbers, and an optional label attached as a query. Android handles this natively and offers a choice of map apps. On iOS the behaviour is less consistent — depending on the version and what is installed, the camera may open Apple Maps, offer a choice, or simply show the coordinates.

If your audience is mostly on iPhones and the destination genuinely matters, a dynamic code pointing at a map URL gives you control over which map opens and lets you change it later. A geo: code is the more open format; a map link is the more predictable one.

Label the pin

The optional label is what the map shows next to the pin. Use it for the thing somebody needs to recognise when they arrive — "Deliveries — rear gate", "Ticket office", "Car park B" — rather than repeating your company name, which they already know.

A pin with no label is a dot on a map. A pin that says which of four gates it is saves the phone call.

Getting the coordinates right

Take them from a map by dropping a pin on the exact spot rather than converting a street address, which returns the centroid of a building or, for a large site, somewhere in the middle of a car park.

Then scan your own code and follow it, ideally from the direction visitors will arrive. Coordinates that are correct but sit on the wrong side of a fence, a railway line or a one-way system send people on a detour, and only walking it catches that.

Common questions

How many decimal places do I need for coordinates?
Five locates a point to about a metre, which is plenty for a building entrance. Four gives about eleven metres, fine for a field gate. More than six is false precision, since consumer GPS is only accurate to a few metres anyway.
Does a location QR code work on iPhone?
Less consistently than on Android. Android handles the geo: scheme natively and offers a choice of map apps; on iOS the result varies by version and installed apps, and may just show the coordinates. A dynamic code pointing at a map link is more predictable.
Can I use a street address instead of coordinates?
Not in this format — it carries latitude and longitude. That is usually the point: coordinates are unambiguous where an address is not, which matters for site entrances, trailheads and anywhere a postcode covers a wide area.
Which map app will open?
Whichever the phone prefers. Android typically offers a choice, while iOS tends toward Apple Maps. The code names a place rather than a particular app, so you cannot force Google Maps with a geo: code.
Should I add a label to the pin?
Yes, if there is any ambiguity on arrival. Use it for what someone needs to recognise — the rear gate, the ticket office, car park B — rather than your company name, which they already know.

Other generators

Location QR Code Generator — Drop a Map Pin