How QR Codes Can Help You Reunite with Lost Items Faster

At Scan Note App headquarters, we hate losing things.  The sinking feeling, the frantic search, and the occasional repurchase can be avoided if we take the right precautions. The most common ways to keep track of our things are to use Bluetooth® trackers and name tags.  We’ve tried both and while they have their merits, there are some downsides to each approach.

Bluetooth trackers have been popular in recent years and do what they were designed for very well.  They rely on a network of devices to detect and report the location of trackers nearby.  When you lose something attached to a Bluetooth tracker, as long as someone with the right app has passed nearby the tracker and the tracker has sufficient battery power, you can see its last reported location. There were over 55 million AirTags in circulation in 2022.  (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-airtags-bluetooth-trackers-officially-175911565.html) That number has only grown since then.  They are perfect for traveling and many people throw one in checked luggage to track where their luggage is.  Some airlines have even integrated the use of AirTags into their own apps. (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/11/apples-find-my-enables-sharing-location-of-lost-items-with-third-parties/)

As useful as they are, in everyday scenarios, you generally do not have the help of other people (e.g. airline personnel) helping you return your item.  It works well when your item is unattended and you can simply go back to the reported location and pick it up.  However, if someone finds it, how does that person return the item?

Name tags are one way to identify owners and have existed long before the advent of Bluetooth.  They can take the form of a sticker or simply the writing of your name on an item.  To reach the owner more easily, some kind of contact information typically accompanies the name.  While putting your name on a brown lunch bag for a school field trip is common, putting your contact information on a water bottle for all to see has always been at odds with our desire for privacy and security.

Scan Note App labels provide a way to securely label your item so finders of your item can find you.  You create your note for the finders and the app creates a unique QR code for your note.  Once someone scans the code, they’ll see your note, which may include instructions on how to return the item to you.  As the owner of the note, you’ll get a notification in your Scan Note App letting you know someone has scanned it, and if the finder discloses their location, you can see where the item was scanned.  To protect your information, the app also allows you to “Pause” your note, essentially hiding your note from all scans.  This feature is useful if you have a highly visible label and you don’t want to reveal your information unless your item is actually lost.

Our labels can work with your Bluetooth tracker allowing you a two way connection between you and your things.  In fact, you can attach our labels on your Bluetooth tracker itself.  You can have the best of both worlds, allowing real time location of your item and real time status of your item being found.  Losing things is becoming a thing of the past and that’s something we’re really excited about.  Try Scan Note App today by visiting our download links on https://scannote.app .