Explainer
Do QR codes expire? How long a printed code keeps working
The short answer
A static QR code never expires. The address is written into the squares, so it works for as long as that address works. A dynamic QR code works for as long as the service behind its short link keeps it active, which usually means while you pay for it.
So the real question is not the code but what it depends on. Below is what makes each kind stop working, what HueQR does when a plan ends, and how to print a code you will not regret in five years.
Static codes: no expiry date, but the page can still disappear
A static code is just a picture of some text. There is no account, no server and no timer inside it. A static code printed today will open the same address in twenty years.
What breaks static codes is the destination. The website is redesigned and the page moves. The domain is not renewed. The file on a shared drive is deleted. The code still scans, it just opens an error. If you print static codes, point them at addresses you control and plan to keep.
Dynamic codes: they last as long as the short link
A dynamic code holds a short link, and the short link sends people on to your page. That is what lets you change the page after printing. It also means the code depends on whoever runs the short link. If the account ends, the service decides what happens to your scans.
Some services send them to an advert or a sign-up page. Some just return an error. That is why the important question before printing a dynamic code is not the price, it is what happens when you stop paying.
What happens to HueQR codes when a plan ends
We put the whole policy in writing because it is the thing you are trusting when you print:
- For 14 days after Pro ends, every code keeps redirecting to its last link. Editing and analytics are locked.
- After that, codes show a clean paused page. Never an advert, never someone else's offer.
- Resume Pro and every code switches straight back on, with the same links and history.
- Keep-alive, at $9 a month, keeps up to 10 codes you choose redirecting with no end date. It is for accounts that have paid for Pro at least once.
- If HueQR ever closed, you would get 12 months' notice and a full export of your codes.
Codes on your own domain are the safest dynamic codes
If you connect your own domain, the printed short link reads something like scan.yourshop.com instead of hueqr.com. You own that address. If you ever left HueQR, you could point those links anywhere you like with your own redirects, and every print would keep working. It is the one setup where a dynamic code does not depend on any single company.
Other reasons a code stops working
When a code that used to work suddenly fails, it is usually one of these:
The page moved
The code scans fine but opens a missing page. Fix the destination, or on a dynamic code, change the link.
The print wore out
Scratches, sun fade and glare on laminate all cost contrast. Reprint outdoors codes larger than you think.
A sticker or crease
Covering one corner square stops most phones finding the code at all.
The link was flagged
HueQR checks links against Google Safe Browsing, and a flagged link shows a safety notice until it is changed.
Questions
Do free QR codes expire?
A free static code from HueQR never expires and never shows an advert. It encodes your link directly, so it works as long as the link does.
Can a QR code stop working on its own?
The code itself cannot. The squares do not change. What stops working is the page it opens, the short link service behind a dynamic code, or the print itself through wear.
How long does a printed QR code last?
As long as the print stays readable. Indoors that is years. Outdoors, sun and rain fade the contrast, so use a large code, a matte finish and dark squares on a light background.
Will my HueQR codes show an advert if I cancel?
No. They keep redirecting for 14 days, then show a paused page with no advert. Resume Pro and they switch back on.