Communication QR Codes: Email, SMS & More

Create QR codes that pre-fill email drafts, phone dials, SMS messages, WhatsApp chats, and Telegram links with one scan.

Communication data types let you encode a ready-to-send interaction into a QR code. When a user scans one of these codes, their device opens the appropriate app with the address, subject, or message already populated — removing friction from every touchpoint where you want someone to reach you.

Use E.164 format for all phone numbers (e.g. [phone]). This international standard is unambiguous across carriers and countries, and is the safest format for SMS, WhatsApp, and phone QR payloads.

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Email

QrCode::Email() generates a mailto: URI. When scanned, the device opens the default mail client with the recipient address, subject, body, CC, and BCC fields already populated.

QrCode::Email(
    string  $address,
    ?string $subject = null,
    ?string $body    = null,
    ?string $cc      = null,
    ?string $bcc     = null,
)

The $address, $cc, and $bcc values are validated as proper email addresses. Passing an invalid address throws an InvalidEmailArgumentException.

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// Address only
$qr = QrCode::Email('[e-mail]');

// Pre-filled subject and body
$qr = QrCode::Email(
    address: '[e-mail]',
    subject: 'Product Enquiry',
    body:    'Hi, I would like to know more about your products.',
);

// With CC and BCC
$qr = QrCode::Email(
    address: '[e-mail]',
    subject: 'Meeting Follow-up',
    body:    'Great to meet you today!',
    cc:      '[e-mail]',
    bcc:     '[e-mail]',
);

// Render inline as SVG
echo QrCode::Email('[e-mail]', 'Say Hi')->generate();

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PhoneNumber

QrCode::PhoneNumber() generates a tel: URI that opens the device dialler with the number pre-filled.

QrCode::PhoneNumber(string $phoneNumber)

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

$qr = QrCode::PhoneNumber('[phone]');

// Chain styling and render
echo QrCode::PhoneNumber('[phone]')
    ->size(300)
    ->generate();

Although the constructor accepts integers for convenience (e.g. when pulling from a numeric database column), always prefer a string prefixed with + and the country code to ensure the dialler opens correctly on every device.

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SMS

QrCode::SMS() generates an sms: URI. Scanning it opens the device’s messaging app with the recipient number and an optional pre-filled message body.

QrCode::SMS(
    string  $phoneNumber,
    ?string $message = null,
)

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// Number only
$qr = QrCode::SMS('[phone]');

// Pre-filled message
$qr = QrCode::SMS(
    phoneNumber: '[phone]',
    message:     'Hi! I scanned your QR code.',
);

// Save to file
QrCode::SMS('[phone]', 'Reply YES to confirm.')
    ->format('png')
    ->size(400)
    ->generate(storage_path('app/qrcodes/sms.png'));

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WhatsApp

QrCode::WhatsApp() generates a https://wa.me/ deep-link. Scanning it opens WhatsApp with a pre-selected conversation and an optional pre-filled message.

You can call it with either an array or positional arguments:

// Array form
QrCode::WhatsApp(['phoneNumber' => '[phone]', 'message' => 'Hello!'])

// Positional form
QrCode::WhatsApp(string $phoneNumber, ?string $message = null)

The + prefix is stripped automatically from the number before building the wa.me URL, as the WhatsApp API requires a bare numeric international number.

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// Number only
$qr = QrCode::WhatsApp('[phone]');

// With a pre-filled message — array form
$qr = QrCode::WhatsApp([
    'phoneNumber' => '[phone]',
    'message'     => 'Hello! I scanned your QR code.',
]);

// With a pre-filled message — positional form
$qr = QrCode::WhatsApp('[phone]', 'Hello! I scanned your QR code.');

// Render inline
echo QrCode::WhatsApp('[phone]', 'Hi there!')->generate();

Passing an empty string as the phone number throws an InvalidWhatsAppArgumentException. Validate and sanitise the number before passing user input.

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Telegram

QrCode::Telegram() generates a https://t.me/ link pointing to a public Telegram profile or channel. Scanning it opens the Telegram app directly on the profile page.

QrCode::Telegram(string $username)

The username must match the Telegram rule: starts with a letter, 5–32 characters, alphanumeric and underscores only. Leading @ symbols are stripped automatically, so both myChannel and @myChannel are accepted. Invalid usernames throw an InvalidTelegramArgumentException.

Example

use Linkxtr\QrCode\Facades\QrCode;

// Without @
$qr = QrCode::Telegram('laravelphp');

// The @ prefix is stripped automatically
$qr = QrCode::Telegram('@laravelphp');

// Full example with styling
echo QrCode::Telegram('laravelphp')
    ->size(300)
    ->color(0, 136, 204)   // Telegram blue
    ->generate();

This data type links to a public Telegram username. Private users or channels without a public username cannot be encoded this way.