QR code glossary

The first generation of mobile data technology.

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A barcode that stores data in two directions instead of one, which is what lets it hold a URL rather than a product number. The QR code is the best known; Data Matrix, Aztec and PDF417 are the others you meet.

Two-factor authentication: a password plus something else, usually a code from an app. It matters for the account that owns your dynamic QR codes, because whoever holds it can change where every code points.

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The second generation of mobile data technology.

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The third generation of mobile data technology. Download rates between 2-5 Mb/s.

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The fourth generation of mobile data technology. Download rates between 5-25 Mb/s.

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The fifth and actual generation of mobile data technology.

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A split testing in which some users test prototype A, while others test prototype B.

A click that occurs by mistake. Comes into account when retrieving stats of content accessed or seen.

The percentage of participants who opts in on a mobile marketing campaign, given by the total number of participants that were offered divided by the total of users.

When a user views an advertisement.

The place reserved for an advertisement in an application.

The support in which an advertisement is shown, such as a rectangular banner.

Any piece of multimedia material that promotes a brand, product or service.

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Any interaction or communication related to an advertisement.

The organization or individual who places the advertisement.

Answer Engine Optimization: writing so that an assistant can lift a correct answer straight from your page. It rewards a clear definition near the top over a long build-up to the point.

An agreement between a content provider and a person or entity to provide financial support in exchange of offering products or services to users.

An intermediary service (management, administration) provided by a company between content providers, application providers and the mobile phone service carriers.

The user's time consumed in minutes when making and receiving calls.

Push notifications that demand action by the user.

A sound that is triggered when a device receives a notification.

Multimedia notification that appear when a user opts in to receive such information.

A text that is shown while an image loads on a device.

A link's text.

Google's operating system, and currently the most popular.

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Google's development kit offered to those that want to build apps for Android OS.

A code shown as a moving image, usually on a screen. The scannable part must stay still and legible in every frame, so what moves is the decoration around it, never the modules themselves.

An applications' statistics retrieved to study its awareness and improve its reach.

Events that help understand how a user interacts with an app and track their moves along the app itself.

Everything that has to do with promoting apps, improving user experience and engaging app users.

The provider's way to make money out of the app by in-app advertising, charging for the app, etc.

A multimedia message sent from a mobile application.

The organization or individual that offers a mobile software.

A program in which apps are sorted in the store's library.

Users or experts critiques on how an app functions.

Apple's online store for iOS users.

The betterment of your app store page's visibility by optimizing the title to including focus keywords.

A multimedia message received by a mobile application.

The many iterations an app may have until it reaches its most stable version.

A software that promotes mobile marketing endeavors

A time delayed type of communication.

Superimposes a computer-generated layer on top of the user's view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.

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The average income and outcome generated by a carrier's user.

A transaction between the businesses.

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MMS message with a background audio clip, such as a jingle.

The amount of data, based on bits, kilobits or megabits per second, that can be put in a connection.

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Push notifications that appear at the top or the bottom of a user's screen and disappear after a few seconds.

The pixel size of an image advertisement.

A representation of stored information that can be optically read or scanned by a device.

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An error correction system for barcodes created in 1960 by Irving S. Reed and Gustave Solomon.

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Billing details displayed on a user's mobile bill.

A provider of one or more billing systems for mobile applications, such as Credit Cards or PayPal.

A development software for wireless devices that use CDMA technology.

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A digital image format.

The extra margin printed beyond the trim line so nothing white shows after cutting. Keep the QR code and its quiet zone well inside it: a code clipped at the edge stops scanning.

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A blinking text message.

A wireless communication technology that allows devices to exchange data over short distances.

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The development of a brand identity.

A software developed for mobile devices with BREW technology.

A redirecting page that pops up right after scanning the QR code and before the actual content is displayed.

Video transmitted on user's handset, allowing the user select the content.

An instruction (click a link, call a phone number, send a mobile text) sent to a receiver to act upon.

An advertising endeavor that promotes a unique message or theme, that can have different flights.

A mobile network's ability to support different tasks, such as calls, messaging, etc.

A wireless communication service provider. Also known as: Service provider, Operator.

A style sheet that defines the presentation of a web site.

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Customer Data Platform: a single store that joins what a person does across channels into one profile. QR scans feed it as an offline touchpoint that would otherwise go unrecorded.

An asynchronous program, allowing two or more users to interact.

A response generated by computer in a chat environment.

A set of documents that include instructions, terms and conditions and relevant information of a marketing endeavor.

The number of users that clicked on a link to get more information upon receiving a B2B message.

The four ink colours a press prints with. A QR code designed on screen in RGB can lose contrast once converted, which is why the dark modules should be a solid, single-ink black rather than a mix of all four.

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A radio communication's channel access method used in the US.

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Users that succeeded in a completing an action on a specific time.

An image and text based advertisement.

Ads on mobile devices.

A combination of numeric digits that a mobile device user has to send in order to fulfill a campaign goal.

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HTML for mobile devices.

An MMS that is composed entirely by an advertisement.

Keeping information away from anyone not meant to see it. Around a QR code that covers three things: where it points, who scanned it, and whatever file sits behind it.

The verification of a user who has subscribed to a program or initiative.

A way of telling analytics and ad tools what a visitor has agreed to. Without consent the tools still fire, but in a stripped-down form that measures without identifying anyone.

To access a product or service by purchasing it.

An organization that redistributes products or services. Also known as: Publisher's Aggregator

A sample of mobile content displayed within an advertisement.

An organization that generates multimedia products or services.

An advertising promotion that offer a prize.

The difference in lightness between the modules and the background. A code needs a clearly dark figure on a clearly light ground; inverting it, or using two colours of similar lightness, is the most common reason a well-made code will not scan.

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A QR code whose destination is not a page but an assistant: it answers questions about the product, the menu or the place instead of showing a fixed text. The code stays the same; what it can answer grows.

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The path from first contact to the action you want. With QR codes the first step is measurable for once: scans, then page views, then conversions, each one a number rather than a guess.

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The percentage of users who turn from site visitors to paying customers. The rate differs according to the business' goals.

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A measurement that shows consumer interactions with a specific brand or product that helps advertisers study marketing efforts.

Small piece of data from a web site that is stored in the user's web browser. The data may include email addresses, user names, etc.

Measuring behaviour without storing a cookie on the visitor's device. A dynamic QR code is cookieless by nature: the scan is counted at the redirect, before any page loads.

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Google's three measurements of how a page feels to use: how fast the main content appears, how quickly it answers a tap, how much the layout jumps while loading. They matter most on the phone a QR code opens.

The cost of converting a viewer or user into a customer.

The cost when a user clicks on a digital ad.

The cost when a user views an online ad campaign.

An advertising model where the advertiser pays for each installation linked to the advertisement, typically of a mobile app.

A fee that is based on the number of impressions that may result when users view an ad.

A document or a ticket that can be redeemed for a financial discount when purchasing a service or product. Cross-Carrier Mobile-phone Voting Application A program that renders user's votes on multiple mobile carriers.

Apps that are available on multiple operating systems.

The border and the short line of text around a code — «Scan me», «Scan for the menu». It is not decoration: a code with an explicit instruction is scanned considerably more often than a bare square, because it says what will happen.

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Serving the short links behind dynamic QR codes from the brand's own domain rather than a generic one. The scan is the same; what changes is that the destination can be recognised, which matters when readers have learnt to distrust codes.

A customized QR code.

An area or department that offers user support and billing information.

The number of users that are using an application over a day.

The cost of data services for mobile networks, payed by use or by a pre set rate.

A recollection of statistical information that is retrieved to analyze and plan a marketing campaign.

A two-dimensional barcode of black and white modules.

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The default home page of a phone's browser and portal of links to content.

A QR code that opens a specific screen inside an app rather than its home screen, and falls back to the web or the app store when the app is not installed.

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A notice that acknowledges a successful interaction.

An interface where mobile advertisers can retrieve ad and data exchange information.

One of 210 unique geographic regions in the United States.

A QR code that opens a contact page the recipient can save to their phone in one tap. Unlike a printed card, the details can be updated after the card has been handed out.

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Multimedia sent to handsets via a digital radio transmission.

A European requirement, arriving by sector from 2027, for products to carry a digital record of their materials, origin, repair and recycling. It is meant to be reached from the product itself, which in practice means a 2D code on the item.

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A filtering method of user information such as device used, users, etc.

Products or services that are targeted to the end consumer.

Passing off a web address as someone else's, usually with a lookalike domain. It is what makes a malicious QR code work: the code hides the address, so the fake is only visible once the page has already opened.

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The complete download of a video file on a mobile device before it starts playing.

Dots per inch: how finely a file is printed. A QR code below about 300 dpi starts to lose the sharp edge between its modules, and a reader that cannot tell one module from the next does not read the code.

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Two frequencies or bands that are compatible with a handset.

How long someone stays on the page a scan opened. Read next to the scan count it separates a code that merely gets scanned from one that actually holds attention.

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A method in which buying behavior can be automatically modified based on empirical data.

A QR code that offers the ability to change its content as many times as the user wants, without having to reprint the code.

A formula that determines the effective cost per thousand impressions.

A QR code that opens the phone's mail app with the address, and often the subject and body, already filled in. Useful on signage where typing an address would lose the reader.

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The body run by the major card networks that sets payment standards, including the QR code specifications banks and wallets follow. It is why a payment code scanned in one app is understood by another.

How the text is turned into bits: numeric, alphanumeric, byte or kanji. Digits and capital letters fit in fewer bits than mixed case, which is why an all-caps short link produces a lighter code.

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The consumer that acquires or uses the service or product.

The ultimate stage of the standard GSM and an intermediate between 2G and 3G data transfer technology.

A vector format printers have accepted for decades. Like SVG it scales without losing definition; unlike SVG it is meant for a press rather than a screen, which is why print shops still ask for it.

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How much of a QR code can be damaged or covered and still read: L recovers about 7%, M 15%, Q 25% and H 30%. A higher level survives a logo or a scratch, at the price of a denser code.

A contextualized description of an app's event.

The user's actions taken during an app's session.

Ads that expand upon user interacting with it, such as in-banner video or interstitials.

An upgraded, more extensive and multi operative version of HTML.

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A markup language to encode documents readable by humans and machines.

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A small station that improves a carrier's signal when the quality is low.

A QR code that delivers a file — a PDF, a manual, a menu, a certificate — hosted online rather than attached. Replacing the file later does not require a new code.

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The three large squares in the corners of a QR code. A reader looks for them first: they say that there is a code, where it starts and how it is turned, which is why a QR code can be scanned upside down.

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A user's activity tracking method based on a time stamp or a network visited.

Data a business collects directly from its own audience, with their consent, instead of buying it or borrowing it from a platform. Scans of its own codes are first-party data, which is why QR codes gained weight as third-party cookies went away.

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A mobile device that can change from a carrier network to WiFi.

Part of a campaign.

A QR code that opens a form: a survey, a registration, an incident report. The answers arrive already tied to the code that was scanned, and therefore to the place where it was printed.

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A QR code with a canvas area that can be used to insert letters and images within it.

An application delivered to the end consumer by opting in free of charge.

Limits the amount of ads shown.

The complete download of an audio file on a mobile device.

Google Analytics 4, the event-based version of Google Analytics. A QR code reaches it through UTM parameters on the destination URL, which is what separates scan traffic from the rest.

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A group of menus that hold links to third party content, that can be accessed from the mobile carrier's main deck.

The EU data protection regulation. It applies to QR code scans as soon as they are tied to a person or a device, which is why consent, retention limits and the right to erasure reach your scan data too.

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An enhanced version of GSM, known as 2.5G, enabling high speed data transmition.

Generative Engine Optimization: the same idea as AEO applied to answers an AI writes rather than quotes. What earns a mention is being the clearest, best-sourced explanation of a thing, not the densest in keywords.

A message sent to users that are within a set radius of where they may find certain point of interest, offer, etc.

The retrieval of user data based on their current location.

The standard for 2G digital cellular networks.

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Google's advertising platform. It was called AdWords until 2018, and the old name still survives in a lot of documentation — including this glossary before it was updated.

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A QR code that opens a location in Google Maps, ready for directions. Common on packaging, flyers and shop windows, where an address printed as text still has to be typed somewhere.

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Google's online store for Android users.

A QR code that takes the customer straight to the review form of a Google Business Profile, skipping the search. It is the usual way to ask for a review while the customer is still on the premises.

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An advertisement that features an image contained on a banner.

A color image format for mobile banner ads.

A voicemail that is activated when a caller can't reach the recipient.

A GS1 standard that expresses a product identifier as a web address, so a single 2D code works at the checkout and also links to online content such as the ingredients, the manual or a recall notice. GS1's Sunrise 2027 initiative asks retailers to be able to read these codes at the point of sale by the end of 2027.

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The possibility to use a mobile phone without handling it physically.

A mobile phone or device.

A specific denomination within the text of a web site, such as a title or a subtitle.

An enhanced version of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 3G technology.

A mobile internet service developed in Japan that has a wide variety of internet standards.

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Any graphic or photographic file, such as as JPG, PNG, GIF, displayed on a handset.

An image that once clicked on redirect the user to an advertised destination via an active link.

A measurement used to determine the number of times an ad was viewed.

Messages sent to users that are actively using the app, with updates or special features.

A purchase made through an app. This include digital purchases as well as physical goods.

The database used to store content from a website, accessed by search engines.

Updates or special information sent to a user in the form of an alert.

A computerized system in which users interact with fromt their handset.

A wireless technology developed by Motorola that combines digital cellular telephone and a two way radio.

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A TV programming technology in which the user and interact with.

A technology that involves the user using his or her voice in order to activate a function, rather than texting a response.

A unique set of numbers that correspond to a mobile phone.

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A network that allows physical objects to connect via software or hardware connectivity to collect and exchange data.

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Embedded images, texts or videos to an MMS ad message.

An MMS message with an advertising image inserted in the middle of it.

An MMS message with text inserted in the middle of it.

An MMS message with a video clip inserted in the middle of it.

A QR code printed so that it blends into the artwork — with a transparent background, a very low contrast or an ink outside the visible range — and still scans. Used where a black square would ruin the design.

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Apple's operating system available on Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, etc.)

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A QR code generated with rectangular modules.

The international standard that defines the QR code: its symbol structure, how data is encoded, the error correction and the reading requirements. It is why a code made with one tool scans with any reader.

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Bypassing the hardware restrictions of a phone.

A programming language that is object oriented for application developers.

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Games developed with Java that run with Java Virtual Machine.

An image format widely used on the web.

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A page that appears briefly to catch the attention of a user.

A target word within a text.

The amount of keywords and regular words within a text.

The page where users are redirected to after clicking on an ad.

A QR code whose landing page asks for contact details in exchange for something — a catalogue, a discount, a demo — and feeds them into the CRM. It turns a printed surface into a source of leads that can be measured.

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A user's interactions with an app their entire lifetime.

A QR code that opens a single page holding every link a brand wants to offer: shop, booking, social profiles, contact. One code replaces the list of URLs that will not fit on a poster.

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Large Language Model: the kind of model behind an AI assistant. It is what lets a QR code answer a question in the visitor's own words instead of only opening a fixed page.

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A plain text file at the root of a site that tells AI assistants what it contains and which pages to read first. It is to assistants roughly what robots.txt is to crawlers, and it is a proposal, not a standard.

Customized message based on the whereabouts of the subscriber that provides the location of an interesting landmark or viewpoint.

Data that a mobile marketer uses to identify the whereabouts of a mobile device via GPS for example.

When a user's device is no longer active and turns to "sleep" mode.

A brand mark placed in the middle of a code. It works because error correction can rebuild what the logo hides, as long as it stays small enough and clear of the finder patterns.

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A QR code whose destination is designed to harm the person who scans it: a fake payment page, a forced download, a login form that is not the real one. The code itself is never malicious; the address inside it is.

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One of eight rules applied to the data so the finished code has no large blank areas and nothing that looks like a finder pattern. It is why two codes holding the same text can look completely different.

An audio file encoded for mobile devices.

A table of options that can be accessed within an application.

The action of sending and receiving SMS or MMS messages.

A tag that describes a web site's content.

A reduced version of the QR code, with a single finder pattern and room for far less data. It exists for surfaces where a full symbol does not fit, such as small electronic components.

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QR codes used specifically on Nintendo platforms suchs Wii or Nintendo 3DS.

The smallest a code can be printed and still scan. The usual rule of thumb is a tenth of the reading distance: two metres away asks for roughly twenty centimetres, and more data means a denser code and therefore a bigger one.

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A mobile originated or mobile terminated service for billing operations.

Any kind of advertising campaign that is communicated via mobile devices.

A software that runs on a mobile device.

Any type of commerce that can be done through a mobile device.

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Any type of media content that can be accessed via a mobile device.

Managing and improving app user's relationship with the app's provider.

A dating interaction through social media, communities, applications, etc.

Games created for mobile devices that use the handset's technology.

A message that has predetermined message or the ability to add a custom one.

Entities such as advertisers, aggregators, distributors, etc. within the mobile ecosystem.

Activities that have to do with communicating and engaging with users in regards to a specific marketing campaign.

Any kind of advertising program that is available via mobile devices.

An SMS or MMS message sent to received by a handset.

The creation of mobile experiences.

A search done from a mobile browser.

Short videos created for mobile devices.

A unique number that identifies a carrier's wireless device within its network.

A user who opts in to a carrier's wireless telecommunications services.

A TV program that is fitted for and streamed on mobile devices.

A third party service provider that uses a carrier's network capabilities.

A small mobile application.

A NewsCorp, Fox Broadcasting Company trademark of video content for mobile devices.

An open protocol that lets an AI assistant use an external service's tools directly. Applied to QR codes it means creating, editing and reading the statistics of a code from inside the assistant, without opening the dashboard.

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Each of the small squares a QR code is made of. The number of modules grows with the amount of data, and their printed size is what decides from how far the code can be read.

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An audio file that plays one musical note at a time.

The number of users that are using an application over a month.

A video and audio file that can be transmitted on small bandwidth networks.

An MP3 audio format ringtone.

A QR code that serves a different language depending on the phone that scans it. One code on the packaging or the sign covers every market instead of one code per language.

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The extension of SMS that carries images, audio and video rather than text alone. Advertising was one use among many, not the definition.

A mobile game that allows two or more players are one time to play together on site or off site via a networking system.

Music created in a digital format.

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Reading a QR code with the phone's own camera app, with nothing else installed. It has been standard on iOS and Android for years, and it is the reason a printed code no longer needs to tell anyone to download a reader.

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A short-range wireless connectivity tech that enables communication between devices when they're brought within a few centimeters of each other.

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A survey that shows the level of loyalty of users.

The organization that manages the common shortcodes' directory and rents them via the CSCA.

Data retrieved with no end user contact information.

The collective information an entity gathers of a mobile user, including policies, practices, security, etc.

A legislation that allows users to keep their phone numbers if they decide to change the carrier provider they have.

A sale point where users can get product or services outside the carrier's deck.

An advertisement that offers a discount on a product or service.

A page within an app that offers rewards and incentives in exchange for spending money.

Assigning an online result — a visit, a sale, a sign-up — to something that happened on paper or in the street. A QR code is the usual bridge, because it is the moment where a physical surface becomes a measurable click.

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A protocol that allows downloading content in a reliable way.

A platform to access and update information on the user's handset.

A sale point where users can get product or services on the carrier's deck.

The retrieval of user information across websites to predict marketing trends and behavior.

A chat system with a specialized person.

The carrier's logo displayed on a handset that can be changed by the user willingly.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any given platform.

A way to distribute updates to mobile devices in order for to access WAP or MMS services.

The number of times a WAP or web site was viewed by a user.

To index a web site by paying a fee to a search engine.

To have a sponsored listing by paying a fee to a search engine.

An MMS with an advertisement that the user opted into viewing.

The interaction of a TV broadcast with its viewers.

A dynamic QR code whose destination asks for a password before it is shown. The code can be printed in public while its content stays private.

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A user's status in a chat service..

When a user is billed for a selected content or service.

A QR code that opens a checkout or a payment request, so the payer does not have to type an amount or an account number. It is the everyday form of scan-to-pay.

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The marketer's net income.

A payment QR code that opens a PayPal request, so an amount can be collected in person or on print without a card terminal.

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A two way interaction between non professional individuals.

The percentage of the total mobile phone users.

A user's permission to receive advertising messages from a carrier.

A numbered password used to authenticate a user to a device or system.

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The handset's items that can be customized by the user including wallpaper, tones, themes, etc.

A device that combines the size of a phone and a tablet.

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A message that displays an image made out of QWERTY text.

The adverisement's displayment within a publisher's mobile conten.

A MIDI created audio file.

An advertisement streamed after a video clip on a mobile device.

An advertisement that occupies the full screen of the device after an MMS message.

The total number of users or devices that are reached by a site's content.

To pay for use of a carrier's telecommunication services in advance.

An advertisement that occupies the full screen of the device before an MMS message.

An intelligent software that facilitates typing words on a keypad.

Content that can be accessed by a separate charge.

Services that have special charges applied to a user's bill.

A mechanism in which a user is billed a special charge.

The control a person keeps over their own data. For a QR code it is the question of what gets recorded at each scan — place, device, moment — and what is done with it afterwards.

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A program that requires approval to provide a short code.

Marketing content that is paid to be at the top of a search result.

A premium billing dollar unit.

A provider of WAP sites and advertising via WAP sites.

A notification that appears on the home screen of a mobile device.

Quick Response matrix represented typically by a grid of black squares over a white background, that can store a variety of types of information and data. Also known as: Quick Response Code, 2D Code.

A marketing endeavor that uses QR codes.

An interface for creating and managing codes from another program instead of by hand. It is how a shop generates one code per order, or a factory one per unit, without anybody opening a form.

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A utility that allows the user to customize the QR code's look by adding colors, a background, a logo or even softening its borders. Also known as: QR Code Designer.

A feature that allows a QR code to be readable even if it is partially covered.

A date after which a dynamic QR code stops resolving to its destination. It is what keeps a printed campaign from sending people to an offer that ended two years ago.

A platform in which users can create QR codes, choosing from a variety of redirecting options as well as customizing the QR code's appearance. Also known as: QR Code Maker, QR Code Creator.

A software or device that allows the user to access the QR code's information by opening the app and placing the devices camera in front of the code. Also known as: QR Code Reader, QR Code App, QR Code Decoder.

Much like the QR Code Scanner, this one allows you to scan a code online.

An attack that consists of pasting a fraudulent code over a legitimate one — on a parking meter, a restaurant table, an invoice. Nothing digital is compromised, which is why it is caught by looking rather than by scanning.

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A system to retrieve the statistics of a QR code. Sorting options range from device used to scan the code, browsers in which the information is displayed, the user's age and gender, and more.

It ensures that the code can be read in case it's printed on a curved surface or distorted because of the angle.

It contains the information of the code itself and allows the QR code to be scanned even when partially obscured. Everything within a QR code that can't be damaged or covered, in order for the QR code to work.

It determines the direction, allowing 360º reading of the code.

It helps isolate the code of its surroundings.

They enable the decoder to determine the width of the data matrix.

There are many different versions of the QR codes. This identify which one is being used in a particular code. It stores information about the error correction level and the masking pattern.

Where the QR codes redirects to. May be a URL, a vCard, a Social Media Fan Page, a YouTube Video, etc.

A customizable web page that can be customized via a QR code generator.

Phishing carried out through a QR code: the code leads to a page that imitates a real site in order to capture credentials or a payment. The name joins «QR» and «phishing», and it works because a code hides its destination until it is opened.

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A handset's standard text entry way that lets users type in words and form sentences.

A sequence of numbers that is assigned to a company that uses short codes.

A streaming media protocol that allows a user to control a video by inputting commands such as "play" or "pause".

A format of web feeds to publish updated information such as on blogs.

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The percentage of users that took advantage of a particular discount.

The action of sending a user to a new URL after clicking on a link.

The web site from which a user got redirected to a specific content.

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A web site's likelihood to be interesting or useful to a search engine user.

A user's response to an MMS message.

The means that a user's device offers to respond.

A web design that is suited for mobile devices. The site is displayed according to the size of the device's resolution.

Showing ads to people who already interacted with you. A QR scan can be the entry point: the landing page drops the audience tag, and the print piece becomes the top of a digital funnel.

The splitting of income made by a mobile marketing program between the parties involved.

A search listing with more than a title and a line of text: star ratings, prices, an FAQ that unfolds. They are earned with structured data, not bought, and they take up more room on the page.

The audio a user listens when making a call (Mastertone, Polytone or a customized sound).

The audio a user listens when receiving a call (Mastertone, Polytone or a customized sound).

A rectangular QR code, standardised in 2022, meant for narrow surfaces — a cable, a pen, the edge of a package — where a square symbol would have to shrink until it stopped being readable.

The ability of a handset to use networks of other mobile carriers.

A fee paid to the content provider to be used or repurposed.

The phone, operating system and browser that opened the code. It decides practical things: whether to send iPhone and Android to different stores, and which screen width the landing page has to survive.

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A cap on how many times a dynamic QR code will resolve. Past the limit the code stops working or sends the reader elsewhere. Used for single-use tickets, limited offers and controlled access.

The place a scan came from, derived from the reader's network or, with permission, from the device. With one code per placement it answers which poster, which city or which shop is working.

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The share of the people exposed to a code who actually scanned it. It measures the placement and the call to action, not the code: the same code performs differently on a table tent and on a billboard.

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The shared vocabulary search engines agreed on for structured data. It is the list of names — Product, FAQPage, Organization — that everyone uses, so one set of labels works across every engine.

The pixel and color characteristics of the device's screen.

The tracking of the users movement's throughout the app's screens.

The handset's screen area that advertisers can use to place banners.

A still or animated image that activates itself when the user is no longer actively using the device.

The handset's display space, usually shown in pixels.

The app's version of a web site's page.

A marketing effort to increase a web site's visibility in search engine result pages.

A process that goes over a website's data in order to be shown in search engine providers.

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When interacting with two screens at the same time. TV and smartphone for example.

A keyword used as a metrics' gatherer or a geographic locator.

Giving each individual unit its own identifier instead of one code for the whole product line. It is what allows a single item to be authenticated, warranted or recalled, and it is the basis of anti-counterfeiting.

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Nokia's user interface that runs on Symbian OS.

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Sending analytics events from your own server instead of from the visitor's browser. It survives ad blockers and browser restrictions, and it keeps the raw data on your side.

The active status of a mobile service aprooved by a carrier.

A way in which a user finds content of interest via online or offline.

An entity that helps using or disclosing Personally Identifiable Information or Non-Personally Identifiable Information on behalf of a Mobile Marketer.

The time between the app's has been closed and it's opened again.

The amount of time an app has been opened by a user.

When a user opens a mobile app.

A short number combination that is used to manage mobile services and marketing campaigns.

A system that uses short code to opt in users.

The compact URL a dynamic QR code actually encodes. Because the address is short the code carries fewer modules, which makes it print smaller and scan from further away.

The text-message standard of the mobile networks, capped at 160 characters. The acronym stands for Short Message Service, not Simple, and a link sent this way is the usual companion to a printed QR code.

Additional tools to the handset providing new services by the carrier.

A game that is played by one player only.

To add an advertisement tag to a WAP site to allow a mobile campaign management service to deliver ads to the site.

A handheld device that combines both a mobile phones system as well as computer features.

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Phishing carried by text message: a link that impersonates a bank or a courier to get credentials or a payment. Quishing is the same trick with a QR code in place of the link.

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The service that manages SMS traffic within the carrier's network.

To interact with users within the SMS protocol.

An SMS that is displayed on a TV streaming service that can affect the program being aired.

A sound that notifies that a user has received an SMS message.

A marketing method that uses social media networks.

A QR code that opens a social profile in its own app, where the follow button is one tap away, instead of leaving the reader to search for the handle.

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A group of tools that developers can use to create apps or unlock features within an already created app.

Stands for Social, Local, Mobile.

A cap limit placed on a user's subscription which can be billed by the carrier.

A program used to index mobile web content by search engines. Also known as: Bot, robot.

A QR code with reading restricting functions, mainly used for private information.A QR code with a canvas area that can be used to insert letters and images within it.

Normal text messaging charges.

A carrier's program that offers the user to opt in to it's standard rate billing system.

A QR code that only redirects to one of many possibilities and cannot be changed.

The transmission of audio and video content over the internet.

Machine-readable labels added to a page so a search engine knows what each part is: a product, a price, an FAQ. It does not change what a visitor sees; it changes what a search engine can show.

A circuit chip inserted into a handset that holds the device's information including its phone number, identification details, phone book, etc.

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The mobile subscriber's personal data including its Personally Identifiable Information and Non-Personally Identifiable Information.

A program in which content is accessed when a user subscribes to it.

A notice by which the user is informed about the renewal of a subscription program.

The period of time that the subscription lasts.

A service that offers mobile content for a charged fee.

A vector image format made of shapes rather than pixels, so a QR code exported as SVG stays sharp at any size, from a business card to a building wrap. It is also editable in any design tool.

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An operating system for handsets.

A markup language to describe MMS messages.

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A type of communication on real time with no delay.

Similar to a mobisode, except a tardisode was made for a UK program, Dr. Who, thus, is also a made-for-mobile program.

Various criteria to make the delivery of a mobile advertisement more precise (age, gender, geographical, day parting, household income, etc.).

An advertisement attached to a text.

Highlighted, underlined and clickable texts with a link embedded.

The look a handset's interface that can be customized by the user.

An application's ability to handle a number of messages over a period of time.

The sharing of a frequency by several users.

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The amount of time a user has been actively involved with an app.

The action of scanning or tagging a QR code.

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Every scan of a code, repeats included. A high figure next to a low unique-scan count usually means a few people came back often, not that many people arrived.

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Time-based One-Time Password: the six digits that change every thirty seconds in an authenticator app. The app is usually set up by scanning a QR code that carries the shared secret.

Being able to follow a product through every step it took, from its materials to the shelf. A code on the item is what links the physical object to that record, and what makes a recall reach the affected batch and no other.

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The process in which a mobile campaign can gather information on its performance.

To convert an multimedia ad into different formats supported by several handsets.

A method in which a user can enter information through their mobile phone.

One scan counted once per device, however many times that device scans the code. Compared with total scans it separates how many people were reached from how often they came back.

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A third generation mobile cellular system for networks based on the GSM standard.

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A phone that is not connected to a provider or carrier and can therefore be used with any SIM card.

Messages that seek no approval upon being received by a subscriber.

The action of opting out of a subscription.

A code used to track products within a store.

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The address of a resource on the web. It is what a QR code usually contains: the code is a way of writing a URL that a camera can read.

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How users respond to an app.

The user's thorough experience using an app or navigating a web site.

The user's dashboard or interface within a specific app or website.

A shared user profile or behavior towards an app.

The CSCA web site where one can apply to receive short codes.

A tag added to the end of a URL (utm_source, utm_medium, utm_campaign and others) so an analytics tool can tell where a visit came from. On a QR code it is what makes a printed poster show up as a source in the same report as an email or an ad.

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An added value to a network service.

A digital business card.

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A file that stores the code as shapes rather than pixels — SVG, EPS or PDF — so it can be scaled to any size without softening its edges. It is the format to send to a printer; PNG is for screens.

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An audio and video ringtone that sounds on the user's handset upon receiving a call.

The increase of brand awareness via various marketing efforts.

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A web site's presence in search engines.

A piece of graphic media that is displayed on headsets.

A third party mobile content web site.

A device that can be worn on one's body. Some examples are Google Glass or smart watch.

Programs or softwares that can be used on the web. Some can be downloaded.

A premium mobile content web site that enables to make multiple purchases.

A message a service sends to an address of yours the moment something happens, instead of waiting to be asked. On a QR code it is how a scan can trigger something elsewhere — a notification, a row in a CRM — as it happens.

A QR code that opens a web page when it is scanned. As a dynamic code the destination can be changed later without reprinting anything.

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A QR code that opens a WhatsApp conversation with a business, often with the first message already written. It turns a poster or a package into the start of a chat.

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When a product or service provider offers its client to use its system as if it were theirs.

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A 3G technology that can transmit and receive data faster that CDMA.

A protocol, not a web page: the 1999 standard for serving pages to phones that could not handle the real web. Superseded once handsets got proper browsers, which is also what made QR codes practical.

A markup language intended for devices that implement the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) specification

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A QR code that opens a video or a channel on YouTube. Printed next to a product it replaces the instructions nobody reads with the demonstration they will watch.

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The payment being assumed by the marketer or brand instead of the mobile user.