Identify Whether Scanning or Interpretation Fails
If the iPhone camera will not scan a QR code in Ledger Live, separate three results: no camera preview, a visible code that never decodes, and a decoded code rejected by the selected feature. The current application is Ledger Wallet. Each result points to a different repair and none requires entering a recovery phrase into the phone.
First name the QR workflow you intentionally opened. A receiving address, account export, and connection link do not necessarily use the same format or destination screen. A code being valid somewhere does not make it valid in every scanner.
When the Camera Preview Is Missing
Initiate the scanner inside the genuine app and inspect the iOS camera permission. Apple’s privacy-controls guide explains that permission categories show apps that requested access. If the wallet is not listed, reach its actual scanning feature before assuming the permission was removed.
Allow the relevant access for the requested function and return to the same scanner. A camera setting does not establish Bluetooth connectivity, and photo-library access is not automatically a substitute for live scanning. Grant only capabilities the selected supported feature requires.
If other ordinary camera functions also fail, investigate that wider phone condition. A wallet reinstall cannot repair a physically obstructed or faulty camera. Keep sensitive material away from any screenshots or recordings used for support.
When the Code Is Visible but Does Not Decode
Use the original complete display and keep the QR boundary within view. Reduce glare, avoid cropping, clean the lens, and adjust distance so the pattern is focused. If the source workflow rotates or advances codes, follow that feature’s current instructions rather than freezing an arbitrary screenshot.
Change one visual condition at a time. For example, a larger uncropped display working after a cropped image failed points toward image completeness, not a missing Ledger pairing. Do not keep changing phone permissions once the camera clearly sees the code.
When the App Rejects Recognized Content
Confirm you opened the correct import or address feature and that the source belongs to the intended current workflow. Do not paste unexplained decoded data into another wallet or website just to see whether it accepts it.
Use Ledger’s multiple-installation guidance to choose the supported account-addition or synchronization route. Importing account information is different from importing secret keys. A QR cannot be assumed to contain recovery material, nor should a legitimate account-sharing repair ask you to provide such material.
Protect Account Privacy and Verify the Outcome
Public account data can still reveal financial history. Ledger’s extended public-key explanation shows why an account identifier such as an xpub should not be shared casually. Avoid posting account-export QR images in forums or sending them to unknown helpers.
After a supported import, compare the chain and public account rather than only its label. For a receive address, verify it on the Ledger before using it. A successful scan proves the phone read content, not that the destination is appropriate or a transfer has been authorized.
Let any progressing hardware OS installation finish before app restart or data-reset experiments. Scanner diagnosis should preserve both the configured hardware and useful local account information.
QR Questions
Can I Scan a Recovery Sheet to Add Accounts?
No. Keep backup words outside phone cameras and software. Existing accounts are discovered through the configured hardware or the supported public-account sharing flow.
Why Does the iPhone Camera App Read a Code That This Scanner Rejects?
General recognition and application-specific format validation are different. Confirm the feature expects that type of content before changing installation or connection settings.
What Helps Support Diagnose a Failed Scan?
Describe the QR’s purpose, source feature, preview behavior, and exact error. Share a redacted illustration if needed, not a private account QR or recovery backup.