There's a hidden QR code on iPhone screens: what's it for?

Apple smartphone owners probably don't know about it, but the company puts a tiny QR code the size of a grain of sand on the screen of every iPhone, which is visible only with the help of special tools. Why is it necessary?

Here's What We Know

The Information writes that Apple started putting these codes on screen glass in 2020. On some iPhone models, such as the iPhone 12, the QR code is located right above the front speaker. On later models, the code is laser-engraved on a black bezel near the bottom edge of the screen. The first attempts to apply the code resulted in increased fragility of the screen. During the tests the specialists threw the gadgets on the floor and almost always cracks on the glass appeared where the QR code was placed.

The engineers had to create new technologies with appliance of microscopic lenses with ring illumination and the result was positive.

So why does Apple use this engraving? It's simple - to control production costs. This way the company can track exactly how many glass panels its suppliers Lens Technology and Biel Crystal produce and how many of them are defective.

Apple has paid millions of dollars to install laser and scanning equipment in its factories, although at first Lens Technology and Biel Crystal were reluctant to do so. But it has had an impact: 3 out of 10 panels used to be defective, but after the labelling process, that number is down to 1. And Apple is saving hundreds of millions of dollars a year by doing so.

Source: The Information