MeCard is a compact text format for contact details, created by Denso Wave, the company that invented the QR code, specifically so that a contact would fit into a small code. It carries the same core fields as a vCard in roughly half the characters.
The grammar.
| Opening | MECARD: |
|---|---|
| Name | N:Surname,Given; |
| Phone | TEL:+919876543210; |
| EMAIL:[email protected]; | |
| Website | URL:https://pubtact.com/yourname; |
| Closing | ;; a semicolon terminates each field, and a second closes the record |
| Size of the example above | 97 characters, against about 150 for the same contact as a minimal vCard |
Android's camera and most QR apps read MeCard directly into a contact. iOS support is inconsistent, which is the single biggest reason to prefer a vCard or a link for anything printed.
Where this shows up.
Fewer characters means fewer modules, and fewer modules means a code that scans reliably at business-card size. That is the whole trade MeCard exists to make.
The common mistake.
Encoding a whole contact into a printed code instead of a link. The details are then frozen at the moment of printing: change your number and every card is wrong, where a link to a page keeps the code and updates the contact.
Sources.
Every figure above is from one of these. They are the standard, the registry or the platform’s own documentation — read them rather than take our word for it.
- MeCard (QR code) Wikipedia
- Barcode contents: the formats scanners parse ZXing
- About QR Code Denso Wave, inventor of the QR code