How to Use Smart Rules in QRflows — Complete Guide (2026)

What Smart Rules do#

Smart Rules are a layer of conditional logic on top of a dynamic QR code. Instead of one destination for every scan, you set conditions: "if country = Germany → german-page, if device = iPhone and time = 12:00–14:00 → lunch-promo." One physical code, many behaviors.

If you want the broader explanation of what and why, see the Smart Rules feature page. This guide is the how — step by step, with real configurations you can copy.

Before you start#

• Pro plan (or active Pro trial) — Smart Rules are a Pro feature
• Destination URLs ready for every rule branch
• A clear idea of which segment you want to separate

The 5 rule types — how each one works#

1. Country routing

Setup: pick one or more countries → enter a destination URL.

Real example: product sold in UK, DE, FR. One QR on packaging → UK → /en, DE → /de, FR → /fr, everyone else → /en (fallback).

Use when: multi-market products, international campaigns, region-specific compliance pages.

2. Device routing

Setup: iOS / Android / Desktop → different destinations.

Real example: an app live on both App Store and Google Play. One QR on a flyer → iOS → App Store, Android → Google Play, Desktop → web app or landing.

Use when: mobile app promotion, device-specific promotions, desktop-only checkout flows.

3. Time-based routing

Setup: time ranges in your timezone.

Real example: restaurant. One QR on the table → 07:00–11:00 breakfast menu, 12:00–16:00 lunch, 18:00–22:00 dinner, outside hours → main menu.

Use when: restaurants, cafés, scheduled events, time-limited promos.

4. Language routing

Setup: browser language (en, de, fr, es, etc.) → destination.

Real example: international conference. One QR on the badge → en → English agenda, es → Spanish agenda, all others → English.

Use when: events with international audiences, EU businesses, multilingual brands.

5. Date routing

Setup: specific date, range, or before/after.

Real example: product launch. Before June 1 → waitlist page, June 1–30 → launch promo, after → standard product page.

Use when: launches, seasonal campaigns, time-limited offers.

Combining conditions#

You can stack conditions inside a single rule: country + device + time = one rule.

Example: iPhone + Spain + lunch hours → Spanish-language lunch promo for iOS users.

Rules are evaluated top-to-bottom — order matters. The first matching rule wins.

Fallback — required, not optional#

Fallback = the destination for scans that don't match any rule. Always set it.

Without a fallback, an unmatched scan lands nowhere. Good practice: fallback = the most universal version of your content (usually the English page or the main landing).

Per-rule analytics#

After launch, the dashboard shows how many scans hit each rule, broken down by country, device, time, and language. Use it to optimize — remove rules that never fire, add a new rule for an unexpected segment.

3 copy-paste configurations#

1 — Restaurant (time-based):

Rule 1: Time 07:00–11:30 → /breakfast-menu
Rule 2: Time 12:00–16:00 → /lunch-menu
Rule 3: Time 18:00–22:00 → /dinner-menu
Fallback: /full-menu

2 — Mobile app (device):

Rule 1: Device = iOS → apps.apple.com/your-app
Rule 2: Device = Android → play.google.com/your-app
Fallback: yourapp.com (web version)

3 — International product (country + language):

Rule 1: Country = DE → yoursite.com/de
Rule 2: Country = FR → yoursite.com/fr
Rule 3: Language = es → yoursite.com/es
Fallback: yoursite.com/en

Common mistakes#

• No fallback → unmatched scans land nowhere.
• Too many rules → ordering becomes confusing. Test each path.
• Timezone not set → time-based rules fire on UTC, not local time.
• No test before printing → use the routing simulator in the dashboard before sending to print.

Ready to set them up?#

Smart Rules live on the Pro plan. Start a free Pro trial — no card required.

Frequently asked questions#

What plan do I need for Smart Rules? Smart Rules are a Pro feature (€39/mo). The Pro trial is free for 3–10 days with no credit card required.

Can I combine multiple conditions in one rule? Yes. A single rule can stack country + device + time + language. The rule fires only when all its conditions match.

What happens if no rule matches a scan? The scan goes to the fallback URL. Always set one — without it, unmatched scans land nowhere.

Can I see which rule fired for each scan? Yes. The dashboard breaks scan analytics down per rule, so you can see which rule fired how often and from where.

Can I use Smart Rules with A/B testing at the same time? Yes. Smart Rules route the scan to a destination first; A/B testing splits traffic within that destination. The two work as layers, not as alternatives.

How many rules can I add to one QR code? There's no hard cap that matters in practice. Most well-designed campaigns use 3–6 rules. Beyond that, ordering becomes hard to reason about — split into multiple QR codes instead.

*See also:*

• QR Code for Smart Rules
• QR Code Analytics
• Static vs Dynamic QR Codes