How to make a secret message QR code

What is a secret message QR code?

It's an ordinary QR code that opens a one-time link instead of a web page. When someone scans it with their phone camera, they see a sealed message with a Reveal message button. They tap it, read your note, and it's deleted. Scan it again later and there's nothing left.

It works with any phone camera and needs no app on either side.

How to make one (about a minute)

1. Go to the home page and type your message: a clue, a confession, a surprise, a Secret Santa name.
2. Pick a vibe (Surprise and Love note work well for gifts) and a reading timer, or No timer if the reader should take their time.
3. Optional: under More options, add a label such as "Birthday card" so you can tell your codes apart. The label is printed on the QR card and never sent to our servers.
4. Tap Seal it & get the link, then tap QR code.
5. Tap Download image and print it, or show it on your screen.
6. Keep the private status link. It tells you when the code was scanned and the note was read.

Ideas that work well

• Inside a birthday or anniversary card: "Your real present is in the garage."
• Taped to a gift box: the final clue, a hidden voucher code, or a sweet message for their eyes only.
• Treasure or scavenger hunts: each code reveals the next location, and can't be re-read by the next player.
• Big announcements: a pregnancy, a new job or a move, revealed the moment they scan it.
• Secret Santa tags: one code per person, each revealing who they're buying for. See the Secret Santa guide.
• On a cake or a place card: a little mystery for the guest of honor.

More inspiration: 15 fun ways to use self-destructing messages.

Tips before you print

• Mind the expiry. An unread note is destroyed after 30 days at most (you can choose 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days). For a card you'll give in two months, make the code closer to the date.
• Testing is safe. Scanning the code and seeing the sealed screen does not use it up. Only tapping Reveal message does, so don't tap it yourself.
• Treat the code like the secret. Anyone who scans it first can read it. Put it inside the card or box, not on the outside.
• Add a second lock for anything private: set a password under More options and write it somewhere else, or say it out loud. Five wrong guesses and the note burns.
• Print it big enough. About 3 cm (just over an inch) wide or larger scans easily. Plain white paper works best.

Common questions

Does scanning the QR code destroy the message?

No. Scanning only opens the sealed screen. The message is revealed, and deleted from our server, only when someone taps Reveal message. Link previews in chat apps can't trigger it either.

Can you read my message?

No. It's encrypted on your device before it's sent, and the key is part of the link inside the QR code, which never reaches our servers. Here's how it works.

What does the reader see after it burns?

A "This message has self-destructed" screen. If they scan it again, it says the message doesn't exist anymore.

How do I know if they scanned it?

Open your private status link. It shows whether the note is still waiting, was read, or expired. If plans change, you can destroy the note from there before anyone reads it.

More: One-time secret links · How it works · FAQ