MeCard is a data file similar to

vCard vCard, also known as VCF (Virtual Contact File), is a file format standard for electronic business cards. vCards can be attached to e-mail messages, sent via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), on the World Wide Web, instant messaging, NFC or ...

but used by NTT DoCoMo in Japan in

QR code A QR code (an initialism for quick response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that can contain information about th ...

format for use with Cellular Phones. It is largely compatible with most QR-readers for smartphones. It is an easy way to share a contact with the most used fields. Usually, devices can recognize it and treat it like a contact ready to import. The following

QR Code A QR code (an initialism for quick response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional barcode) invented in 1994 by the Japanese company Denso Wave. A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that can contain information about th ...

image is an example containing the text: MECARD:N:Doe,John;TEL:13035551212;EMAIL:john.doe@example.com;; QRCode MeCard John Doe

Advantages

Its main advantage is the simplicity: It is very intuitive. It is based in UTF-8 (which is ASCII compatible), the fields are separated with one semicolon (";"), the tags are very readable, they are separated with a colon (":") and --maybe the most important reason-- compared with vCard it needs very few chars which is important for the size of a QR Code.

Limitations

Compared to vCard, MeCard format only stores one single contact, a few labels, and a few data pieces to be set in a typical phonebook.

Structure

MeCard format starts with the tag "MECARD:" and it finishes with two semicolons (";;") The supported tags include:

External links

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QR Code MeCard online generator

Computer file formats Automatic identification and data capture Barcodes {{software-stub