Two kinds of location code
This tool makes both, and the difference matters more than it looks.
| Maps link | geo: code | |
|---|---|---|
| What it holds | A Google Maps URL | Raw coordinates |
| Needs internet | Yes | No, the coordinates are in the image |
| Works from an address | Yes | Coordinates only |
| Opens in | Maps, or a browser | The phone's default map app |
| Support | Universal | Good on Android, patchier on iPhone |
For most printed material the Maps link is the safer choice, because it falls back to a browser tab when no map app is installed, so it does not simply fail. The geo: version is worth it when the scanner may have no signal, which is a real situation at rural venues, festival sites and trailheads.
Getting coordinates for a place
If you want the offline version, you need latitude and longitude. The quickest way:
- Open Google Maps on a computer and find the exact spot.
- Right click on it.
- The first item in the menu is the coordinates. Click to copy.
- Paste the first number as latitude, the second as longitude.
On a phone, press and hold on the map instead, and the coordinates appear in the search bar.
Drop the pin where people should actually arrive. A large venue's registered address is often the main office, not the entrance, the car park or the delivery bay. Coordinates let you be precise in a way a street address cannot.
Where a location code earns its place
- Event invitations and posters. Nobody wants to retype a venue address while walking.
- Wedding stationery. Church, reception and parking are often three different places; three small codes solve it.
- Delivery and trade instructions. Point at the loading bay rather than the shop front.
- Rural properties and holiday lets. Where the postal address puts drivers in the wrong lane, coordinates put them at the gate.
- Market stalls and pop ups. A temporary spot that has no address at all.
- Trail markers and meeting points. The offline version, for places with no signal.
Address or coordinates?
Use the address when the place is easy to find and the address is unambiguous, a high street shop, a well known venue. The map handles the search and shows the business name, which reassures the person scanning.
Use coordinates when precision matters: a specific entrance, a field, a spot with no address, or anywhere a street name repeats in the same town. Coordinates cannot be misinterpreted.
Common questions
Will it open Apple Maps on an iPhone?
A Google Maps link opens in the Google Maps app if it is installed, or in a browser if not. If your audience is heavily iPhone based and you would rather they land in Apple Maps, use the coordinates option, which hands off to whichever map app the phone treats as default.
Does the location code work without internet?
The geo: version holds the coordinates in the image, so the map app receives them with no connection. Whether the map can then show that area depends on cached or offline maps on the device.
Can I include a place name with the coordinates?
The geo format allows a label, but support varies enough that we leave it out. If the name matters, use the address mode or print the name next to the code.
How accurate are the coordinates?
Six decimal places, which is what Google Maps gives you, is accurate to roughly a tenth of a metre. Far more precision than any real world use needs.
Related tools
For an event, pair this with a calendar code so the date and the place both land on the phone in two scans. Venues also tend to want a WiFi code and a phone code. Our hotel guide and café guide cover which codes belong where.
Which format you pick changes how big the code has to be printed. We encoded one address six ways and measured every result in this format comparison: the link copied from the Google Maps address bar came out more than five times the area of plain coordinates.