StoreCard Not Working? Fix a Barcode That Won't Scan

When this fails, the cashier may try several times, shrug and type the number in. The cause is often a card saved as Code 128 when the plastic carries an EAN-13: same digits, different bars, and the scanner wants the EAN.

What to try at the till, in this order

Close the widget and open the card from StoreCard's list. Only the card screen raises brightness to full and stops the iPhone from locking; the widget shows the barcode at whatever brightness you had.
Check Auto Brightness (100%) is still on in Settings. It is on by default, but if you switched it off once to save battery, every card opens at your normal brightness.
Hold the phone flat and close to the scanner window, and tilt it slightly if the glass reflects the ceiling lights back at you.
Take off a privacy or matte screen protector if you have one. Both scatter or block light at an angle, and the scanner sees grey where it expects black and white.
If it still fails, turn the phone round and let the cashier read the digits under Card Number, or tap the copy button next to it if you need to paste it into a shop's own app.

Is the barcode format right?

Open the card and look at the small grey label next to Card Number: that is the format StoreCard draws. Most European supermarket and pharmacy cards are EAN-13, 13 digits with the number printed under the bars. Long codes with letters are usually Code 128 or Code 39.

To change it, tap Edit, pick another Barcode Format under Card Value and save. The list only offers formats StoreCard can actually draw, so Data Matrix isn't there.

Worked example: one wrong digit

EAN-13 and EAN-8 end in a check digit that the scanner recalculates from the others. Typing the same card three ways shows the effect, worked out with the EAN-13 check-digit rule (weights 1, 3, 1, 3... from the left), the same one StoreCard uses.

Card printed with 4006381333931, saved as EAN-13
What was typed in Code	What StoreCard did	At the till
4006381333913 (last two digits swapped)	drew all 13 digits as typed	rejected: the first 12 give a check digit of 7, the card ends in 3
400638133393 (only 12 digits)	added the 13th itself: 4006381333931	scanned, matches the plastic
40063813339 (11 digits)	no bars, shows the can't-be-drawn message	nothing to scan

The first row is the sneaky one. StoreCard draws a full 13-digit number exactly as you typed it, on purpose, because it has to match what is printed on your card. So a typo produces a barcode that looks fine and never beeps. Compare the digits under Card Number with the plastic, one block of four at a time.

In the third case the card screen says "This number doesn't fit the selected barcode format, so it can't be drawn." and shows a Change Format button. That message means the length or the characters don't suit the format: EAN-13 takes 12 or 13 digits, EAN-8 takes 7 or 8, ITF-14 needs an even count (13 digits get a check digit added), and Code 39 takes capitals, numbers and a few symbols.

The camera won't read the card when I add it

Different problem: the camera reading the plastic, not the till reading your screen. If you see Camera access is off, tap Open Settings and allow the camera. If the frame sits on Position card barcode in frame, try the flashlight, flatten the card, and move it back until the whole barcode fits. A worn barcode can refuse to read at all; Enter Manually and type the number instead, since the scan is only ever a shortcut to filling in Code and Barcode Format.

What StoreCard can't fix

It cannot draw Data Matrix, the small square code on some cards. If your card only has one of those, keep the plastic for now or ask the till to type the number.

The widget can be worse in low light. At a dim self-checkout in the evening, the small widget barcode can fail, because a widget can't turn the screen up. Tapping through to the card fixes it, since the card screen raises the brightness. The widget works best as a way to find the card, with the card screen doing the scanning.

No paywall here. Pro only adds widgets, Mark as Used and Text Color, nothing that touches whether a barcode scans. A photo of the card in the camera roll can work as a fallback, though it is not reliable: it never goes to full brightness on its own and never tells you a digit is wrong.

Questions and answers

Why won't my barcode scan from my phone screen?

Usually the screen is too dim, the card is saved in a different format from the plastic, or a digit is wrong. In StoreCard, open the card itself rather than the widget so the screen goes to full brightness, check the format label next to Card Number, and compare the digits with the card.

Why is my iPhone not scanning a barcode when I add a card?

Either camera access is off or the camera can't focus on the bars. Allow the camera with Open Settings, use the flashlight in dim light and hold the card flat. If the barcode is worn, use Enter Manually and type the number.

Why is my loyalty card not working at one shop but fine at another?

Different tills use different scanners. Camera-based scanners read phone screens well; some older red-laser scanners struggle with any screen. At those, show the number under Card Number and let the cashier type it.

Does a screen protector stop a barcode from scanning?

A clear glass protector rarely does. Privacy filters and matte protectors can, because they darken or blur the screen when seen from an angle. If one shop never reads your phone, try without it once to rule it out.

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