QR codes on headstones: what they are and how they work

It's becoming more and more common to see a small plaque with a QR code beside the name on a headstone. Scan it with your phone and you arrive at that person's online memorial: their story, their photographs and the words of those who loved them.

How it works

A QR code is nothing more than a printed link. Scan it with your phone's camera and the memorial page opens. No special app is needed: any modern phone reads it straight from the camera.

What it adds

• Context: a headstone gives a name and two dates; the memorial tells the whole life that happened in between.
• Participation: anyone visiting the grave can leave a condolence or light a virtual candle there and then.
• Family memory: grandchildren and great-grandchildren who never knew the person can discover who they were just by holding up a phone.

How to install one

• Download the QR code for your memorial (with In Memoriam it's included in the Premium plan).
• Order an engraved plaque in aluminium, steel or ceramic; any signmaker or funeral director can produce one inexpensively.
• Fix it to the headstone with outdoor adhesive or screws, depending on the material.

One important detail

A QR code is only as durable as the page it points to. That's why the memorial should live on a permanent service, with no annual fees that break the link the moment they go unpaid. Remembrance shouldn't expire because of a forgotten subscription.