2D Hub — App Support
Welcome to 2D Hub Support. Find answers to common questions about scanning barcodes, understanding GS1 information and using the 2D Hub mobile application.
Getting started
- Install 2D Hub from the App Store or TestFlight, then open it.
- The first launch shows “Welcome to 2D Hub”. Read the short introduction and tap Continue.
- Tap Scan a code. If camera access has not been granted, tap Allow camera. The app cannot scan until that permission is on.
- The scanner opens with a live camera preview, a torch control, and a freeze control.
- Point the back camera at a supported barcode and hold the phone steady.
- If more than one code is detected, tap the numbered outline or the matching row. The prompt on screen is “Point the camera at the codes. Tap a code, or its row, to inspect it.”
- The result shows a plain-language headline, the encoded value, and the interpreted value. GS1 application identifiers are listed when the content has that structure.
- Tap Copy to copy the result, or Share to send the text to another app.
- The selected scan is stored on the device. From the home screen, tap Scan history to open it later. Tap Rescan to return to the camera.
Supported barcode formats
The lists below describe the formats the current app is built to recognise. Automated checks cover the interpretation rules and, for GS1 DataBar, decoding of generated images. A successful software check is not the same as a confirmed scan of a printed symbol on a phone.
- EAN-8 and GTIN-8.
- UPC-A and GTIN-12. A 12-digit UPC-A is the same trade item as its 13-digit EAN-13 form with a leading zero, and as the 14-digit form with two leading zeros.
- EAN-13 and GTIN-13. An ordinary EAN-13 keeps its digits. Leading zeros are not removed just to shorten the number.
- UPC-E, when the app can validate and expand it to UPC-A.
- GTIN-14 and ITF-14, including numbers used on cases and cartons.
- GS1-128, when a Code 128 symbol carries GS1 structure. An ordinary Code 128 that only contains a GTIN-like number is not treated as confirmed GS1.
- GS1 DataMatrix, and an ordinary Data Matrix that is not GS1.
- GS1 Digital Link in a QR symbol or Data Matrix. The app interprets the link on the device. It does not open a product page or look the item up.
- Standard QR and Data Matrix.
- GS1 DataBar omnidirectional, stacked, stacked omnidirectional, limited, expanded, and expanded stacked. These are part of the native scanner. Physical scanning of GS1 DataBar on a phone has not yet been confirmed. If the scanner shows “This app build does not include the native GS1 scanner”, DataBar cannot be read in that build, and the standard camera is used for the other formats.
- Other linear and 2D formats built into the scanner: Code 39, Code 93, Codabar, PDF417, and Aztec.
Understanding scan results
A GTIN is a GS1 number used to identify a trade item. The app can recognise GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13, and GTIN-14. The length and any leading indicator change what kind of number it is. They do not, by themselves, name a product.
GTIN-8 is the short form, often carried by an EAN-8 symbol. GTIN-12 is the form used by UPC-A. GTIN-13 is the form used by EAN-13. GTIN-14 adds an indicator digit and is often used for a packaging level rather than the item inside.
The check digit is the last digit. It is calculated from the digits in front of it. A matching check digit means the number is internally consistent. It does not mean a company registered the number, and it does not mean the printed bars are good enough to scan at a checkout.
Some cameras report a 12-digit UPC-A as an EAN-13 type. When the payload is exactly 12 digits and the camera reports that type, 2D Hub treats it as a UPC-A / GTIN-12 and keeps the original decoded value as well.
GS1 Application Identifiers are short codes inside a GS1 symbol, such as 01 for a GTIN or 10 for a batch or lot. The result lists each identifier the app can read, with a name and the value that followed it.
The encoded value is the text read from the symbol, including a GS1 Digital Link or the raw element string. The interpreted value is the app’s reading of that text, such as a normalised GTIN or a human-readable element string. Both are shown.
A GS1 restricted circulation number is reserved for use inside a company or another limited system. A valid restricted number is not an invalid barcode, and it is not promoted to a global GTIN. The app does not infer a retailer, product, or licence holder from it.
A retailer-internal code may scan and pass a check digit while still identifying nothing outside that retailer’s own system. The symbol does not tell 2D Hub which retailer assigned it.
A GS1 prefix identifies the GS1 organisation that administers that range of numbers. It does not identify the country where a product was manufactured, and it does not name the company that holds the licence.
A valid GTIN does not establish GS1 licence ownership. The result can say that no licence or product lookup was performed. 2D Hub does not contact a GS1 registry when you scan.
2D Hub is a barcode content inspection tool. It is not an ISO barcode print-quality verifier.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2D Hub free to use?
The current 2D Hub mobile app does not ask you to pay, subscribe, or sign in. This page is about that scanner. It is separate from any 2D Hub website used to create barcodes.
Do I need an account?
No. The scanner has no account, password, or sign-in. The first screen only asks you to continue into the app.
Why does the app request camera permission?
The camera is how the app sees a barcode. 2D Hub asks for camera access when you open the scanner. The permission text is: “2D Hub uses the camera to scan retail and GS1 barcodes, including GS1 DataBar.”
What barcode formats can I scan?
The app is built to read EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, UPC-E, ITF-14, Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Codabar, QR, Data Matrix, PDF417, Aztec, and GS1 DataBar variants. GS1-128 and GS1 Digital Link are recognised from the content of those symbols. See Supported barcode formats for what has been checked in software and what still needs a physical scan.
Can I scan more than one barcode at a time?
Yes. When several codes are in view, each one is outlined and listed. Tap the outline or its row to inspect that code. Only the code you select is saved.
Why does a valid barcode not identify the product?
The app reads and checks the data in the symbol. It does not look up a product name, brand, or owner. A valid check digit only shows that the number was formed correctly. It does not prove who assigned it or what product it refers to.
What is a restricted circulation number?
Some numbers that look like product codes are reserved for use inside one company, or in a limited geographic system. The app can describe these as restricted circulation numbers. They are not globally unique trade-item numbers, and the symbol alone does not name the retailer, product, or company that assigned it.
Why does a barcode show an invalid check digit?
GS1 numbers include a final check digit calculated from the digits before it. If that digit does not match, the number was damaged, mistyped, or not formed as a GS1 number. The app reports an invalid check digit and does not treat the value as a valid identifier.
What is GS1 DataBar?
GS1 DataBar is a family of smaller symbols used on items such as produce and coupons. The native iOS scanner includes a decoder for omnidirectional, stacked, stacked omnidirectional, limited, expanded, and expanded stacked symbols. That decoder has been checked with generated images. Scanning those symbols with a phone camera has not yet been confirmed. Truncated DataBar is a shorter omnidirectional symbol and may be reported as omnidirectional.
Can I scan cartons and non-consumer packaging?
You can try. ITF-14 and a 14-digit GTIN are used on cases and cartons, and the app can interpret those numbers when it reads them. A packaging indicator describes a pack level. It does not, by itself, name the product. Large or distant symbols may still be hard for a phone camera to read.
Where is my scan history stored?
On the phone, in a local database inside the app. 2D Hub does not send the saved scan to a 2D Hub account, because the app has no account. History is available from Scan history on the home screen.
How can I delete a saved scan?
Open Scan history. Tap Delete beside one scan to remove that row. Tap Clear, then confirm, to remove every saved scan on that device. Deleting is immediate for a single row. Clearing asks you to confirm first.
Does scanning send my barcode information to a server?
The scanner does not contain a feature that uploads the barcode, the camera picture, or the saved history to 2D Hub. Interpretation happens on the device. Copy and Share send the text only when you choose those actions, and then only to the clipboard or the app you pick.
How do I copy or share scan results?
On a result, tap Copy to put the interpreted value and the encoded value on the clipboard. Tap Share to hand that same text to another app through the phone’s share sheet. Both actions happen only when you tap them.
What should I do if the camera doesn't open?
On the scanner, tap Allow camera if it is offered. If the button says Camera is blocked, open the phone’s Settings, find 2D Hub, and turn Camera on. Then return to the app. You can also close the app completely and open it again, or install the latest version from the App Store or TestFlight. Do not delete the app unless you accept that saved scans stored only on the device may be permanently lost.
How can I report a problem or suggest an improvement?
Email support@2dhub.co. Include the device model, the iOS or Android version, the 2D Hub version shown by the App Store, TestFlight, or the phone’s app settings, what happened, and the steps that led there. A screenshot is optional. Leave out confidential barcode contents and personal information unless they are needed to explain the problem.
Troubleshooting
- Camera permission denied: tap Allow camera on the scanner. If the app says Camera is blocked, enable Camera for 2D Hub in the phone’s Settings, then open the scanner again.
- Camera does not start: close 2D Hub fully, open it again, and try Scan a code. Install the latest build from the App Store or TestFlight if the preview still does not appear.
- Barcode not detected: move closer or farther until the symbol fills part of the preview, and try one symbol at a time.
- Poor lighting or focus: tap Torch on, avoid glare, and hold the phone still.
- Two barcodes too close together: tap Freeze, then tap the outline or list row for the code you want. You can also cover the other symbol.
- A code is detected but cannot be interpreted: read the headline and the encoded value. The symbol may be damaged, use a format the app does not interpret, or contain a number with an invalid check digit. The encoded value is still shown when the camera could read it.
- Saved history unavailable: Scan history shows “Scan history could not be read from this device” when the local database cannot be opened. Restart the app. Saved scans are not copied to a 2D Hub server, so they cannot be restored from an account.
- The app crashes or shows an unexpected error: force-close it, open it again, and update it from the App Store or TestFlight. If it continues, email support with the device, system version, app version, and the steps that led to the error.
Deleting or uninstalling 2D Hub can permanently remove scan history stored only on that device. Do that only after you have copied anything you need to keep.
Contact technical support
Email the 2D Hub support address. There is no phone line and no ticket portal on this page.
Where you can, include:
- Device model.
- iOS or Android version.
- 2D Hub app version, from the store listing or the phone’s app settings.
- A brief description of the issue.
- Steps to reproduce it.
- An optional screenshot.
Do not include confidential barcode content or personal information unless it is necessary to explain the problem.
Privacy
Read how the mobile app handles the camera, scan history, and support email in the 2D Hub mobile app privacy policy.