Using a smartphone as a barcode scanner for Exact Online
Yes, you can use an ordinary smartphone as a full barcode scanner for Exact Online. With the Barcode Scan App the camera of your Android phone or iPhone turns into a scanner that reads EAN, GS1, QR and DataMatrix codes. Every scan is booked straight through the official Exact Online API, so your stock stays accurate in real time. You do not need to buy an expensive handheld scanner to begin.
This article explains how scanning with a phone works, what you need, and when a smartphone is enough — and when a professional hardware scanner is the better choice.
How does scanning with a smartphone work?
The Barcode Scan App uses your phone camera to recognise a barcode. As soon as the code is in view, the app decodes the item number and looks up the matching product in Exact Online. You then record the action — a receipt, an order pick, a transfer or a count — and the app books it into your administration immediately. There is no intermediate step or manual retyping: what you scan appears directly in Exact Online.
What do you need to get started?
- A smartphone: an Android device (from Android 8) or an iPhone with a working camera. Even a budget device often does the job.
- The Barcode Scan App: available from the Google Play Store or the App Store.
- An Exact Online subscription with inventory management (Trade or Manufacturing).
- An internet connection (Wi-Fi or 4G/5G) for the real-time link.
After installing, you connect the app to Exact Online once. See the guide on getting started with barcode scanning for the steps. Within a few minutes you scan your first product.
Benefits of using a smartphone as a scanner
- Low entry barrier: you use hardware you already own and save the cost of separate scanners.
- Scale quickly: want an extra employee scanning? Install the app on a second phone and you are ready.
- Always at hand: a phone is compact, familiar and has a screen that shows stock, locations and order lines instantly.
- 2D codes by default: the camera also reads QR codes and GS1 DataMatrix — handy for batch and serial numbers in food and pharma.
- Camera and integration in one: you can add photos of damage or packing slips without a second device.
Smartphone versus professional barcode scanner
A smartphone is the smartest choice for many businesses, but not for every situation. This rule of thumb helps you decide:
- Choose a smartphone for: low to medium scan volumes, an office or shop warehouse, changing staff and a limited budget.
- Choose a professional scanner for: hundreds of scans per hour, rough environments (dust, moisture, freezer), working with gloves, or when you scan all day and want a physical scan button and longer battery life.
Importantly, it is not an either/or decision. The Barcode Scan App runs on smartphones and on professional Android scanners from Zebra, Honeywell and Newland. So you can start with a phone and later, as volume grows, move to rugged hardware without switching software. Our barcode scanner buying guide compares the options per situation.
Even faster: a phone with a Bluetooth ring scanner
Want the hand speed of a real scanner but still use your phone? Pair the smartphone with a small Bluetooth ring scanner or a pistol grip. You keep the overview on the phone screen but scan with a physical button and a laser. That gives you the best of both worlds without buying a fully industrial terminal.
iPhone or Android?
Both work excellently for camera scanning. Android offers slightly more flexibility because the same app also runs on professional Android scanners, which makes scaling up easier. Working with iPhones? Then read our page about the Barcode Scan App on iPhone. For most businesses the choice is simply the platform your staff already use.
Start right away
Your smartphone is probably the cheapest and fastest way to connect barcode scanning to Exact Online. Download the app, connect your administration and scan your first goods receipt or order pick today. Growing? You scale up to professional scanners with exactly the same app.