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Configure your Rotating Site QR Code

A guide to turning on a sign-in QR code that refreshes itself, and preparing your site team for the switch.

A rotating QR code replaces your site's fixed sign-in QR code with one that refreshes on a schedule. Each code only works for a limited time, so an old screenshot or a photo someone shared days ago can't be used to sign in from off-site.

Use it when you need to be confident that everyone who signs in was physically on site at the time. This guide covers turning it on, choosing a sensible time limit, displaying the code, and preparing your site team for the switch.

 

Requirements

  • Permissions: Company or Site Host Permissions. If you do not have access, contact your Breadcrumb administrator.

  • Surface: The setting is on the web. You'll also need a screen or tablet with a stable internet connection at the site entrance to show the live code.

 

Before you switch it on

As soon as you save the setting, every previous QR code for that site stops working. That includes printed posters, codes in induction packs, and any screenshots workers have saved. Have your display screen set up and your team briefed before you turn it on.

Prepare your site team for the new QR code below.

 

Step 1: Turn on the Rotating QR code


Step 2: Choose a validity duration

Workers pass two checks when they sign in:

  • When they scan: the code must still be within its validity duration, counted from when that code was generated.
  • When they submit: after a valid scan, they get the validity duration plus an extra 30 minutes to complete their induction and any other forms before submitting.

For example, with a 20-minute validity duration:

  • A code generated at 9:00 can be scanned until 9:20.
  • After a valid scan, the worker has until 9:50 to submit.
  • If they submit after 9:50, the sign-in is rejected and they need to scan a current code again.

Because the display page generates a new code every 30 seconds, workers almost always scan a code that is only seconds old. In practice, their deadline is roughly the validity duration plus 30 minutes from when they scan.

Our recommendation: avoid very short durations. If your site has inductions, 15 to 20 minutes gives workers a comfortable buffer.

Step 3: Display the live QR code on site

The display page shows the site name and address, the site manager's name and contact number, and the current QR code. It refreshes the code automatically every 30 seconds.

  • Put the page on a screen or tablet at the site entrance, where workers naturally stop before going onto site.
  • Keep the page open and connected to the internet. If the connection drops, the screen keeps showing the last code it generated, which will eventually expire.
  • If you use Kiosk Mode on the mobile app, it fetches a fresh code on the same schedule, so a kiosk left running overnight still shows a valid code.

Once rotating QR code is on, use the live display page as your sign-in point rather than a printed QR poster.

Step 4: Prepare your site team for the new QR code

The switch itself takes seconds. Most problems on the first morning come from workers scanning an old poster or a saved screenshot and assuming Breadcrumb is broken. A little preparation from the Site Manager avoids a queue at the gate.

Plan the changeover (about a week ahead)

  • Pick a changeover date and time. Switch it on outside working hours, such as the evening before, so the first scan of the day is on the new code. Avoid days with a large intake of new starters if you can.
  • Test the display point. Check the screen or tablet has power, a stable internet connection and a secure mount at the site entrance. Open the display page and scan it yourself.
  • Name an owner for the screen. Agree who checks each morning that the page is open and refreshing, and who to call if it isn't.
  • List every place the old code lives. Gate posters, the site office, welfare cabins, induction packs, site notice boards, and any group chats where the code has been shared.

 

Let the team know in advance

  • Brief subcontractor supervisors first. They can pass the message on to their own workers, including anyone not on site this week.
  • Mention it at your daily briefing or toolbox talk for a few days before the change, and again on the day.
  • Send a written notice. Use a Breadcrumb announcement to the site, or your usual site messaging, so workers have the details in writing.

Here is some wording you can adapt:

From [date], [site name] is moving to a new sign-in QR code. The code is shown on the screen at the site entrance and refreshes every 30 seconds. Old posters and screenshots of the QR code will no longer work, so please delete any you have saved. When you arrive, scan the code on the screen and finish signing in within about [validity duration + 30] minutes. If you have any trouble, speak to [name] on [number].

 

On the day of the change

  • Remove every old QR poster before workers arrive. If you can't take one down straight away, cover it completely or mark it clearly as no longer valid, so nobody scans it by mistake.
  • Check the display page is live and scan it once yourself before the gate opens.
  • Have someone at the entrance for the first hour or two to point people to the screen and help anyone who gets an invalid code message.
  • Post a short reminder in any group chats where the old code was shared, asking people to delete it.

Make it obvious this is the new code

Put a sign directly next to the display screen so workers know they are looking at the right thing. A few tips:

  • Use a bold heading such as "NEW sign-in QR code" and include the date it came into use.
  • Make it stand out. A bright colour or a hi-vis border helps it catch the eye, especially if workers are used to walking straight past the old poster.
  • Mount it at eye level beside the screen, not on a separate wall or notice board.
  • Add an arrow pointing to the screen if it isn't obvious where to scan.
  • Keep the message short. Workers will read it in a few seconds on their way in.
  • Leave it up for two to three weeks so workers who visit less often, such as specialists and delivery drivers, also see it.

Suggested sign wording:

NEW sign-in QR code (from [date])
Scan the code on this screen to sign in.
The code changes every 30 seconds.
Old posters and screenshots no longer work.
Need help? [Name], [number]

 

Troubleshooting

"I scanned the code but it says it's invalid"

  • The display screen has most likely lost its internet connection and is showing an old, expired code. Check the connection and reload the display page to pull a fresh code, then ask the worker to scan again. If the worker scanned a printed poster or a screenshot, point them to the live screen.

"I scanned fine, but it rejected me when I submitted"

  • The worker took longer than the validity duration plus 30 minutes to complete their induction or forms. They need to scan a current code and sign in again. If this happens often, your induction may be too long for your validity setting, so consider increasing the duration.

"The old printed QR code stopped working"

  • This is expected. Turning on rotating QR code switches off all previous codes for that site. Use the live display page from now on.