Is there anything similar to a QR code that works offline?
Say I have a flyer that I want to discreetly distribute and there is no internet.
Is there something like a QR code that contains the data itself and not just a URL?
This way someone with no data plan could scan the icon/code with an app and the unrecognizable bits and bytes from the icon/code would show up on their screen as a .JPEG of a flyer or something.
If you just want to pass on information, you can just write them out in text. Then whoever scans the code will simply see the text. I would say any QR reader you find will be able to do this. You don’t need to make it an image.
Also, I don’t think a QR code is as discreet as you think. Anyone can scan it, even the people you don’t want to. I don’t know who you want to target and who you want to avoid, but to me it doesn’t seem like a QR code is good protection.