I think as a precaution, barcode scanners stopped automatically going to links.

Even if a link isn’t malicious, you can still get someone’s IP address or device fingerprint.

I configure my phone to automatically follow the links from scammer texts.

My phone’s camera app just doesn’t scan qr codes. It’s actually really frustrating. I refuse to install a specific qr scanner, but I’d still like the ability to scan a menu code at restaurants or to get the WiFi connection at a hotel…