Can I use my iPhone as a barcode scanner for inventory?

Yes — an iPhone camera scans inventory barcodes very well, and for most small businesses it completely replaces a dedicated scanner. The camera reads Code 128, UPC/EAN and QR codes; what matters is the software behind it: an inventory app (or a browser-based scanner like VNDLY's — no app install) that turns each scan into a stock movement: receive, pick, count, ship.

Where phones shine: low-to-mid scan volumes, counting sessions, receiving deliveries, multiple people scanning with devices they already own.

Where a $100–300 Bluetooth scanner still wins: hundreds of scans per hour (trigger grip beats tapping), gloves and cold rooms, and battery life across a full warehouse shift. Plenty of businesses run phones for months and only add hardware scanners when volume genuinely demands it — that's the right order to spend money in.