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Deprecating Barcode Scanning Feature

This guide explains the deprecation of the barcode scanning feature in the BlinkReceipt Android SDK 2.0.0 and newer and how to migrate if your application currently relies on it.

Who this applies to

This change applies only to Android applications that:

  • Use the blinkreceipt-barcode module
  • Launch a barcode scanner as part of the receipt capture or receipt correction flow

If your application does not use barcode scanning, no action is required.

What’s changing

Starting with BlinkReceipt SDK 2.0.0 and newer, the built-in barcode scanning module has been removed.

  • Receipt scanning and OCR functionality are not affected
  • Scan API and core receipt extraction remain unchanged
  • Only the standalone barcode scanning component is impacted

Why barcode scanning was removed

As part of our migration to CameraX, we evaluated long-term stability, maintainability, and performance across all camera-dependent features.

Barcode scanning was tightly coupled to our legacy camera framework. Maintaining it alongside CameraX would have required additional complexity without improving receipt scanning outcomes.

We recommend using Google ML Kit Barcode Scanning, which provides:

  • Broad barcode format support (UPC, EAN, QR, and more)
  • Better performance and accuracy
  • Ongoing maintenance and updates from Google

This approach gives you full control over your barcode scanning UX while ensuring long-term stability.

Breaking API Changes

The :blinkreceipt-barcode module has been completely removed. The following classes and all other public APIs within the com.microblink.barcode.* package are no longer available:

  • com.microblink.barcode.BlinkReceiptBarcodeSdk
  • com.microblink.barcode.RecognizerView
  • com.microblink.barcode.RecognizerResults
  • com.microblink.barcode.RecognizerClient
  • And all other public APIs within the com.microblink.barcode.* package.

Migration Steps

1. Add Dependencies (i.e. using Google ML Kit)

Add the BlinkReceipt SDK and Google ML Kit Barcode Scanning library to your build.gradle or build.gradle.kts file:

// build.gradle
dependencies {
    implementation(platform("com.microblink.blinkreceipt:blinkreceipt-bom:2.0.0"))
    implementation("com.microblink.blinkreceipt:blinkreceipt-core")
    // ...

    implementation 'com.google.mlkit:barcode-scanning:17.2.0'
}

2. Implement the Barcode Scanner

You will need to create a new UI for the barcode scanner. This typically involves using a TextureView or SurfaceView to display the camera preview and overlaying a view to indicate the scanning area.

You can find a complete, official sample implementation in the Google ML Kit Vision Quickstart repository.

3. UI/UX Considerations

When implementing your new barcode scanner, consider the following:

  • Scanning Area: Clearly indicate the area where the user should place the barcode.
  • User Guidance: Provide instructions on how to scan a barcode (e.g., “Center the barcode in the frame”).
  • Feedback: Provide feedback when a barcode is detected (e.g., a vibration or a sound).

4. Is ML Kit a 1:1 Replacement?

Google ML Kit provides all the functionality that was available in the :blinkreceipt-barcode module, and more. It supports a wider range of barcode formats and offers better performance and accuracy. There are no known feature gaps.

5. Testing Checklist

  • ✅ Verify that the new barcode scanning dependency has been added correctly and the project builds without errors.
  • ✅ Test the new barcode scanning UI to ensure the camera preview displays correctly.
  • ✅ Confirm that the scanner successfully detects and decodes the various barcode formats that your app supports (e.g., UPC, QR Code).
  • ✅ Check that user guidance and feedback (e.g., scanning area indicator, vibration on detection) work as expected.
  • ✅ Test the entire user flow, from launching the scanner to processing the scanned data.
  • ✅ Verify the scanner’s performance in different lighting conditions and with barcodes of varying quality.
  • ✅ Ensure the camera lifecycle is handled correctly (e.g., the camera is properly released when the app is backgrounded and re-initialized when foregrounded).
  • ✅ Test on a variety of devices with different camera capabilities and Android versions.
  • ✅ Confirm that any business logic that previously relied on the :blinkreceipt-barcode module now correctly uses the data from the new scanner implementation.

Get Help

If you encounter any issues during the migration or have questions about these changes, please do not hesitate to reach out to our support team.