Building Scannly
Scannly was Willie Austin's first app. Exhibitors at trade shows, job fairs and networking events scan a QR code to save a contact, add notes and export their leads, and attendees make a QR code of their own to share. It went live on the App Store on September 22, 2025, from theSHFT LLC.
JULY 2026 VERSION 2.6 
JULY 2026 THE SCANNER
- Sep 22, 2025
- Live on the App Store
- 8
- Versions shipped, from 1.0 to 2.6
- Free
- To download, with scans in packs
- About 25,000
- Trade shows in Badge Studio's list
Built for the show floor
At a booth, meeting people is the easy part. Keeping track of them is the hard part. Scannly turns one scan into a saved contact. Each contact can carry notes, and the whole list exports as a CSV file for the follow-up.
Scans use credits that come in packs, so an exhibitor pays for the contacts they collect and nothing else.
- EXHIBITORSScan and saveScan a QR code, add notes, export leads
- ATTENDEESShare a QR codeMake a QR code with your details for booths to scan
- SHOW ORGANIZERSPrint badgesBadge Studio, free, since October 2026
Every version
Dates are the App Store release dates. Screenshots come from the App Store page of version 2.6; the details in them are demo data.
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SEPTEMBER 22, 2025 · VERSION 1.0
The first version
Scannly 1.0 went live on the App Store on September 22, 2025: scan a QR code to save a contact, keep notes on each one, export the list, and buy more scans when you need them.
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SEPTEMBER 24 TO NOVEMBER 17, 2025 · VERSIONS 1.2 TO 2.4
Five updates in two months
Versions 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 2.4 followed in the first two months, each with fixes and improvements.
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JUNE 28 AND JULY 6, 2026 · VERSIONS 2.5 AND 2.6
Back to Scannly
While he was building theSHFT, he came back to Scannly with version 2.5 on June 28, 2026 and version 2.6 on July 6, 2026.
2.6 is the version on the App Store today.
2.6 SCAN PACKS 
2.6 CONTACT SAVED 
2.6 YOUR QR CODE
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OCTOBER 2026
Badge Studio
Badge Studio is a free tool for trade show organizers. They bring their attendee spreadsheet, pick a design and print badges on their own printer, and every badge gets a QR code that exhibitors scan with Scannly. The spreadsheet is read inside the browser and never uploaded.
It can find a show in a list of about 25,000 trade shows. Open Badge Studio.
BADGE STUDIO, FREE FOR SHOW ORGANIZERS
From Scannly to theSHFT
Scannly worked, but it was made for one kind of event. He wanted to build something anyone could use, and in December 2025 he started theSHFT, a private messaging app. It reached the App Store three months later.