Is it possible to have a QR code go to a website AND send a SMS message with the same link?

Question

My boss wants me to fashion a QR code so that when the user scans it, it displays a button that when clicked:

(1) Will take the user to our website. (2) Will quietly send us a text message.

The purpose of #2 is to allow us to gather their phone number.

In addition to being a privacy violation, I'm pretty sure this (and any other means of achieving this), is technically impossible. Is that correct?

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My understanding of QR codes is that they only contain text. That text may contain keywords which a good reader may parse and display buttons for. It seems the closest I can get to my employer's requirement is to use an SMSTO: link in the QR code, so that (given an appropriate reader) the user is prompted to send us an SMS, at which point we can get their number.

Can anyone think of another way of doing this?

(any other clarification also welcome)

Answer 1

It is technically impossible.

As you say, the best you can do is create an smsto: link.

What you can do is create a code with the instruction "Scan the code to receive our website by SMS"

Then, create a code with

smsto:123456:website

This will send the keyword "website" to a phone number. You'll need to set up a phone number which can auto-respond with the URL you want. There are commercial services which do this (depending on where you are in the world). Or look at a service like FrontlineSMS which can send the texts on your behalf.