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Regarding your first tip, I'm not sure where you're flying, but I fly around the US for work, and they absolutely will send you to the back of the line if you try to board in the wrong spot. Happened to me once recently by accident, got two flights and their boarding groups mixed up. They weren't rude about it or anything, but they were not going to let me on before my group.
That's why you crop it to just the QR code.
The ticket scanner on most devices and stands displays only Name and Seat Assignment. Not zone. If you've, they can't un-scan it.
Walk up with the cropped QR code ready (try to leave some of the app background color as a border, just crop it so no text is cutoff and the zone is missing) and there is almost no chance they stop you and say "sorry I need you to reload your app so I can verify your zone".
They just scan it and move on. Walk with confidence and try it. I've done this literally dozens of times this year alone.
If you walk up with a printed boarding pass, they might stop you if they see it in time. And if you use the app, same, it's usually bold obvious text there.
Worked on Delta, United, and AA this year. Won't dox myself getting too specific, but multiple cross country flights with each. Always the middle or middle front of the second main boarding group.
So, first, you can't be much more confident than an honest mistake. I didn't even know I was in the wrong group.
Second, they weren't reading my phone. You turn your phone face down to scan the QR code. They literally can't read it like that. The system tells them where you are supposed to be, including boarding group. If they're not trying to put you where you're supposed to be, they're probably tired of dealing with people like you.
Lastly, people fucking up the system by cutting in line are a part of why it takes so long to board. If you want to board earlier, man up and pay for a premium ticket.
Dunno what to tell you, I have literally done this dozens of times this year alone, and plenty of years prior. I have seen the screen readouts, and again, the turnstile readout is seat and name. They can pull your group on the PC screen or a handheld scanner if they want, but most don't or won't. If you were trying to board first they might. Hence why I said second main boarding group, every time.
With the way you are talking you seem to not understand how premium boarding works. Nothing about boarding groups is remotely about boarding efficiently. Literally not one bit of it. 0%. It is 100% point loyalty and status. They do not board back to front, nor do they board in staggered patterns to spread traffic, they board from front to back, starting with the higher status and going down. Zones are assigned again based on status of the flyer and seat position. You can be in Zone 1 while in sest 35F if you are right status and sometimes still get pushed to Zone 4 or 5 when sitting in Premium/comfort+.
What I'm doing actually is less traffic overall. I specifically choose a seat in the rear of the plane for this reason. Zone two boards in front midsection. Again, boarding groups are not efficient, go watch a whole CGP Grey video on that if you don't believe me, he talks about it for 20 minutes. But I'm getting situated, stowing my things, clearing aisle obstacles, and ready by the time anyone else gets to the rear, and all I have to do is let them in, which is considerably faster than the traffic jam that zone boarding causes from all passengers being in the same area at once. Everything I do happens simultaneously while the rest of the front midsection is a natural traffic disaster because everyone in one section is boarding at once. It is as inefficient as possible, and I'm playing no part in extending it. I don't even stand in their section I blast straight through it to the back, where there is no one.
Efficient boarding, without a literal line order, would be something like waves going from back to front staggered every third or 4th row. Zone 1A, 1B, 1C, etc. No airline does this. Because they want to sell you faster boarding. I've been on the highest status tiers at various times on 3 of the airlines, and again, nothing is different they just seat you first because your loyalty points regardless of position in the plane.
I've flown millions of miles at this point across the 5 major airlines in the US (sadly still a few hundred thousand short on Delta because it's not consolidated), and spent more than I care to think about for work travel. They will kick you back down to Zone 7 without a second thought, and none of it has to do with efficiency. And none of what I've said above slows anyone down. You're buying into marketing schlock.