The BBC has made a major change to the voting process for Strictly Come Dancing this year. 

We were reunited with all the trademark glitz and glamour as our 2022 celebrities partnered up with their professional dancers and took to the dancefloor for the first time this weekend.

Since it is the first week, none of the celebrities or their professional partners found themselves in the dance-off or left the show this week.

However, the scores from their first dances will be carried over until next week so every dance step counts!

Strictly Come Dancing makes major change to voting for 2022

Despite there not being any public voting after the first love show, presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman did explain that voting will look different this year.

When voting does open next Saturday, viewers will be able to scan a QR code to choose and vote for their favourite couple.

The change should save fans time from having to type in the whole URL but it's not been a popular move with everyone.

One viewer likened the change to life at the height of the Covid pandemic: "Scan a QR code? What is this, a covid era café?"

Another fan added: "Not all the nannas trying to scan the qr code"

While a third chimed in:"#Strictly no criticisms. I love the QR Code idea but why are they in black and white? Add some #sparkle".

READ MORE: BBC Strictly Come Dancing week one leaderboard - See the scores

READ MORE: Where are the Strictly Come Dancing winners now? Find out as 2022 series begins

How to vote for your favourite Strictly Come Dancing couple

How to scan a QR code now as Strictly voting changes for 2022

If you happened to bypass all the QR code scanning of the pandemic or you need a refresher, here's how you can scan to help keep your favourite pairing out of the dance-off. 

Scanning a QR Code on an IOS device

  • With an IOS device, all you need to do is open the Camera app from the Home Screen, Control Centre or Lock Screen
  • You should then select the rear-facing camera and hold your device so that the QR code appears in the viewfinder in the Camera app
  • Then simply, tap the notification to open the link

Scanning a QR Code on an Android device

  • Similar to the above, you can scan a QR code on an Android phone or tablet by opening the built-in camera app.
  • You then can point the camera at the QR code and then tap the banner that appears on your Android phone or tablet.
  • You simply then just need to follow the instructions on the screen

 

Strictly voting online

Whether you have scanned the QR code or you voting through the Strictly website, it couldn't be more straightforward to vote online.

The BBC says has said that you will need to have a BBC account, and be signed in so that your vote counts.

The broadcaster said: "Before you can vote, you need to be signed in with your BBC account. If you're a Strictly superfan and voted online last year, then provided you're using the same device, you should still be signed in and ready to vote!

"If you've never voted online before then you'll need to register for a BBC account in order to vote or, if you already have an account but haven’t visited the BBC in a while, you may need to sign in again before you vote for the first time."

If you already have an account, you can sign-in directly from the Strictly homepage during the show or you can sign-in any time at bbc.com/signin.

However, if you don't have one, simply register from the Strictly homepage during the show, or any time at bbc.com/register.

The BBC added: "When the vote is open, it will appear at the top of the Strictly homepage. If you can’t see it, try refreshing the page."

The couples will be listed in alphabetical order and to cast your vote, you click the plus (+) icon by the dancing duo of your choice.

Once you've selected your top couple, a ‘1’ will appear in the box between the ‘plus (+)’ and ‘minus (-)’ buttons.

You can then allocate all your permitted votes at the same time by clicking the ‘+’ button again for the same or a different pair.

READ MORE: What is the Strictly curse and which celebrities have fallen to it?

READ MORE: Who are the favourites to win Strictly Come Dancing 2022 after first live show?

If you want to remove your vote from any couple, all you need to do is click the ‘-’ button next to their name.

Once you’ve allocated all your votes you won’t be able to press the ‘+’ button anymore.

When you're happy with your votes, click the ‘Submit X Votes’ at the bottom.

The BBC says that you can now cast all your votes at once, or cast them one at a time as you did last year.

You should note that once you have submitted your vote, it cannot be changed.

If you have submitted all your votes in one go then you won’t be able to vote again but if you voted one at a time, you will be able to use your remaining votes with the ‘vote again' button.

Strictly Come Dancing voting by phone

Viewers can still vote by phone if they don't want to follow the above steps.

The phone numbers will be given out during the show and will be made available on the Strictly homepage when the lines are open.