diff --git a/proposals/1543-qr_code_key_verification.md b/proposals/1543-qr_code_key_verification.md
index e9362811..084e80e1 100644
--- a/proposals/1543-qr_code_key_verification.md
+++ b/proposals/1543-qr_code_key_verification.md
@@ -170,6 +170,11 @@ This proposal defines three verification methods that can be used in
 
 ### QR code format
 
+Note: only one of the following will be supported.  They are both being
+documented here while we determine how well different formats are supported.
+
+#### Binary format
+
 The QR codes to be displayed and scanned using this format will encode binary
 strings in the general form:
 
@@ -183,9 +188,9 @@ strings in the general form:
     master key
 - the event ID or `transaction_id` of the associated verification
   request event, encoded as:
-  - two bytes in network byte order (big-endian) indicating the length of the
-    ID
-  - the ID as an ASCII string
+  - two bytes in network byte order (big-endian) indicating the length in
+    bytes of the ID as a UTF-8 string
+  - the ID as a UTF-8 string
 - the first key, as 32 bytes.  The key to use depends on the mode field:
   - if `0x00` or `0x01`, then the user's own master cross-signing public key
   - if `0x02`, then the current device's device key
@@ -216,6 +221,44 @@ Bob's cross-signing key is `1011121314151617...` (which is "EBESExQVFh..." in
 base64), and the shared secret is `2021222324252627` (which is "ICEiIyQlJic" in
 base64).
 
+#### Base32 format
+
+The QR codes to be displayed and scanned using this format will encode alphanumeric
+strings generated as follows:
+
+1. generate a binary string by concatenating:
+  - the event ID or `transaction_id` of the associated verification
+    request event, encoded as:
+    - two bytes in network byte order (big-endian) indicating the length in
+      bytes of the ID as a UTF-8 string
+    - the ID as a UTF-8 string
+  - the first key, as 32 bytes.  The key to use depends on the mode field as
+    described in step 3:
+    - if "0" or "1", then the user's own master cross-signing public key
+    - if "2", then the current device's device key
+  - the second key, as 32 bytes.  The key to use depends on the mode field:
+    - if "0", then what the device thinks the other user's master
+      cross-signing key is
+    - if "1", then what the device thinks the other device's device key is
+    - if "2", then what the device thinks the user's master cross-signing key
+      is
+  - a random shared secret, as a byte string.  It is suggested to use a secret
+    that is about 8 bytes long.  Note: as we do not share the length of the
+    secret, and it is not a fixed size, clients will just use the remainder of
+    binary string as the shared secret.
+2. encode the above string using unpadded base32 as defined in RFC4648
+3. prepend the resulting string with
+   - the string "MATRIX"
+   - one character indicating the version (must by "2")
+   - one character indicating the QR code verification mode.  May be one of the
+     following values:
+     - "0" verifying another user with cross-signing
+     - "1" self-verifying in which the current device does trust the master key
+     - "2" self-verifying in which the current device does not yet trust the
+           master key
+
+The QR code is then generated using alphanumeric encoding mode.
+
 ### Message types
 
 #### `m.key.verification.start`