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[Display omitted] • EDTA etched-CdTe@CdS QDs act as both recognition element and signals probe. • EDTA etched-CdTe@CdS QDs sensor achieved a sensitive detection for Cd(II). • Chips based on EDTA etched-CdTe@CdS QDs realized the on-site and visual detection of Cd(II). • The proposed method exhibited excellent specificity, stability, and sensitivity. • The proposed method showed high recovery for Cd(II) in rice samples. EDTA-etched CdTe@CdS QDs were used as the specific recognition element and signal probe of a fluorescence sensor or paper chip for the highly sensitive detection of Cd(II) with an electronic eye device as readout. The results showed that the CdTe@CdS QDs were successfully synthesized with a typical core–shell structure. Under the optimum conditions, the EDTA-etched CdTe@CdS QDs sensor achieved the sensitive detection of Cd(II) with a detection limit of 0.092 μM and a concentration range of 0.44–6.67 μM. The paper chips based on the EDTA-etched CdTe@CdS QDs sensor had a visual cut-off value of 0.44 μM with a short detection time (<15 min). The proposed method also exhibited excellent stability, high specificity, and good recovery for Cd(II) in real rice samples. These results suggested that the EDTA-etched CdTe@CdS QDs provide a promising platform for on-site and visual detection of Cd(II) in rice samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]