How To
Scan your prints, front and back
1 Choose album
Step 1 of 5
Pick the album these photos will go into.
- Tap an album, or make a new one.
- Scanning is unlimited on every plan: as many albums and photos as you like, fronts and backs.
- You can move photos to another album later.
2 Photograph fronts
Step 2 of 5
Lay the page flat and take one photo of all the fronts.
- Hold the phone straight above the page so the whole page fills the screen.
- We find each print and put a big number on it: 1, 2, 3, 4, left to right, top to bottom.
- If a box is wrong, tap "Fix corners" and drag the four corners. You can also add or remove a print.
- We straighten, crop, and brighten each print for you. Your page photo is kept too.
- Loose prints? Spread them on a plain, dark table with a little space between them.
- One print? Photograph just that print, face up.
- Importing? Pick your photos or scanner files instead of taking a picture.
3 Photograph backs
Step 3 of 5
Now carefully remove the prints or flip the page, and photograph the backs.
Front of page
1234
Backs (mirrored)
2143
- Backs are usually hidden inside the album. Take the prints out gently, or turn the page over if you can see the backs through it.
- Easiest: turn every print over where it lies, like turning the page of a book. Left and right swap: print 1 (top left) is now top right. We expect this "mirrored" layout.
- Laid them out in the same order instead? Switch on "Same order".
- Or photograph one back at a time. We show the print's big number so you know which one is next.
- No writing on a back? You can skip it.
- Flip each print over in the same spot, then take one photo of all the backs.
- Turn the print over and photograph the back.
- We match backs by file name when we can, like _front and _back. Add any missing backs here.
4 Check pairs
Step 4 of 5
Make sure each front is next to its own back.
- Each row shows a front and the back we matched to it, with the same big number.
- Wrong match? Tap one row, then tap the other row. They swap.
- Mark "No writing on back" for any print whose back is blank.
- A yellow "Please check" tag means we were not sure about that match.
5 Review labels & save
Step 5 of 5
Check the names, dates, and places we read from the backs, then save.
- We read the handwriting on each back and suggest a caption, date, people, and place.
- Nothing is saved until you check it. Change anything that looks wrong.
- Same date or place for the whole page? Use "Label once, apply to many".
- Tap Save. Then choose "Next page" to keep going, or "Done".
6 Album page scan: front and back
Scan a whole album page at once: one photo of the fronts, then one photo of the backs.
Front of page
1234
Backs (mirrored)
2143
- Photograph the page with the fronts facing up (Step 2).
- Take the prints out, or flip the page (Step 3).
- Mirror rule: when you turn a print over like a page in a book, left becomes right. Print 1 at the top left shows up at the top right. We pair them automatically.
- Keep going with "Next page". The top of the screen shows how far you are, like "Page 7 of ~30, 23 photos saved".
- You can stop any time. Your scan is saved on this phone. Tap "Resume your scan" on the home screen.
7 Loose prints on a table
Spread up to 9 loose prints on a table, photograph them, then flip them all over in place.
- Use a plain, dark tablecloth or table. Leave a finger's width between prints.
- Take one photo of all the fronts.
- Flip each print over where it lies. Do not move them around.
- Take one photo of all the backs. We pair them using the mirror rule.
8 Importing from Photos or a scanner
Bring in many photos at once from your photo library or the Files app, including scanner files.
- Choose "Import from Photos or Files". You can pick JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and PDF files.
- If a scan holds several photos, we cut them apart for you.
- We pair fronts and backs by name when we can: IMG_001 then IMG_002, name_a and name_b, or name_front and name_back.
- We warn you about photos you already have, so you can skip them.
- Anything we could not pair, you can pair yourself in "Check pairs".
9 Fixing a crop
If a box does not fit a print, drag its corners into place.
- Tap "Fix corners" in Step 2, then tap the print number you want to fix.
- Drag each of the four round handles to a corner of the print.
- "Add a print" puts a new box in the middle. "Remove" deletes the selected box.
- Not finding anything? Try a ready-made layout: 1, 2, 4, 6, or 9 prints.
10 Fixing a pair
If a back is matched to the wrong front, swap them.
- In Step 4, tap the first row, then tap the row it should trade with.
- Turn "Same order" on or off in Step 3 if every pair looks wrong. That re-pairs the whole page.
- Use "No writing on back" for a blank back.
11 Labeling with back-of-print reading
We suggest what the handwriting says. You decide what is saved.
- Suggestions show up in Step 5 next to each print.
- Tap a field to change it. Remove any name that is not right.
- Tick "Looks right" to confirm a print. Names are only added when you confirm.
- Handwriting is hard to read, even for computers. Old pencil and cursive may need typing.
- We never recognize faces.
12 Label once, apply to many
Type a date, place, people, or event once and add it to a whole page or a group.
- In Step 5, tap "Label once, apply to many".
- Choose which prints: this page, the ones you ticked, or a suggested group like "1968".
- Empty fields are filled. Existing ones are kept unless you choose "Replace what is there".
13 Tips for good photos
Good light and a flat page give the best results.
- Light: use daylight from a window or even room light. Turn the flash off.
- Glare: if you see a bright shine, tilt the phone slightly or move the lamp to the side.
- Flat pages: press the album open gently. Curved pages give curved crops.
- Sleeves: plastic sleeves cause glare. If you remove prints, slide them out slowly. Do not peel prints stuck to old "magnetic" pages. Photograph them in place.
- Hold still and tap the screen to focus before you take the photo.
14 Slides and negatives (preview)
Hold a negative or slide up to a bright white screen and photograph it inside the guide.
- Show a plain white screen on a tablet or computer, and lay the negative on it.
- Fit the frame inside the dotted guide.
- We turn the negative into a positive and correct the colors. This is a preview, not lab quality.
15 Voice stories
Record the story behind a print or an album in your own voice, and keep the words with it.
- Open a print and tap "Tell the story of this print". In an album, tap "Record the album's story".
- Tap the big button to start and stop, or press and hold it and let go to stop. Pause and resume any time.
- Listen back, record again if you like, then add a title, when it happened, and who it is about.
- The words are written down on your phone, with no internet. Fix names that were misheard. If your phone cannot do this, type the words yourself.
- What was said shows under the story and can be found with Search, along with the writing on the backs.
- The free plan has 3 voice stories up to 5 minutes each. Premium has no limit, up to 10 minutes each.
16 Life stories without a photo
Tell a memory that has no picture, and keep it in an album like a print.
- Tap "Life stories" on the home screen, then "Tell a story". Or choose "Tell a story (no photo)" when adding to any album.
- Give it a title, when and where it happened, and who it is about.
- Pick a photo to stand in for it, or keep the illustrated story card.
- Stories sit in the album in order with your prints, with a play button.
- The free plan includes one story without a photo. The Life stories album does not use up your free album.
17 Export and share an album
Save an album as one ZIP file, free on every plan, and send it with your phone's share sheet.
- In an album, tap the menu (three dots), then "Export ZIP (free)", then "Export ZIP and share".
- Each photo is a JPG with its title, caption, date and names written inside the file, plus a .json file beside it.
- Voice stories are .m4a audio files that play on any phone or computer, each with a .txt transcript.
- A story PDF has one page per print: front, back, caption and what was said.
- Save it to Files, a drive or a computer, or send it to family by message, email or AirDrop.
18 Family sharing and cloud backup (coming soon)
Invite relatives to look, listen and add stories, and back up to the cloud, once these launch.
- In an album, tap the menu, then "Share with family". You can line up invites and a private link now; nothing is sent until sharing launches.
- Until then, tap "Share album export" to send the whole album as a ZIP.
- Settings > Cloud backup & sync shows the status. Today everything stays on this phone, and every change is kept safely for when sync starts.
19 Grandparent mode and recording for someone
Turn on big buttons and a simple home screen, or record a relative's story for them.
- Settings > Display > Grandparent mode makes text and buttons bigger and shows three big choices on the home screen.
- Recording in Grandparent mode has one very large button and only the title and the words to check.
- To record for someone: tap "Record for someone", type their name, pick a question to read out loud, and press the big button.
- The story is saved with their name, so everyone knows who told it.
20 Questions
Answers to common questions.
- Does scanning a page use up my free photos?
- No. Scanning is unlimited on every plan, including the backs and the handwriting on them.
- Is the automatic clean-up free?
- Yes. Straightening, cropping, and color balance are free. Studio adds extra glare reduction and sharpening, plus Enhance, Colorize, and Animate.
- What if I stop halfway?
- Your scan is saved on this phone. Tap "Resume your scan" on the home screen, or look in Settings under "Scan jobs".
- Why are my backs matched wrong?
- Most often the backs were laid out in the same order instead of mirrored. Go back to Step 3 and switch "Same order" on.
- Do you recognize faces?
- No. We never scan faces. We only read the writing on the back, and only you confirm names.
- Can I get my photos out later?
- Yes, free, any time. Export ZIP gives you every photo (with its caption inside the file), both sides, the stories as audio, the transcripts and a story PDF.
- How much is Premium?
- Premium is $4.99 a month, $34.99 a year, or $79.99 once for life. Cancel any time in a few taps in your phone's store settings. Scanning and export stay free.
- Are my voice stories uploaded?
- No. Recordings and their words stay on this phone. Writing down the words happens on the phone too. Download my data includes the recordings and transcripts.
- Can I add video stories?
- Not yet. Video takes a lot of space, so it will come with online backup. Voice stories work today.
Same steps as the app: the numbers and wording on this page come from the same file the app uses, so what you read here is what you see on your phone.