Scan a handwritten shopping list into HOUSEHLD
By Ebenova Solutions · Last reviewed
A list written on paper can become a shared shopping list without typing every line again. In the 1.4.10 update, HOUSEHLD reads a photo on your phone and gives you an editable draft. You decide which items and quantities to add; nothing is saved just by taking the picture.
Step by step
Open the import action
Sign in and open your household. Go to More → Shopping Lists, then tap Scan or import a list. Make sure you have a shopping list to save into.
Photograph one clear page
Tap Take a photo and allow camera access if you want to use the camera. Lay the jotter flat, include the whole list and use even light. You can also tap Choose a photo for an existing image.
Check every detected item
Correct names, quantities and units. Remove headings, crossed-out entries and lines that are not groceries. For example, change a misread “2 milk” into the name Milk, quantity 2 and your intended unit. Recognition can miss items; compare the draft with the paper.
Choose the destination and confirm
Under Add to, choose the household shopping list you want. Tap Add followed by the item count only when the draft is correct. Basic list import does not require Premium.
Open the saved list
Wait for the saved confirmation, then tap Open shopping list. Check the list before importing the same page again. Your household can see the confirmed items after they save.
Make handwriting easier to read
Neat separate lines, dark ink and a single column give recognition a clearer starting point. Avoid glare, shadows, folds and cut-off words. Cursive or faint writing may need substantial correction. Initial photo recognition is designed for English and Latin-script lists; accuracy is not guaranteed.
This is a single-page import, not a multi-page document scanner. For a long list, work a page at a time and review each saved batch. Batches support up to 100 items.
Use a file or pasted text instead
Import a file accepts JPG/PNG images, TXT with one item per line, or CSV with name,quantity,unit headers. Quantity and unit columns are optional. PDF import is not supported: photograph the relevant list or copy its text instead.
You can paste a list, one item per line, and tap Review pasted list. On older app builds that have received the compatible text-import update, text and TXT/CSV can work while photos still require the new native build.
If saving is interrupted
Keep the unfinished import and use Retry save after reconnecting. HOUSEHLD checks whether that same batch already saved before retrying it. Do not start a fresh import to recover an uncertain save: importing the same photo again as a new batch can create duplicates.
A new photo or pasted list replaces an unsubmitted draft. Cancel before saving to leave your shopping list unchanged. If your account or household changes, close the screen and start from the correct household.
What happens to the photo?
This import feature reads photos on your device and attempts to remove its temporary app-cache copy after recognition. If cleanup fails, the device may retain that copy until its cache is cleared. The feature does not upload the source photo. Only the shopping items you confirm are saved and shared with your household. Your original camera or library image remains subject to your phone’s settings.
Photo recognition can run on the device, but saving shared items needs a connection. If camera access is denied, choose another supported source or change the app’s camera permission in your phone settings.