BoxSeek QR is a home inventory. You name a box, put the things inside it on a list, and stick a QR label on the bin. Later you search, or you scan the label, and the app shows what is in that box.

Use it for a garage shelf, a closet, holiday decorations, or the things you lend to someone. The list stays in the app. The QR code only identifies the box.

See inside a box without opening it#

Scan is one of the quickest ways to use BoxSeek. Tap Scan along the bottom of the app and point the camera at a box's BoxSeek QR label. Its saved item photos and names appear in a live preview over the camera view, so you can check the contents while looking at the physical box.

Keep the scanner open and point at the next labelled box: that box's contents replace the preview automatically. You can move along a shelf checking boxes without repeatedly closing and reopening the scanner. Tap a pictured item to open its details, or Open box for the full list.

This is the app's saved inventory displayed over the camera, rather than a photograph of what is physically inside a closed box. Keep the list current when belongings move. The feature works with the inventory you have open, including HOME LOCAL; it does not use photo AI to look through the box. Cloud accounts still need their normal account access and inventory download.

Two useful shortcuts: tap an item photo to inspect it, or enable Add an item after scanning before scanning a label to go straight to that box's add-item form. Adding still follows your plan allowance and editing permissions. There is no shutter button to press for an ordinary box scan.

Three things to know before you start#

• A box can also be a drawer, shelf, bin or another place you label. Give it a name you will recognize later.
• An item is an entry inside a box. “Work gloves — quantity 3” is one entry, not three separate entries.
• A location is the place you type for a box, such as “Garage · top shelf”. It helps you find the physical box after you find it in the app.

A useful habit: update BoxSeek when something physically moves. A saved list is most helpful when it matches the shelf.

How to use this guide#

New here? Read Choose where your inventory lives, then follow Your first box in five minutes. If you are already using the app, go straight to the task you need.

Words in bold are button names or field labels. A route such as … → Household members means open the … menu, then tap that row. Most screenshots show Android; the scanner example is a browser capture with a simulated camera feed. System permission, store, share and printer screens may look different on another phone. A screenshot can show an older sample count or plan; use the plan line in your current app for your own allowance.

Before adding a lot of belongings, choose the kind of inventory you want. The lists for a cloud household and HOME LOCAL stay separate.

What matters to you?	Cloud account: Free, HOME STARTER, HOME PLUS or HOME EXTREME	HOME LOCAL
Signing in	Your BoxSeek email and password.	No BoxSeek sign-in.
Where inventory and photos live	Saved to the cloud, with a downloaded copy on your device.	Stored on this device.
Saving without internet	Cloud edits need a working connection.	Previously verified local access can be used without a connection.
Photo suggestions	Free and every paid cloud plan can use photo AI to fill in names and descriptions, including multiple detected items in one picture. Review the results and remove unwanted detections before saving.	Enter the details yourself; photos remain attachments.
Sharing inventory	The owner can invite people within the paid plan’s allowance.	Personal inventory; no household sharing.
Payment	Free, or a monthly/yearly cloud subscription.	A separate one-time mobile purchase.
A new phone	Sign in, select the right household and let it download.	Restore purchase ownership and import your saved inventory backup.

Choose a cloud account if you want shared household access or cloud inventory. Choose HOME LOCAL if you want personal, on-phone inventory with manual entry and you will keep your own backups.

One person, another device, and a shared home#

A cloud person uses their own email/password account. One account can be active on one device at a time; signing in on a different phone can sign out the first. To let another person use a shared household, send an invitation to their account.

A HOME LOCAL purchaser can restore ownership on another device through the same Apple or Google store account. Each device still has its own inventory. An Apple purchase does not unlock the Android version, or the other way around.

Switching does not move your belongings list#

Use a cloud account instead changes which kind of inventory you open. It does not upload or copy the local inventory into a cloud household. Likewise, opening HOME LOCAL does not download the contents of a cloud household into it. Check the inventory you intend to use before adding items.

The website supports Free cloud accounts and invited cloud households. It can explain HOME LOCAL, but its purchase and local paid access are available in the iOS and Android apps. Purchases, purchase restoration, required updates and fresh weather forecasts need a connection even if the inventory itself is local.

A new install does not open on your boxes immediately. These screens can appear first. None of them means the app is broken.

Checking for an update#

The app starts on a splash, then a short “Checking…” wait. It is asking whether this version is still allowed to run.

If the phone is offline, you may see Can’t check for required updates and Try again. The rest of the app stays behind that screen until the check succeeds. A previously verified HOME LOCAL inventory can continue if the update-check service cannot be reached. If the app already knows a required update is needed, that update still has to be installed.

If this copy is older than the required version, the screen says Update BoxSeek QR. Update the app, then open it again.

The introduction#

The first visit shows a short tour. Skip leaves it. Next stays dim until that slide’s timer ends, then you can go on. You can replay this later from the … menu.

Sign in#

After the tour, a cloud account asks you to sign in or create a free account. One account can be active on one device at a time. Signing in on a second phone signs this one out of that account.

You can instead open Explore HOME LOCAL. That inventory stays on the phone. It does not use a cloud sign-in, AI photo fill, or household sharing.

Notifications#

Android can ask Allow notifications? as soon as the inventory opens. The app sets up reminders at startup, before you tap anything.

Allow lets the phone remind you about expiry dates, borrowed items, and the coming season. Don’t allow is safe. The Alerts list inside the app still works.

An empty home#

With no boxes yet, Home offers Add your first box and Try the sample inventory. The sample is three demo boxes. You can remove it later from the … menu. Your own items stay.

Camera#

The camera is not requested on first open. The first time you add an item photo or open Scan, Android asks:

Allow BoxSeek QR to take pictures and record video?

• While using the app keeps the camera available for photos and scans.
• Only this time asks again next time.
• Don’t allow leaves the forms usable. You can still type an item. Scan will not open the camera until you allow it.

If you refused earlier, the scanner shows Allow camera, or Open camera settings when Android will not ask again. The camera is only used while you are taking a photo or scanning.

Microphone#

The first Press to talk asks for the microphone. If you refuse, type the search. The button then says voice is unavailable.

The first time speech is used, the phone may download speech files. The button says Getting ready… while that happens.

Sheets you will see later#

These are not part of the first open:

• The Android share sheet, when you share a label, a backup, a spreadsheet, or an invitation.
• The Play Store purchase sheet, when you buy a plan or HOME LOCAL.
• The file picker, when you restore a HOME LOCAL backup.

Create an account, step by step#

1. After the introduction, tap New to BoxSeek? Create a free account.
2. Enter your email address as the username and choose a password of at least six characters.
3. Tap Create account. Starting Free does not require a credit card.
4. If the app asks you to confirm your email, open the confirmation message, follow its link, and return to BoxSeek.
5. Sign in with the same email and password. The app prepares your Free household.

Already invited? Use the email address the owner invited. Signing in opens your account; accepting the invitation is a separate step. You can have your own Free inventory and also belong to someone else’s household.

If an email link is old, expired or already used, it may fail. Follow the newest relevant message and return to email-and-password sign-in. There is no code-entry step on the current sign-in screen.

Permission choices do not remove your inventory#

Camera permission is needed for photos and scanning. Microphone permission is needed for voice search. Phone notifications are optional; the in-app Alerts list remains available.

You can start with typed names and descriptions. If a permission was refused, open the relevant feature again and follow Allow camera or Open camera settings where offered. Android system settings can also change an earlier permission choice. iOS uses its own permission wording.

Home shows a search field, anything you have pinned, and your boxes.

Along the bottom:

• Boxes opens the full list.
• Scan opens the live camera preview. Point at a box label to see its saved item photos over the camera, then point at another box to switch the preview.
• Search opens search, including voice.

Along the top:

• … opens More.
• The palette opens the color of the screen.
• The bell opens Alerts.

Try this with a real box and one real item. You can complete it using typed details; a photo and a printer are optional.

1. Name the box and its place#

From Home choose Add your first box, or open Boxes → Add box. Enter Winter clothes as the box name and Garage · top shelf as the place. Tap Save box.

You should see: the saved box in your box list. Open it and check its name and location.

2. Add one item#

Inside the box tap Add item. Enter Red scarf, describe it in your own words, and leave quantity at 1. Attach a photo if you want. Cloud photo suggestions are optional; HOME LOCAL uses manual entry.

Tap Done at the bottom of the form to save. Done Adding Item leaves the unsaved form instead, so use the saving button first.

You should see: Items added, then Red scarf listed in Winter clothes after you leave the success screen.

3. Try finding it#

Open Search, type scarf, and open the matching result. Check In this box to see Winter clothes and its location. You have now tested the complete loop: add a box, add an item, find the item, find the physical box.

4. Make the label when you are ready#

Open Winter clothes and choose Print label. Select a layout, then Print or Share PDF. Attach the printed QR label to the physical box. Point Scan at it to open that box’s contents.

No printer yet? Keep using the name and search. You can print the label later; the app does not require a sticker to save or search a box.

5. Make your next useful change#

Try Pin on the scarf if you want it on Home. If you use HOME LOCAL, open … → Share backup and save a copy outside the app.

Finished? Use the checklist on the web guide’s opening page to track these steps. The checklist is a learning aid; it does not create boxes in your app.

Open Boxes. The list is A to Z. A letter rail on the right jumps through the alphabet.

Items shows what is stored, instead of the boxes.

By location groups boxes by the place you typed, such as a garage shelf or an attic.

Add a box#

Tap Add box.

1. Type a Box name, such as Winter clothes.
2. Type Where it sits, such as Garage, top shelf. Places you have used before appear as chips.
3. Tap Save box.

An empty name does not save. Cancel closes the form.

The line above the form shows the plan and how many boxes you have used. If you are already at the limit, Add box opens an allowance dialog before the form. Tap Keep my current plan to close it. No extra box is created.

On the Free plan, Home and Boxes can also show a short upgrade banner.

Names that are easy to find later#

Use a short, specific name: Winter clothes, Spare cables, or Camping cookware. Put the physical place in Where it sits, for example Garage · top shelf · left. Reusing the suggested location chips keeps By location tidy.

Two different boxes are easier to recognize as Holiday decorations — lights and Holiday decorations — ornaments than as two boxes both named “Storage”.

If you rename or move a box, update its details. The box keeps its identity, so its existing QR label still identifies it; print a fresh label when you want the visible name or location on the sticker to match.

Tap a box to open it. The line under the name shows how many items this plan allows in one box.

From here you can:

• Print label for this box only.
• Share a written list of what is inside, including anything lent out. This is a text share, not the printed label.
• Add item.
• Scan a product barcode, or open the box scanner.
• Edit box to change the name, the place, or the notes.
• Sort the items: original order, name A–Z, or newest first.
• More, then Contents still match, to mark the box as checked. Alerts uses that date. Delete box removes the box. Items in it leave search.

Check the shelf, then check the box in the app#

Use More → Contents still match after comparing the saved list with the actual box. This updates the box’s checked date; it does not inspect the contents for you. Boxes become candidates for Not checked in a while after roughly six months without a recorded check.

Share on this screen shares a written contents list. To send a printable QR sticker, use Print label → Share PDF. To let another person edit your cloud inventory, the owner must send a household invitation instead.

Deleting a box also removes its items from ordinary search. If you want to keep those items in your inventory, move them into another box before deleting this one.

Add an item#

Open the box and tap Add item. If this is the first photo or scan, Android asks for the camera. You can refuse and still type the item.

The form shows the box you are adding to. Change box picks a different one before you save. Scan product barcode reads a barcode onto this item.

Fill in:

• Name
• Description
• Quantity
• Color and Size
• Barcode, if you have one

Quantity is how many of that thing you have, such as three pairs of gloves. It still counts as one item toward the plan limit.

On Free, HOME STARTER, HOME PLUS and HOME EXTREME, taking or choosing a photo starts AI recognition when the service is available. It fills in a suggested Name and Description, and can also suggest Quantity, Color and Size. You can edit the results before saving. HOME LOCAL keeps photos as attachments and uses manual entry instead.

When you are adding new items, one picture can create several suggested item entries. The first appears under Item details; the others appear below under Also in this photo, each with its own editable details. You can review and save all the entries you keep together. See One photo, several items below for the full walkthrough.

Done saves. Done Adding Item leaves without saving. After a save, Add another item starts a new one in the same box.

More details#

More details holds the extra facts:

• Cold or freeze sensitive, and the temperature to warn at
• Heat sensitive, and the temperature to warn at
• Expiry, as a date such as 2026-12-01
• Season
• Pin this item

Those temperatures are what Alerts uses for cold and heat. Set the storage city in More so the forecast has a place to check.

The item screen#

The screen shows the photo, how many, the season, and whether it is stored. In this box opens the box. Details lists color, size, barcode, and the other facts you entered.

On a cloud account, a photo can also add AI identified details. HOME LOCAL does not fill those in. If you set a temperature, Temperature care appears here and points you to Alerts.

Pin#

Pin keeps the item on Home, in Pinned items. The button changes to Unpin.

Slide the pinned row sideways if you have more pins than fit on the screen.

Edit, move, take out, lend#

Edit changes the same fields. Save item writes them.

Move lists your other boxes. Tap one to move the item there, or tap Scan the destination label and point at that box’s QR code. The item moves into the box you scan.

Take out asks before it removes the item from the box. If the quantity is more than one, you can Take one or Remove all.

Lend asks who has it, an optional return date, and optional notes. If the quantity is more than one, you can Lend one or Lend all. Cancel leaves the item stored. When it comes back, open the item and tap Mark returned.

More, then Delete item, removes it from the box and from search. Cancel closes that menu.

The same name twice#

If you save a name that is already in a box, the app asks before it writes a second copy:

• Add anyway saves another one.
• Open existing goes to the one you already have.
• Add to its quantity increases the count on the existing item, when that choice is offered.
• Cancel leaves the box unchanged.

Save, leave, and add another#

These buttons have different jobs:

Button	What it does
Done at the bottom of a new-item form	Saves the item or items you have entered.
Save item on an existing item	Saves your edits.
Done Adding Item / Done Adding Items on an unsaved form	Leaves the form without saving its current contents.
Add another item on the success screen	Starts another entry in the same box; the plan allowance is checked again.
Done on the success screen	Leaves after the saved items have been added.

Before leaving a new form, look for the Items added success screen if you intend to keep the entry.

One photo, several items#

You do not have to photograph every item separately. On a cloud plan, a photo of a few belongings can fill in separate names and descriptions for the items the AI detects.

1. Open the destination box, tap Add item, and take or choose a photo showing the things you want to put away.
2. Wait for Describing the photo… to finish. The app fills in the first item and adds other detected items under Also in this photo.
3. Review every entry. Correct its Name, Description, Quantity, Color or Size as needed. Use the individual crop controls if you want a close-up of that item rather than the whole picture.
4. Remove anything that does not belong in the box. For example, if the picture contains a scarf and gloves on a table, keep the scarf and gloves and remove the table if it was detected as an item. Use the remove control on that item's detection in the photo preview, or Remove on an extra item's card. Removing the first detected item brings the next remaining item into the main form.
5. If something was missed, enter its name in Also in this photo, tap Add, and fill in its details yourself. You can also retake or remove the photo.
6. Tap Done after reviewing the remaining entries. The app saves the items you kept into the selected box, subject to your plan's item allowance. Recognition prepares the entries; it does not save them by itself.

Removing an unwanted detection does not delete an existing item from your inventory or erase that object from the picture. It removes the proposed item entry from this add session, so that entry will not be saved. If you remove every detection, you can enter an item manually or take another photo.

The multi-item workflow applies when adding new items. When you are editing an existing item, a photo can help fill in that item's details; other recognized objects are mentioned without automatically creating extra inventory entries.

Review a photo before saving#

A suggested name, quantity or description may need correcting. The AI may miss an object or mistake something in the background for an item. Review every detected entry and keep only the belongings you intend to store. Each separate entry you save uses one item slot in that box; its quantity is still the count of that kind of item.

A product barcode is an identifier you can save; scanning one does not promise an automatic product name, price or complete specification.

If analysis is unavailable or you cancel it, you can enter the details manually. AI descriptions, condition and value estimates are suggestions to review, not verified product facts or an appraisal. HOME LOCAL does not run photo AI.

Quantity, taking out, lending and deleting#

Suppose Work gloves has quantity 3:

• Take one leaves that entry stored with quantity 2. It does not make a separate entry for the glove you took.
• Remove all marks the entry taken out and sets its stored quantity to zero. Use Include removed in Search to find taken-out entries.
• Lend one leaves quantity 2 stored and creates a separate lent entry for quantity 1. That extra entry can need another item slot in a cloud plan.
• Lend all keeps one entry, marks it lent, and records who has it and the optional return date.
• Mark returned changes a lent entry back to stored. A separately lent entry is not automatically merged back into another entry with the same name.
• Delete item removes it from the box and from search. Include removed does not reveal deleted items.

Want to put a taken-out item back? Find it with Include removed, open it, choose Edit, enter a positive quantity and tap Save item. This needs edit access and enough allowance. Setting quantity to 0 asks you to confirm removal.

Move an item without losing track of it#

1. Open the item and tap Move.
2. Tap the destination box, or choose Scan the destination label.
3. Check that the destination box is the one you physically used.

The destination must exist in the inventory you currently have open. A full destination box, an expired plan or view-only access can prevent the move. Moving an item updates the list; you still move the physical object yourself.

Tap the search field on Home, or tap Search.

Type a name, a color, or a box. A match can show both the box label and the item.

Press to talk, then say what you want, such as “red scarf” or “winter clothes”. Stop voice search ends it. Searching starts when you pause. If voice is unavailable, type instead.

Include removed also searches items you have taken out.

With an empty search, the screen shows pinned items and recent boxes.

Scan a label#

1. Tap Scan along the bottom of the app. Allow camera access if asked.
2. Point at the BoxSeek QR label on a box in your currently selected inventory. Keep the label inside the frame; you do not need to take a photo or press a shutter.
3. When recognized, the preview shows the box name, its location, the number of stored item entries, and their saved photos and names. Quantities above one have a quantity badge. Scroll the item grid if there are more entries than fit.
4. Tap an item photo for its details, or tap Open box for the complete box screen.
5. To check another box, keep the scanner open and point at its label. Its contents replace the previous preview automatically. The camera remains active while the contents panel is showing.

The preview shows stored items; entries marked as lent out or taken out are not in this live contents list. If there are no stored items, it says This box has no stored items yet. The preview's item count counts entries, rather than adding together their quantities.

The flashlight control is available in the phone app when camera access is allowed; it is not shown in the web scanner. Use it if the shelf is dark. The top Close scanner button leaves scanning. Clear box preview closes only the contents panel and lets you scan the same box again or another label.

To add something by scanning, enable Add an item after scanning while the instruction panel is visible, then scan the box label. It opens the new-item form for that box instead of the contents preview. You still review and save the item normally, and plan limits and editing permissions still apply.

If a label is not in the current inventory, the scanner says This label isn’t in your inventory. Try another box. Check the selected household and let its cloud inventory download, or scan the correct box. An ordinary QR code that is not a BoxSeek label cannot show a box's contents.

Scan is also used in two other places:

• Scan product barcode on an item writes that barcode onto the item.
• Scan the destination label while moving an item puts it in the box you scan.

The code on the sticker only identifies the box. It does not contain your inventory.

If a search looks empty#

Start with one distinctive word, such as scarf, then add a color or other detail if needed. Use Clear search to reset the field. For something taken out, turn on Include removed. Deleted entries are not included.

If an expected box is missing, check … → Account & households and the selected inventory. A personal Free inventory and an invited household have different lists. Wait for a cloud download to finish before assuming its contents are missing.

Three codes, three different jobs#

Code	Use it for	What it does not do
A BoxSeek QR label on a box	Open that box in the current inventory.	It does not invite a member or unlock payment.
A product barcode	Save an identifier on an item.	It does not guarantee a product lookup or AI description.
A household invitation QR or link	Join a shared cloud household after signing in.	It is not a printed box label or proof of purchase.

If a box label says it is not in this phone’s inventory, first check the selected household and let it finish downloading. A label from someone else’s household does not give access to their contents. Ask the owner for an invitation when you should have access.

From Boxes, tap Print labels. From inside one box, tap Print label.

Letter sheet lays out many labels on a letter page. Choose Small, Medium, or Large.

One large label is a single big label for one box.

Change opens the list of boxes to print. You can select or clear each box, Select all boxes, or Clear selection.

Print opens the Android print dialog. Share PDF opens the share sheet with a PDF. Neither one changes your inventory.

Choose a practical label size#

All label layouts use Letter paper, 8.5 × 11 inches:

Layout	Labels per page	Useful for
Small	24	Compact boxes and drawers where you scan close up.
Medium	10	A general-purpose box label.
Large	3	Larger bins and labels read from farther away.
One large label	1	One box label on its own page.

One large label is the page layout, not a command to print only one selected box. If several boxes are selected, they are printed on separate pages. Use Change to check the selection before printing.

For a first print, use plain paper and check the preview and printer scaling before committing a whole sheet of labels. Keep the square QR code visible, flat and well lit. A glossy cover, a crease, a damaged print or a label cut through the code can make scanning harder.

When Print or Share PDF is dim#

Select at least one box. The app also disables these buttons while it prepares a file. Clear selection deliberately selects none; tap the boxes you want or Select all boxes to continue.

Share PDF prepares the label file and opens your phone’s share sheet. Choosing a destination or recipient is a separate action in that sheet. Closing it does not print labels or change inventory.

Tap the bell.

The list can include:

• Lent out, and Due back when a return date is near
• Expiring soon
• Next season, for items you marked with a season
• Not checked in a while, for a box you have not marked with Contents still match
• Cold & heat warnings, when a stored item is sensitive and the forecast for your storage city is crossing the limit you set

Tap a row to open that item or box. If you refused phone notifications, this screen is still the place to look.

A list to review, not a record of action taken#

An alert points you to an item or box. Opening it does not return a loan, remove expired supplies or physically check a box. Use Mark returned, edit the item, or use Contents still match after doing the real-world task.

To make reminders useful, enter an Expiry date for expiring items, a Return date when lending, or a Season for seasonal gear. Dates use YYYY-MM-DD, for example 2027-01-15. A blank optional date does not create a date-based reminder for that field.

Set up a temperature warning#

1. Open the item, choose Edit → More details, and enable Cold / freeze sensitive or Heat sensitive.
2. Enter a limit in °C, using the product’s storage instructions. The starting suggestions, 0°C and 35°C, are editable and are not suitable for every product.
3. Save the item.
4. Open … → Cold & heat warnings, enter the storage city or postal code, tap Find city, and select the correct result.
5. Check Alerts and allow phone notifications if you want reminders outside the app.

This uses one selected weather location for the inventory. It does not read a sensor inside the box, infer a forecast from a box’s typed location, or measure the temperature of your garage. Outdoor forecasts can differ from indoor conditions.

Forecasts cover the next seven days and refresh when you open or resume the app. Reopen it periodically so scheduled warnings use a recent forecast. Old or unavailable weather information should not be treated as a current reading. Stored items with temperature limits can trigger warnings; lent, taken-out or deleted items do not generate storage-weather warnings.

Tap the palette at the top.

• Light Mode is the bright theme.
• Dark Mode is the deep navy theme.
• Monochrome is black, white, and gray.

The check mark is the one in use. Close the sheet with the X if you do not want to change it. The choice is saved on this phone.

Tap … at the top.

Plan, account, and people#

Upgrade your plan opens the plans. You can look without buying.

Account & households shows the account you are signed in with, and each inventory you can open. The current one is marked. Tap another to switch. A lapsed plan, or a person who is view-only, is marked read-only. Saving then tells you the inventory cannot be changed.

Refresh households reloads that list. Join using an invitation goes to the join screen. Plans & subscriptions opens the same plans. HOME LOCAL · Buy or restore is the one-time on-phone plan. Sign out leaves this account on this phone.

Household members is where the owner shares a cloud household. Each person signs in with their own account and uses your plan. They do not buy a second subscription.

Choose Can edit or View only. Then either:

• Type their email and tap Email invitation & QR code, or
• Tap Show an invitation QR code to make a code with no email.

The code is single use and it expires. Tap the QR to share the link. A pending invitation uses a seat. Tap that pending row to revoke it and free the seat. Tap another member to remove them. Only the owner manages invitations.

Join a household is the other side of that invite. Paste the link or code, or tap Scan an invitation QR. HOME LOCAL cannot join a household until you open a cloud account. Your local inventory stays on the phone.

Introduction and the sample#

Replay introduction opens the tour again.

Refresh sample inventory puts the demo set back: 3 boxes and 10 items. Remove sample inventory asks first. Demo items and empty demo boxes go away. Your own items, and any box that holds them, stay. Cancel on that question removes nothing.

If you have never added the sample, the row says Try the sample inventory instead.

Take it with you#

Export spreadsheet shares a spreadsheet of the inventory. Share backup shares a backup file. On HOME LOCAL, Restore inventory backup replaces the inventory on this phone with a backup you pick. Export a backup first if you want to keep what is on the phone now. Those three open the Android share sheet or the file picker. They are not shown opened here, so a share is not sent by accident.

Cold, heat, and reminders#

Cold & heat warnings uses a storage city. Type a city or postal code, tap Find city, and pick the place. Forecasts look about a week ahead. Outdoor temperatures can differ from a garage or a closet. Turn off weather warnings clears the city. The item limits you already set are kept.

Reminder settings is how many days before an expiry or a return date you want a reminder. The season rows set the month each season starts. Tap a month to change it, then tap Save reminders.

The sync bar#

On a cloud household, a bar can appear at the top while the inventory is syncing, while the phone is offline, or while an update is still finishing. Wait for it to clear before you expect a save to stick. An offline cloud household tells you a connection is required. It does not half-save the change.

Invite someone, step by step#

Only the cloud household’s owner sends invitations and manages members. An invited editor can change inventory but cannot invite more people or change the household’s subscription.

1. Select the household you want to share in Account & households.
2. Open Household members.
3. Choose Can edit or View only.
4. Enter the recipient’s email and choose Email invitation & QR code, or choose Show an invitation QR code while you are together.
5. The recipient signs in with their own account, opens Join using an invitation, and pastes the link or scans the invitation QR.
6. After joining, check that the shared household is the selected inventory.

Email-bound invitations must be accepted with the invited email address. Invitation links are single use. Email invitations normally last seven days; an on-phone QR normally lasts ten minutes. Use the expiry shown in the app. A used, expired or revoked invitation needs a new one from the owner.

What each person can do#

Role	Inventory	People and payment
Owner	View and edit while the household has write access.	Manage invitations, members and the household plan.
Can edit / editor	View and edit while the household has write access.	Cannot invite members or change the household’s subscription.
View only / viewer	View the household’s inventory.	Cannot save inventory edits or manage the household.

The owner is included in the people limit. Pending invitations reserve seats even before someone accepts. If the house is at its seat limit, remove an unused pending invitation or change the plan before inviting again.

There are two things to recover on another phone: access to your plan and the inventory itself. A purchase restore handles access. A saved inventory backup handles local inventory.

Spreadsheet, backup, label PDF: choose the right file#

File or action	What it is for	What it does not restore
Export spreadsheet	A CSV list you can read in a spreadsheet app.	It is not an inventory-restore file and does not include the photo files.
Share backup	A ZIP containing the inventory database and its referenced photos.	It does not transfer or prove a store purchase.
Share PDF from label printing	Printable box labels.	It does not restore the items inside those boxes.
Restore HOME LOCAL purchase	Verify paid access with the store account that owns it.	It does not download your old phone’s boxes or photos.

Save a HOME LOCAL inventory backup#

1. Open the local inventory you intend to back up.
2. Choose … → Share backup.
3. In the phone’s share sheet, save the ZIP somewhere you can reach without this app or this phone, such as your chosen Files destination or another device.
4. Confirm the file was saved. For important changes, keep an older copy as well as the newest one.

The app prepares a file before showing the share sheet. Closing the share sheet is not the same as saving a copy. A backup left only inside an app that you later erase may not help you recover it.

Move HOME LOCAL to another phone#

1. On the old phone, create and keep a current Share backup ZIP. Make it accessible on the new phone.
2. Install BoxSeek on the new phone. Open HOME LOCAL and choose Restore HOME LOCAL purchase, using the same store account and store platform that owns the purchase.
3. Open the local inventory, then choose … → Restore inventory backup.
4. Read the replacement warning and select the BoxSeek backup ZIP.
5. Open several boxes, items and photos on the new phone before you erase or stop using the old copy.

Restoring replaces this phone’s local inventory. It does not merge two inventories. Export a backup of anything you want to keep on the destination phone first. Cancelling the file picker leaves the inventory unchanged.

If a selected file is not a BoxSeek backup, is missing a required photo, or was made by an unsupported newer backup format, the app reports a problem. Use the original ZIP rather than an unpacked folder or a CSV.

Move a cloud account to another phone#

Sign in with the same BoxSeek email and password, open Account & households, select the correct household and wait for its inventory and photos to download. The old phone can be signed out because an account has one active device at a time.

A local ZIP is not imported into an active cloud household. Use the supported account and household selection flow for cloud inventory.

Before deleting the app or clearing its storage#

Make sure you know which kind of inventory you have. For HOME LOCAL, keep a usable backup outside the app first. A one-time purchase can restore ownership, but it cannot recreate unsaved inventory after device storage is lost. In any mode, let pending changes finish before moving devices.

The plan line appears on Add box, on a box, and on More. These are the limits:

• Free: 4 boxes, 4 items in a box, 1 person
• HOME STARTER: 20 boxes, 20 items in a box, 2 people
• HOME PLUS: 200 boxes, 40 items in a box, 4 people
• HOME EXTREME: 2000 boxes, 100 items in a box, 10 people
• HOME LOCAL: no box or item limit, 1 person, on this phone only

Plans can be shown as monthly or yearly prices. HOME LOCAL is a one-time purchase.

The check runs when you tap Add box or Add item, not when you tap Save on something that already fits. Editing or deleting still works when a box is full. A pending invitation counts as a person. Deleting a box or an item, or revoking an invitation, frees that space.

When you are at the limit, the dialog explains the plan you are on. Keep my current plan closes it. The upgrade button only looks at plans. It does not buy one unless you complete the store purchase yourself.

Monthly, Yearly and One-time#

The plan chooser has three options:

• Monthly: cloud subscriptions billed each month.
• Yearly: cloud subscriptions paid for a year upfront. A displayed monthly equivalent is a way to compare the price, not twelve monthly charges.
• One-time: HOME LOCAL by itself. It is a separate purchase for personal, on-phone inventory.

The app can show a guide price; the Apple or Google confirmation shows the localized price and charge before you agree. Cloud subscriptions renew until cancelled through the store. The owner changes the household plan. Viewing a plan, selecting a card or closing a store sheet does not by itself complete payment.

What counts toward an allowance#

• Count item entries, not quantity. One entry for three pairs of gloves uses one item slot.
• An item that is lent out still belongs to the inventory and counts toward the item allowance. Lend one can create a second entry.
• Taken-out and deleted entries do not use active item capacity. Putting an entry back can require room again.
• Demo boxes and items count while they are present. The sample has three boxes: one has four items and the other two have three each.
• Pending invitations use people seats, and the owner uses one seat.

On Free, the sample leaves room for one more box. Its four-item box is full; its two three-item boxes can each take one more entry. That is why Add item may work in one sample box and show an allowance dialog in another.

Full is different from read-only#

A full box can still have its existing details edited or items deleted, provided you have edit access. Changes that create another active entry or put it into a full destination still have to fit.

A read-only household prevents inventory edits even when it has spare capacity. This can mean you are a view-only member or the owner’s paid access has ended. Ask the owner about your role or renewal. A confirmed refund or revocation can also make HOME LOCAL read-only; saved inventory stays available to view and export.

Start with what the app is telling you. These checks help you recover without clearing an inventory or buying a second plan by mistake.

I cannot get past the update screen#

Can’t check for required updates means the app could not complete its version check. Check your connection, then tap Try again. Update BoxSeek QR means an update is required: install it through the relevant store and open the app again. Do not clear app storage as a way to get around this screen.

Previously verified HOME LOCAL access can continue if a fresh check is unavailable, unless the app already has a required update recorded.

I signed in, but the inventory is empty#

1. Open … → Account & households and check the email address.
2. Check which inventory has the selection mark. Your Free personal inventory and an invited household are separate.
3. Choose the intended household and let its update finish. Use Refresh households if the list needs reloading.
4. If you were invited, make sure the invitation was actually accepted with the invited account.

Opening the wrong inventory can look like missing data even though the original household still exists.

The app signed me out on another phone#

A cloud account is allowed one active device at a time. A later sign-in can replace its earlier session. For two people to use a shared household, the owner should invite the second person’s own email account, within the plan’s people allowance.

I cannot save, move, pin or delete#

Check for Read-only, a view-only role, an expired household plan, an offline cloud message or an update still finishing. Cloud changes require a connection. Ask the owner about your role or paid access. A view-only member cannot give themselves editing rights.

A plan allowance is another possible reason: moving into a full box or lending one from a quantity can need another item slot. Editing ordinary details on a full box is different from adding capacity, but read-only access still prevents writes.

Add box or Add item opens a plan message#

Read the used count and allowance on the message. Check the current box for item limits, not just the total number of items. Demo entries count. Keep my current plan closes the message; the action has not added an extra item or box.

Remove entries you no longer keep, move items to a box with room, or ask the owner to consider an appropriate cloud plan. Viewing the plans does not itself buy one.

The camera is black or a label is not recognized#

Allow camera access, return to the scan or photo screen, and check whether the app offers Open camera settings. Keep the QR code fully in view, move a little closer or farther away, reduce glare and try the flashlight in a dark place.

If a code is recognized but the app says the box is not in this inventory, check the selected household and let its cloud download finish. A product barcode and a household invitation are different from a box label.

A photo did not fill in the form#

On HOME LOCAL this is expected: type the details and keep the photo as an attachment. Free and all paid cloud plans support photo AI, but analysis needs a working connection and can be unavailable or fail. You can still type a name, description and quantity, review any suggestions that did appear, and save the item.

Wait until processing finishes or cancel it before saving. Do not assume a recognized object or suggested value is correct without reviewing it.

Voice search is unavailable#

Allow microphone access if you want to speak. Give Getting ready… time to finish if speech files are being prepared. Use typed search whenever voice is unavailable; your inventory is still usable.

An invitation will not work#

Check that you signed in with the invited email. A code can be expired, already used or revoked; ask the owner for a new one. If the plan has no remaining people seats, the owner must free a pending seat or change the plan. HOME LOCAL needs a cloud account before it can join a shared household.

A purchase is pending, unavailable or not restored#

For Payment is pending, wait for the store to confirm it, then restore if needed. For Store product unavailable, check your connection and use an installed iOS or Android app with access to its store. Retry checkout connection can reconnect HOME LOCAL checkout.

For a missing local purchase, use Restore HOME LOCAL purchase with the same Apple or Google account that bought it. An Apple purchase cannot be restored through Google Play. The website does not complete native purchases. If the problem persists, keep the store’s purchase details for help; do not repeatedly buy the plan as a troubleshooting step.

A temperature alert or notification is missing#

Check the item’s saved Celsius limits, the selected storage city, the forecast’s freshness and notification permission. A weather warning is based on an outdoor forecast, not a live sensor. Open the app to refresh forecasts and review Alerts directly. A loan without a return date has no due-back date to remind you about.

A backup or print action does nothing#

For labels, select at least one box and wait for file preparation. For a backup or PDF, complete the phone’s share-sheet or file-picker step. If a cloud backup says a photo is missing, let that photo finish downloading and try again. See Backups and moving to a new phone before replacing local inventory.

If you need help#

Keep the exact on-screen message, your phone platform, the screen you were on and what you tapped just before the problem. For a household issue, check the selected inventory and your role; for a purchase issue, keep the store receipt. Do not send someone your password or a live invitation code. Preserve a local backup before reinstalling or clearing storage.

• Done on a new item saves it. Done Adding Item does not.
• Quantity is a count on one item. It is not a stack of separate items.
• The camera and the microphone are asked the first time you use them, not when you install the app. Notifications can be asked as soon as the inventory opens.
• Refusing a permission does not wipe the app. You can allow it later in Android settings.
• A cloud household needs the internet to save. The message says so.
• HOME LOCAL never syncs, never fills a form from AI, and never shares a household.
• Do not clear the app’s storage if you want to keep the inventory. Use Share backup first if you are moving phones.

A routine that keeps your inventory useful#

• When you put something away: add it to the right box and use a name you would actually search for.
• When you move it: update the destination in BoxSeek at the same time.
• When you lend it: record the person and, if useful, a return date.
• When you reorganize a shelf: compare the contents and record Contents still match.
• When you make important changes to HOME LOCAL: save a fresh backup outside the app.

A short, accurate list is more useful than a detailed list you no longer trust. Start with the boxes you use most often, then add the rest at your own pace.

Can I start without taking any photos?#

Yes. Add typed names and descriptions. Camera permission is needed when you use photos or scanning, not for ordinary typed inventory entry.

Does a quantity of ten use ten item slots?#

No. A single entry with quantity ten uses one slot. Splitting part of it into a separate lent entry creates another entry and can use another slot.

Is Take out the same as Delete item?#

No. A taken-out entry can be found with Include removed. A deleted entry is excluded from search. Use Take out to record that you no longer have something stored in that box; use deletion deliberately.

Can someone scan my box sticker to join my household?#

No. A box label identifies a box. Joining a cloud household requires an owner-issued invitation and the appropriate account. Scanning a label does not prove a payment or grant membership.

Can an invited editor invite more people?#

No. The owner manages invitations, members and the household’s plan. Editors work on inventory; view-only members cannot save inventory changes.

Does restoring a purchase restore my items?#

No. It restores ownership of the paid product. For HOME LOCAL, restore an inventory backup separately. For a cloud account, select the correct household and let its inventory download.

Can I work without internet?#

Cloud inventory has downloaded data for browsing, but saving changes needs a connection. Previously verified HOME LOCAL inventory supports local use. Purchase verification, restoration, current forecasts and required app updates still use online services when needed.

Does the weather feature know the temperature inside my box?#

No. It uses the forecast for the city you choose. The actual temperature inside a garage, shed, vehicle or cupboard can be different. Set limits from the product’s storage instructions and use your own judgment about the real storage conditions.

What should I do before lending a single item from a quantity?#

Check the name, quantity, person and optional return date. Lend one makes a separate lent entry. When it returns, Mark returned changes that entry back to stored; it does not automatically combine the two entries.

Quick reference: the words in this guide#

Word	Meaning in BoxSeek
Box	A named container or storage place with its own QR identity.
Item	One inventory entry inside a box; it can have a quantity.
Location	The physical place typed for a box.
Household	A shared cloud inventory selected through Account & households.
Owner	The person who manages a household’s plan and members.
Editor	A member allowed to edit while the household has write access.
Viewer / view-only	A member who can read the inventory but cannot save edits.
Taken out / removed	An entry no longer counted as actively stored; searchable with Include removed.
Deleted	An entry removed from the box and excluded from search.
Backup	An exported BoxSeek ZIP for recovering local inventory.
Restore purchase	A store check of paid ownership, separate from recovering inventory data.