Help Center

Getting started

What do I do first?

The first time you open PantryPalz, a one-minute setup asks a few optional questions, lets you tap the foods already in your kitchen to see their use-by dates, and explains reminders before asking for notification permission. The last step is creating an account with an email address and a password. That is how PantryPalz keeps your account and carries PantryPalz Pro to a new phone, and your food list still stays on your phone.

I forgot my password.

On the sign-in screen tap Forgot your password?. We email a six-digit code to your address; type it in with a new password and you are signed straight back in. Codes last a few minutes, and if nothing arrives check the spam folder before asking for another one.

Can I change my password?

Yes. Settings > Change password. You stay signed in on this phone.

Is there a Sign in with Apple or Google button?

No. PantryPalz uses one login of its own, an email address and a password, so there is no third-party account in the middle of yours.

Is there a tour of the app?

Yes. The first time you land on Home, a short walkthrough points at each tab in turn and says what it is for. You can step back or leave it at any point. To see it again later, go to Settings and tap Show me around the app. Show the welcome tour, just under it, replays the first-run setup questions instead.

What are the tabs for?

• Home shows what needs using today, what needs using soon, and what is past its date.
• Food lists everything, with filters for fridge, freezer and pantry, and for Use today, Use soon, Good, Expired and Running low.
• Shopping holds your shopping lists.
• Recipes shows a few recommended recipes each day and your Recipe book, sorted so the recipes that use food needing attention come first. Tap the bookmark on any recipe to save it.

Settings is not a tab. Tap the gear at the top right of Home for your reminder time, reminder timing by category, PantryPalz Pro, and Delete all my data.

Does PantryPalz work offline?

Yes. Everything works offline except looking up a barcode PantryPalz has not seen before and importing a recipe link. Receipts are read on the phone, so they work offline too.

Can I ask Siri what needs using?

Yes. Say “What needs using” to Siri, or add it as an action in the Shortcuts app.

Adding food

Tap Add food on Home, or + on the Food tab. There are four ways in.

• Type a name. Suggestions come from your own history first, then from the food list. PantryPalz fills in the category, where it is kept and an estimated date. Change anything before you tap Add.
• Scan a barcode. See Barcodes.
• Scan a receipt. See Receipts.
• Scan the printed date. Tap Scan date and point the camera at the date on the package. Tap the date if it is not picked up, then confirm it.

How do I add the same thing again?

Tap it under Recent in the Add food sheet, then tap Add. From an item you finished, tap Add again. The Add food sheet stays open after each item so you can add the next one.

Can I set a quantity and get told when it is running low?

Yes. Set the quantity and unit when you add an item. Under More options, turn on Tell me when it’s running low and choose the amount. The Food tab has a Running low filter.

Barcodes

Where does the product name come from?

From Open Food Facts, a free, open database of food products. PantryPalz sends only the barcode number. The answer is kept on your phone, so the same product scans instantly next time, even offline. Product data from Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL.

PantryPalz says “We don’t recognize this product yet.”

Open Food Facts does not have every product. Tap Enter product name and type it, or tap Scan package text and tap the name on the package. PantryPalz remembers that name for that barcode, so you only do this once.

It says I’m offline.

A barcode PantryPalz has not seen before needs a connection to look up. Name it now and PantryPalz saves the name against the barcode, or try again when you are back online.

The camera will not scan.

Check that PantryPalz is allowed to use the camera in iPhone Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera. You can also type the numbers under the barcode and tap Look up.

Does the barcode tell PantryPalz the expiry date?

No. A barcode identifies the product, not the date printed on your package. Scan or type the date, or keep the estimate.

Is the allergen and ingredient information reliable?

Open Food Facts is built by volunteers and may be incomplete or out of date. Always read the label on the package in front of you.

Receipts

Tap the receipt button on Home, then take a photo, choose up to five from Photos, or choose a PDF or image file. You can also share a receipt to PantryPalz from another app. The receipt is read on your phone. The image is not saved or uploaded.

Tips for a clean read

• Lay the receipt flat, in good light, and fill the frame with it.
• For a long receipt, use Add another page instead of shrinking it into one photo.
• A PDF receipt from a store’s app or email reads well.

Some lines are wrong or missing.

Stores abbreviate names, so PantryPalz shows each food with the printed line underneath. Tap a name to fix it. Lines PantryPalz is unsure of appear unchecked with Is this food?. Unchecked rows are not added. Swipe a row to delete it.

“Couldn’t find food on this receipt.”

Try a flatter, brighter photo, or tap Type items instead.

How many receipts can I scan?

Four a month on the free plan. PantryPalz Pro removes the limit. Settings shows how many free scans you have left this month.

Dates and estimates

What dates does PantryPalz keep?

• The printed date, best before or use by. PantryPalz never overwrites it.
• An estimate, when there is no printed date, based on typical storage times for that kind of food. It is always labelled “Estimate”.
• Opened, with how many days to use it within once opened.
• Frozen and thawed, recorded when you move food to the freezer or back to the fridge.

Each item is judged by the earliest date that applies. The line under the name tells you which one, for example “Opened. 3 days left” or “Estimate. 7 days left”.

Why does it say “Past best-before” and not “Expired”?

A best-before date is about quality, not safety, so PantryPalz uses the package’s own wording. A use-by date that has passed shows as expired.

An estimate looks wrong for my food.

Edit the item and enter the printed date, or pick 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month or No date. To change the default for a whole category, go to Settings > Reminder timing by category. Food with no date is never flagged.

Reminders

PantryPalz schedules reminders on your phone: one a few days before food needs using, and one on the morning of the day. They arrive even when you are offline.

My reminders are not arriving.

• Check notifications are on. In iPhone Settings > Notifications > PantryPalz, turn on Allow Notifications. If they are off, PantryPalz’s own Settings shows “Notifications are off for PantryPalz” with a button that takes you there.
• Check Focus. A Focus such as Sleep or Do Not Disturb can hold notifications back. Add PantryPalz to the allowed apps, or check Notification Center later.
• Check Scheduled Summary. If PantryPalz is in a summary, reminders are delivered with it rather than at your reminder time.
• Check your reminder time in PantryPalz under Settings. The default is 9:00.
• Check the item has a date. Food with No date gets no reminder.
• Open PantryPalz now and then. iPhone limits how many reminders one app can have waiting, so PantryPalz schedules the soonest ones and refreshes the rest each time you open it.

What can I do from a notification?

Press and hold it for Used, Wasted, Freeze, Remind me tomorrow and View. All except View work without opening the app.

Can I change how early I am reminded?

Yes. Set it per category in Settings > Reminder timing by category, from 1 to 30 days, or per item under Remind me N days before.

Using, wasting and freezing

• Used: swipe right on an item, or tap Mark used and choose All of it, Half or Some. Undo appears for a few seconds.
• Wasted: swipe left, or tap Mark wasted.
• Freeze: moves the item to the freezer and records the frozen date. The printed date is kept. Move to fridge records a thaw date.
• Replace: on expired food, closes the item and adds it to your shopping list in one tap.

Finished food is kept under Finished on the Food tab, with Add again and Restore. Your history is in Settings.

Shopping lists

How does the list fill itself?

When you use something up, PantryPalz asks whether to add it to your list: Add once, Always replace, Never for this food or No. It remembers your choice for that food. Items also arrive from Replace, Running low and a recipe’s Add missing, with the reason shown under each one. You can turn the prompt off in Settings.

What does Put bought items away do?

Check items off as you shop. Then tap Put bought items away, check where each item goes, and tap Add. They move into your food with the usual dates filled in.

Can I have more than one list?

Yes. Open the lists menu and tap Manage lists to add, rename or delete lists and choose your default.

Can I share a list?

Yes. Tap Share list to send it as plain text with names and amounts. Lists do not sync between phones.

Recipes

How do I import a recipe?

• From Safari: open the recipe, tap Share, and choose PantryPalz. If PantryPalz is not in the row of apps, tap More to find it.
• By link: copy the link, open the Recipes tab, tap +, then Paste and Import.
• By hand: tap Type a recipe and enter one ingredient per line.

Importing a link needs a connection. The free plan includes 10 recipe imports a month, and PantryPalz Pro removes the limit.

“Couldn’t automatically import this recipe.”

Some sites do not publish their recipe in a format PantryPalz can read. Tap Type it in instead. If a site you use often fails, tell us which one.

What do “You have 4 of 5” and Cook & use mean?

PantryPalz matches each ingredient to your food. Salt, pepper, oil, water and spices count as pantry staples. Add missing puts the rest on your list. Cook & use shows what it will subtract from your food, and nothing changes until you tap Update my kitchen. Where the units do not line up, that ingredient starts at None and PantryPalz tells you to check it.

Who owns the recipe?

Its publisher. PantryPalz keeps a private copy of the ingredients and steps on your phone for your own use, with a link back to the source.

PantryPalz Pro

What is free?

Your food list, reminders, barcode scanning, shopping lists and recipe matching are free, with no time limit. The free plan also includes 4 receipt scans and 10 recipe imports a month.

What does Pro add?

Unlimited receipt scans and unlimited recipe imports.

What does it cost?

• Monthly: $7.99 a month, renews automatically.
• Yearly: $39.99 a year, renews automatically. A free trial may be offered, and the purchase screen shows it before you confirm.
• Lifetime: $79.99 once. Not a subscription.

These are US prices. Prices may vary by country, and the App Store shows your local price. Payment is handled by Apple. We never see your card details.

How do I restore a purchase on a new phone?

Sign in to the App Store with the same Apple Account, open PantryPalz, and go to Settings > Restore purchases. The upgrade screen has the same button.

How does a free trial work?

If you start a free trial and do not cancel at least 24 hours before it ends, the yearly subscription starts and you are charged.

Cancelling

Subscriptions are managed by Apple, not inside PantryPalz. To cancel:

• Open Settings on your iPhone.
• Tap your name at the top, then Subscriptions.
• Tap PantryPalz, then Cancel Subscription.

You can also cancel at apps.apple.com/account/subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period to avoid being charged for the next one. You keep Pro until the end of the period you have paid for.

Cancelling does not delete anything on your phone, and deleting PantryPalz or its data does not cancel a subscription. We will never make you call anyone or explain yourself. If you have any trouble, email support@pantrypalz.com.

Can I get a refund?

Refunds are handled by Apple. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com and choose the PantryPalz purchase. We are happy to help you through it, but we cannot issue refunds ourselves.

Your data

Where is my food list stored?

Only on your phone, and in your own iCloud or computer backups if you make them. Your PantryPalz account holds your sign-in and nothing else: no PantryPalz server holds your food, history, shopping lists or recipes.

I got a new phone. Where is my food?

It moves with you if you set up the new phone from an iCloud backup, a computer backup, or a direct transfer from your old iPhone. PantryPalz has no copy to restore from. PantryPalz Pro comes back with Restore purchases.

Can I use PantryPalz on two phones?

Yes, but each phone keeps its own food list. They do not sync.

How do I delete my data?

In PantryPalz, go to Settings > Delete all my data. Your food, history, shopping lists, recipes and settings are removed from the phone. This does not cancel a subscription, which Apple manages. Uninstalling PantryPalz also removes its data, apart from backups you keep. If you have emailed us, ask and we will delete the thread. More in the Privacy Policy.

Contact us

The quickest route is inside the app: Settings then Feedback & Support. Pick Report a bug, Suggest an idea or Get help, type what happened, and send. It goes straight to us with your app version and iOS version attached, and nothing else. If you would rather use email, write to us and a person reads every message. Replies land within two working days.

Legal

How are disputes handled?

Our Terms of Use ask you to email us first and give us 60 days to sort it out. After that, disputes go to individual arbitration rather than court, and class actions and jury trials are waived.

Can I opt out of arbitration?

Yes, within 30 days, and it costs you nothing. Email support@pantrypalz.com with the subject line Arbitration Opt-Out within 30 days of first accepting the Terms. Full detail is in section 22 of the Terms.

Who do I send a legal notice to?

support@pantrypalz.com. That address reaches a person, and it is the address named in the Terms and the Privacy Policy.