Famn Barcode Scanner

Famn's built-in scanner lets you add products by pointing your camera at a barcode instead of typing. Scan items straight onto a shopping list or into your storage, look up product details automatically, capture price tags while you shop, and register loyalty cards — all from the same camera view.

Where You Can Scan

The scanner is available throughout the app wherever products are involved:

Shopping lists — tap Scan to add items to the list.
Storage lists — tap Scan to add or update what you have on hand.
Creating a product — tap Scan Barcode/QR Code to fill in the product's barcode automatically.
Loyalty cards — scan a card's barcode or QR code when adding it to your Club Cards.

What Happens When You Scan

Point the camera at the barcode and Famn reads it automatically (a short vibration confirms a successful scan). It recognizes the common retail formats — EAN-13, EAN-8, UPC-A, UPC-E, and Code 39/93/128.

After a scan, Famn looks the product up:

On a shopping list — if the product is found, it's added to your list. If not, you're asked whether you'd like to add it (see When a Product Isn't Found below).
In storage — if found, the item opens so you can set quantity, expiry date, and location. If not, you're prompted to create it.
When creating a product — the barcode is dropped into the product's barcode (GTIN) field and the cursor moves on so you can finish the details.
Loyalty cards — the scanned code is captured; give the card a name and save it.

When a Product Isn't Found

Not every barcode is in the database yet. If a lookup comes back empty, you'll see "Could not find product" and Famn offers to add it:

"Would you like to add the product you just scanned?"

Choosing yes opens the Create Product form with the scanned barcode already filled in — just add a title (and optionally brand, description, and an image) and save. Your new product is then available for everyone in your Space.

If a product is found but missing details, Famn similarly offers to let you fill in the gaps.

Scanning Price Tags While Shopping

When you're in an active shopping session, scanning does a little more: Famn also captures the price tag from the shelf, trims it down to just the tag, and reads the barcode from it. This helps keep prices accurate and feeds the price information behind your shopping insights.

Outside of a shopping session, scanning works as normal — just the barcode, no image capture.

Scanning from a Photo

Can't get a clean scan, or working from a picture? Tap the gallery icon in the scanner to pick an image from your photos. Famn looks for a barcode in it and tells you the result:

"Barcode found in the image!" — it carries on with the lookup.
"No barcode found in the image." — try another photo or scan live.

Camera Controls

While the scanner is open you have quick controls at the top of the view:

Flashlight — toggle the torch on/off (handy for dim shelves or shiny packaging).
Switch camera — flip between front and rear cameras (shown only if your device has more than one).

Permissions & Troubleshooting

The scanner needs access to your camera. If you've denied it, you'll see "Permission denied" — grant camera access in your device settings and reopen the scanner.

Other messages you might see:

Message	What it means
Permission denied	Camera access is turned off — enable it in your device settings.
Scanning is unsupported on this device	This device can't use the camera scanner. Use photo scanning or add the product manually.
Could not find product / Failed to lookup product	The barcode isn't recognized — add the product manually with the barcode pre-filled.

The scanner also pauses automatically when you leave the app and resumes when you come back.

Tips

Scan straight onto a list. The fastest way to build a shopping list is to scan items as you spot them running low.
Add what's missing. If a product isn't found, take a few seconds to create it — it'll be there next time for your whole household.
Use the torch for barcodes on dark or reflective packaging.

Barcode Scanner