How can we help?

Tap + in your library. The camera opens straight away: point it at the barcode on the back of the book and Book Box looks it up. Check the details, pick where the book lives, and save.

No barcode? Use the AI cover scan button to photograph the cover, type the ISBN, or add the book by hand.

Each book can have a location, like "Living room" or "Office, top shelf". Book Box suggests locations you've used before, and you can filter your library by location with the chips at the top of the Library tab.

For other groupings, use the Shelves tab to make collections (a book can be in many) and series (kept in reading order).

Yes. Sign in with the same account on your iPhone and iPad and your library syncs between them. Make sure you use the same sign-in method (Apple, Google or email) on each device.

Open the book and tap Mark as Lent Out. Add who has it and, if you like, when it's due back. Book Box sends a reminder when it's due, and keeps a history of every loan. When it comes home, tap Mark as Returned.

Book Box checks several public library catalogues, but no catalogue has every book, especially older, self-published or local editions. When nothing matches you can:

• try the AI cover scan instead,
• type the ISBN printed near the barcode or on the copyright page,
• or add the details by hand.

If the barcode is a price sticker or a store label, scan the book's own barcode (it usually starts with 978 or 979).

Take a photo of the front cover. Your phone crops it, and the cropped image is sent to our AI provider, OpenAI, which reads the title and author. The result fills in the form so you can check it before saving.

Free accounts get one AI scan to try it. Premium includes 500 a month. Barcode and ISBN scanning are unlimited and never use AI. The privacy policy explains what happens to the photo.

It happens, particularly with stylised lettering or busy covers. Edit the title or author before saving. A straight-on photo in good light, filling most of the frame, gives the best result. A scan that returns nothing doesn't count against your allowance.

Book Box needs camera access to scan. Open the iPhone Settings app, scroll to Book Box, and turn on Camera. Then try again.

Unlimited books (free accounts hold 125), 500 AI cover scans a month, sharing your library with people you choose, and a public link to your shelves. The Family plan gives Premium to everyone in your Apple Family Sharing group.

Apple handles the billing, so cancelling happens in your Apple account, not in the app:

1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
2. Tap your name, then Subscriptions.
3. Choose Book Box and tap Cancel Subscription.

Premium stays on until the end of the period you've paid for. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.

Nothing is deleted. Your library stays exactly as it is and you can still see every book. The free limits apply again to new books and new AI scans.

Payments go to Apple, not to us, so we can't issue refunds ourselves. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com, and Apple decides under its own policy.

Make sure you're signed in to the same Book Box account you subscribed with. Then open any Premium feature to bring up the plans screen and tap Restore Purchases.

Still stuck? Send us a message below with the email on your Book Box account.

One person buys the Family plan and it's shared through Apple Family Sharing. Everyone in the family group gets Premium on their own Book Box account, and each person keeps their own library. You can still share libraries with each other.

In the app, go to Settings and tap Redeem a Code. Apple's redemption sheet opens and applies the offer to your account.

Go to Settings, then Sharing, and invite them by email. Choose whether they can only look, or also add and edit books. They'll see the invitation when they sign in to Book Box with that email address.

A web page anyone with the link can open to browse your library, without an account. Turn it on or off in Settings › Sharing. Books you mark private never appear on it, and turning it off stops the link working straight away.

Sign in with the email address the invitation was sent to, then look under Shared With You. If it isn't there, ask the owner to check the address they used.

In the app, go to Settings › Account › Delete Account. This permanently removes your account and your library. If you have a subscription, cancel it in your Apple account too, because deleting your Book Box account doesn't stop Apple's billing.

Each sign-in method (Apple, Google or email) is a separate account. To keep your library, always sign in the same way you did when you created it. If you've ended up with two accounts, send us a message and we'll help.

Only you, unless you invite someone or turn on the public link. We never sell your data or use it for advertising. The privacy policy has the full details.