Everything you need to know

1. Getting Started

Box•E is a home-inventory app that helps you keep track of everything you own — across every room, box, drawer, and shelf. Core inventory features are available without a subscription today; Premium unlocks cloud backup, Spaces & Sharing features, and Excel export.

Installation

1. Download Box•E from Google Play or the App Store.
2. Open the app — no sign-up is required to start using it.
3. Optionally, sign in with Google, Apple, or email to enable cloud backup and sharing. Free email sign-up asks for an invite code, confirms your password, and requires email verification before first sign-in completes. Premium/Premium+ users can create an email account without an invite code. If that email already has an account, Box•E switches back to sign-in and keeps a visible message on screen. After sign-up, Box•E keeps a verification panel visible on the sign-in screen with I verified, continue, Resend email, and Use a different email actions. On the web app, signed-in users continue after they have Box•E Premium or accept a shared-space invite, and the first successful sign-in can show a Trust this browser? prompt so Box•E can ask the browser to keep its local cache longer. Box•E for web is a companion to the mobile/desktop app, not a standalone first-time setup path. Premium subscriptions are purchased in the mobile app through the app store, not on the web.

Links for verifying your email, resetting your password, or recovering your account will send you to Box•E’s official site at boxeapp.com/auth-action. This page handles the security check for you and provides an Open Box•E button to take you right back to the app.

The main screen

The bottom navigation bar gives you four tabs, with Settings accessed from the top-right gear icon on Home:

• Home — quick stats, a Coming up card (see below), and recent items. Access Settings from the top right here.
• Containers — browse your full inventory by type, switch between list and grid layouts, and filter between all containers, top-level items, or loose items.
• Tools — quick access to Tidy Up, Pending Moves, Archived Items, Disposal Items, QR Stickers, Verification, Loans, Insurance, Warranties, Export, Import, and Calendar export. In the Utilities group, QR Stickers comes first, then Export, then Import, with Verification last. Everything that was previously buried in Settings is one tap away.
• Search — pre-populated with all your items, featuring instant live filtering as you type. Items without photos show a type icon on a pastel card so they stay easy to scan.

Coming up card

When anything in your inventory needs attention soon, Box•E surfaces a Coming up card at the top of the Home screen. It shows up to five rows, sorted by urgency:

• Warranties expiring within 30 days
• Insurance policies renewing within 30 days
• Overdue loans — items you’ve lent out past their due date
• Overdue borrows — items you borrowed that are now past due

Tap any row to jump directly to that item’s detail page. The card disappears automatically when nothing is due — no clutter when everything is in order.

Tidy Up suggestions

When Box•E notices items that may be easier to find somewhere else, the Home screen can show a Tidy Up card. Tidy Up looks for loose top-level items, newly added items that have not been filed yet, and tagged items that live away from similar tagged items.

Each suggestion shows where the item currently lives. When Box•E has likely destinations, tap the suggested destination badge to view the top candidate containers, see how many similar items are already there, open the container, or move the item there directly. You can also view the item, accept a destination now, earmark a destination for later, or dismiss the suggestion. After you earmark a destination, that item’s detail page shows a pending-move tile with the item photo on the left, the destination name up front, and actions for Move (checkmark), Change destination, and Cancel (red X). The old Planned chip and Update button are gone. After tapping Move, the tile briefly shows a confirmation “Moved to …” with an Undo button in case you tapped by mistake; tap Dismiss (or just continue using the app) to clear it. Cancelling a planned move similarly shows a brief “Cancelled” confirmation with a Dismiss button.

Navigation tips

• Tap the active tab again to jump back to that tab’s root — useful when you’re several levels deep.
• Long-press the back button on any item detail page to jump all the way back to the last non-item screen (the “anchor”) — for example, back to the Loans list after drilling through a chain of items. A small “← Loans” hint appears under the back button when you’re two or more levels deep. The first time you use this, a brief tip appears.

2. Adding Your First Item

1. From the Items tab, tap the + floating action button.
2. Pick an item type (e.g., Box, Electronics, Tool). If none fit, see Item Types below.
3. Fill in the visible fields. Only fields enabled for that type appear. If the type includes Quantity, leaving it blank keeps it unset; the 0 shown in the field is only a hint, not a saved default.
4. Tap Save. The item now appears in your inventory.

3. Containers & Custom Fields

Containers are how you organise your inventory by category. Each container has its own icon and a configurable set of fields that appear when adding or editing items of that type.

Creating a new container

1. Open Settings → Inventory → Containers.
2. Tap Add Container.
3. Enter a name, choose an icon (Material icon or emoji), and pick a field preset (see below).
4. Fine-tune individual field toggles and drag to reorder them.
5. Tap Create.

Container icons

Icons can be a Material icon (search by keyword) or any emoji character. The emoji tab lets you browse by category or search for any emoji. The chosen icon appears on item type badges and grid cards throughout the app.

Container display order

Drag the handle () on any container row to reorder it. The order controls how types appear in the Containers grid and in the filter buttons used throughout the app. You can also set a default sort per container in its settings.

Containers view controls

The Containers page shows a small status line under the title so you can see the active filter and layout at a glance. Use the filter button to cycle between all containers, top-level items, and loose items; use the layout button to switch between list, 2-column grid, and 3-column grid views. The first time you open Containers, Box•E briefly points these controls out.

Web browser note: on Firefox, Box•E uses a stability mode that pauses live photo cycling while you stay on Home or Containers to reduce flicker. New data still appears when you return to the tab.

Changing an item's container type

If an item was added under the wrong type, open the item detail page, tap the overflow menu, and choose Change Item Type. Pick the new type and confirm. Box•E keeps the item's existing details, but the detail page will only show the fields and sections enabled for the new type.

Field presets

When creating or editing a container, a segmented button lets you apply a preset to bulk-configure fields:

• Simple — image, name, description, tags, notes only.
• Standard — adds brand, model, purchase date, value, owner, warranty, loan status, QR code.
• Advanced — every field enabled.

After choosing a preset you can still toggle any field on or off individually.

Available fields

4. Nested Items & Hierarchy

Box•E supports unlimited parent/child nesting. A TV inside a cabinet inside a living room inside a house — everything has a place.

1. When editing an item, set its Parent field to another item.
2. Open the parent to see all children listed beneath it.
3. Use breadcrumbs at the top of the detail page to navigate back up the chain.

5. Photos & Tags

Adding photos

From the item form, tap the camera icon to take a new photo or pick from your gallery. Multiple photos per item are supported. Photos are compressed locally before saving.

Box•E currently compresses photos to 1280 px max dimension at JPEG quality 80. The space owner also controls what photo metadata is kept for that space: Strict strips metadata, Balanced keeps the date plus camera or phone model and rounds GPS to about 1 km, and Full keeps original metadata. Changing that setting affects only future uploads.

The first time you add an item photo on a device, Box•E shows a one-time note explaining the compression settings and reminding you that the active space decides what metadata is kept.

Verification

Box•E can record an original fingerprint for item cover photos, item photo attachments, and item document attachments. The original fingerprint is captured before crop, compression, or metadata cleanup when Box•E imports the file. Verification tools are a Premium feature.

1. On Premium, open an item cover photo from the item detail page menu, open a photo in the gallery, or use the Verification button on a document attachment row. Free users no longer see the item-level Verification entry; the dedicated Tools → Verification row stays locked unless you hide locked Premium features.
2. Tap Verification to open the verification sheet for that asset.
3. Use Copy fingerprint to copy the recorded hash, Verify original file to compare a picked file against the recorded original fingerprint, or Export certificate to generate a single-asset PDF certificate.

If Box•E does not have an original fingerprint for that asset yet, the sheet still shows the current stored fingerprint when available, but file matching and certificate export stay disabled for that asset.

Tags

Tags are short, comma-separated labels (e.g., fragile, gift, donate). Use them to group items across types. Tap a tag in the detail view to see every item with that tag.

5b. Scanning Receipts

Box•E can scan receipts using on-device OCR and extract the store name, purchase date, and total directly into item fields — no cloud upload, no account required.

Scanning a receipt from the item form

1. Open the item form (new or edit) and tap Scan receipt below the photo buttons.
2. Choose Camera, Gallery, or Choose file (mobile only — supports images and PDFs; the first page of a PDF is used).
3. The first time you scan on a device, Box•E shows a one-time privacy notice confirming that all processing is on-device.
4. Coloured regions are overlaid on the image: yellow = store, blue = date, green = total. Tap any highlighted region to fill that field. You can also type into any field manually.
5. If a different currency is detected, a chip appears — tap Use <currency> or Keep current.
6. Tap Save Details to pre-fill the item form, or Enter Manually to skip auto-fill and just attach the image.

Save as Draft

Not ready to finish? Tap the ⋮ overflow button at the top right of the scan screen and choose Save as Draft. Your current field values and image path are saved and you can come back later. Drafts expire after 30 days; a warning appears when fewer than 10 days remain.

Merge into an existing item

If the receipt belongs to an item you already have in Box•E, tap the ⋮ overflow button and choose Merge into Item…:

1. Pick the item from the search sheet.
2. Box•E shows a two-column comparison: From Receipt on the left, Existing on the right. Tap the value you want to keep for each field.
3. Tap Apply Merge to update the item and attach the receipt image.

Items merged from the same receipt are linked together. On an item's detail page, a row shows how many other items came from the same receipt — tap it to see them.

Scanning multiple items from one receipt

Have a Home Depot or grocery run with several items? Use Multiple Items mode to create them all in one go:

1. On the scan screen, tap Multiple Items in the toggle at the top of the screen (next to Single Item).
2. Tap each product-name line on the receipt. Box•E automatically pairs the price from the same row (if found) and adds a row to the staged list below the image.
3. Optionally choose an Item Type from the picker above the list to apply it to all staged items.
4. Use the Receipt to all / First item only toggle to control whether the receipt image is attached to every created item or just the first.
5. Edit any item name inline by tapping it. Remove a row with the × button. Uncheck a row to skip it.
6. Tap Add N Items to save all checked rows at once.

A snackbar confirms how many items were added and includes an Undo button (available for 5 seconds) that deletes all the items that were just created.

Warranty auto-fill: If the selected Item Type has a Default warranty duration configured and the receipt has a purchase date, Box•E automatically creates a warranty record for each item — starting on the receipt date and expiring after the configured number of months.

Receipts hub (Tools → Scanning → Receipts)

All your receipt scans and drafts are managed from Tools → Scanning → Receipts.

• Tap the Scan a receipt button to start a new scan directly from this page.
• Tap any saved draft to resume the scan screen with your image and fields restored. Tapping Enter Manually on a resumed draft takes you straight to a new item form pre-filled with whatever fields were already captured.
• Swipe left on a draft, or tap its overflow menu, to discard it.
• Drafts older than 30 days show an “Older than 30 days” badge but are never auto-deleted. Use the … overflow in the top bar and choose Discard old drafts to clean them up in one tap.

Scanning a multi-page PDF receipt

When you choose a PDF file from the file picker, Box•E stores the original PDF as the receipt attachment (no quality loss). Pages are rendered on-demand for OCR — you don’t need to extract images yourself.

• If the PDF has more than one page, a thumbnail strip appears at the top of the scan screen. Tap any thumbnail to jump to that page and re-run OCR on it.
• Staged items (in Multiple Items mode) accumulate across page switches, so you can stage items from several pages before saving.
• Tap the … overflow menu and choose Open PDF in viewer to view the full original PDF in your device’s default viewer.

6. Barcode & QR Scanning

Scanning a barcode

1. In the item form, tap the barcode icon next to UPC/Barcode.
2. Point the camera at the barcode, then tap Scan. If exactly one code is detected, Box•E auto-uses it. If multiple codes are detected, Box•E outlines each code so you can tap the exact one you want. If the frame is not right, tap Clear to try again. Long-press Scan to force manual selection even when only one code is detected. A short helper hint appears under Scan the first time, then stays hidden after that.

Scanning a QR code

From the home screen, tap the QR icon. Scanning a Box•E QR code (or visiting a https://boxeapp.com/q/<token> URL) jumps straight to that item’s detail page. Item-form and Search QR scanning now use the same Scan / Clear behavior as barcode scanning (including single-code auto-use and long-press Scan override). If the sticker was generated by the website and carries a ?name= parameter, the app pre-fills the item name when you link it to a new item.

Generating QR codes

Every item has its own QR code, automatically generated when saved. Open the item, tap the QR icon, then print or save the image to attach to the physical item.

Printing label sheets (Web QR Label Generator)

The QR Label Generator on the Box•E website mints unique QR codes for your items entirely in your browser — no account needed, nothing uploaded to any server.

Basic steps

1. Open boxeapp.com/qr-generator in your browser.
2. Enter item names in the Item Names box — one name per line, or comma-separated on a single line. Each name generates one unique sticker.
3. Set Qty per item for duplicate labels (e.g. spares).
4. Use Skip cells to leave blank cells at the start of a partially-used sheet.
5. Choose your Label preset (Avery 5160, L7160, etc.) or pick Custom and enter your sheet dimensions in mm.
6. Toggle Show cut guides to add dashed outlines to each label.
7. Click Print / Save PDF. In your browser’s print dialog, set Margins to None and Scale to 100%.

Uploading a CSV file

Click Upload CSV to load names from a spreadsheet file. After the file is selected, a column picker appears — choose the column that holds the item names and click Apply. The names are copied into the names box and the file is immediately discarded; nothing is sent to any server.

CSV formatting rules (names box and file uploads)

Both the names box and CSV uploads follow standard RFC 4180 rules:

• Separate names with commas or line breaks.
• To include a comma in a name, wrap the name in double quotes: "Smith, John" → one sticker named Smith, John.
• To include a double-quote character, use two double-quotes inside a quoted name: "The ""Match""" → The "Match".
• Apostrophes and other punctuation need no special treatment.

Linking a sticker to the app

1. Print and affix the sticker to your item.
2. In Box•E, scan the QR code — if the sticker has a name, the item name field is pre-filled.
3. Optional: tap a blank NFC chip in the app to write the same URL to the chip. After that, both the QR code and the NFC chip open the same item.

7. Search & Filters

The Search tab lets you find any item across your full inventory. Box•E searches across 17 fields including name, brand, model, serial number, address, postal code, voice aliases, and notes.

• Type any keyword to filter live as you type.
• Use the filter buttons at the top to narrow by container, tag, location, on-loan status, or borrowed status.
• Toggle Pending disposal only to show just items you’ve marked for sale, donation, or trash.
• Toggle Fuzzy to enable approximate (typo-tolerant) matching. When active, results include items where any field word is close in spelling to your search term — useful when you’re unsure of the exact spelling. For very large inventories (over 5,000 candidates) this mode is skipped automatically, and a notice is shown.
• In a shared space with two or more members, an Added by filter appears — pick one or more members to see only the items they added.
• Long lists of tags or containers collapse to the first 12 filters with a +N more button to expand the rest. Selected filters always stay visible.
• Results are sorted by relevance.
• During cloud-sync bursts, Search refreshes results in place so visible lists stay on screen instead of repeatedly jumping back to a full loading spinner.
• Item status labels (Archived, On Loan, Borrowed, Disposing) stay on one horizontal row in each result card; on narrower screens you can swipe that row sideways.
• Firefox web note: Search uses icon-based result cards (instead of live photo thumbnails) to reduce scroll flicker, and subpages from Tools/Containers open without route animation to improve stability.

8. GPS & Address Locations

For each item, you can record either GPS coordinates, a structured address, or both. The address fields shown adapt to the country.

Setting a location

1. In the item form, find the Location section.
2. If both GPS and Address are enabled, choose a mode: GPS, Address, or Both.
3. Tap Use Current Location to grab GPS from your device. In Both mode, the address fields are auto-filled from reverse geocoding.
4. Long-press the "Use Current Location" button to enter latitude and longitude manually.

Country defaults

Box•E shows different address fields based on your default region. On first launch, Box•E asks you to confirm a region, and you can change it later in Settings → Region & Language. Supported regions use tuned field layouts; Other regions and N/A - Not specified keep all address fields visible. That same settings page also includes Address display format if you want to turn individual fields on or off for your address forms. The same region-aware field set is now used in loan address forms too, and Settings → Loan Fields can further hide individual loan location fields without changing item forms.

9. NFC Tags

Stick an NFC tag onto a box, drawer, or appliance and tap your phone to instantly open that item's detail page. NFC requires a device with NFC hardware (most modern Android phones and iPhone XS or later).

Linking a tag to an item

1. Open the item form and find the NFC Tag section.
2. Tap Read Tag ID and hold the tag to your phone. The tag's UID is captured.
3. Tap Save. The tag is now linked.

Writing a URL to a tag

1. For an existing item, open the form and tap Write Tag in the NFC section.
2. Hold an empty NFC tag to your phone. Box•E writes the item's URL (https://boxeapp.com/q/<token>) to the tag.
3. Now anyone tapping the tag opens the item directly in the Box•E app.

10. Bluetooth Tracker Links

Link a third-party Bluetooth tracker to any item for one-tap locating. Box•E stores the tracker brand and ID, then deep-links into the manufacturer's app when you want to find the item.

Supported brands

• Apple AirTag (via Find My)
• Tile
• Chipolo
• Samsung SmartTag
• Pebblebee
• Other (manual entry only — no deep-link)

Linking a tracker

1. In the item form, find the Bluetooth Tracker section.
2. Choose a brand from the dropdown.
3. Enter a label (e.g., "Garage AirTag") and the tracker ID if you know it.
4. Tap Save.

On the item detail page, tap Locate to open the tracker's app. If the app isn't installed, you'll be sent to the Play Store or App Store.

11. Voice Assistants

Ask Google Assistant to find items by name or by a custom voice alias.

Using voice aliases

1. In the item form, find the Voice Aliases field.
2. Enter comma-separated aliases (e.g., holiday box, christmas decorations, xmas).
3. Make sure Include in voice search is enabled.
4. Save.

Asking Google

Say:

"Hey Google, find my christmas decorations on Box•E."

Google Assistant opens the item directly in Box•E.

12. Deep Links & Sharing

Every item has a unique URL. Share the URL to send a space member directly to that item.

• https://boxeapp.com/q/AB12CD34 — opens the item linked to that QR token.
• boxe://q/AB12CD34 — same, via custom scheme.
• Tapping any of these on a phone with Box•E installed jumps right to the item.
• If the app isn't installed, the URL opens a landing page with a Play Store or App Store link.

13. Loans & Borrowing

Track who borrowed what and when it's due back.

1. Open an item, tap the menu (…), then Lend.
2. Enter the borrower's name, optional contact info, lend date, and expected return date. Phone numbers use the same smart formatting field as insurance contacts, so Box•E stores a clean phone value while showing a friendlier local format in the form.
3. Tap the Pick from contacts button to import a borrower from your device address book. If the chosen contact has more than one phone, email, or postal address, Box•E asks which one to use. Any postal address you pick auto-fills the loan’s address fields and attempts to look up GPS coordinates in the background.
4. Tap Save. The item shows a "loaned" badge in your inventory.
5. When returned, open the loan and tap Mark Returned.

The Loans page is accessible from the Tools tab. Use the centered Add Loan button to create a loan directly from that page. Rows now use the same large item tile style as the inventory, including the linked item’s cover photo when one exists. Active rows include inline actions for Mark Returned, Add to calendar when a due date exists, and Renew. Renew offers quick choices for 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, or a picked date. The row’s ⋮ menu opens Edit Loan Record directly for due-date changes or other updates. Use Settings → Loan Fields if you want to hide contact, date, note, GPS, or address sub-fields for all loan and borrow forms on the device.

14. Archiving & Disposal

Archiving and disposal are two independent features — you can use either or both.

Archiving

Archiving hides an item from your active inventory without deleting it. Archived items are viewable and restorable via Settings → Archived Items. Use it to keep records of items you no longer actively use.

To archive an item: open the item, tap the ⋮ menu → Archive. If the item has children you can archive them all at once or leave them as top-level items.

Whether the Archive action is available is controlled per container: in Settings → Containers → [container], scroll to the non-reorderable section and toggle Archive (allow archiving items).

Disposal tracking

Disposal records what happened to an item: sold, donated, trashed, recycled, etc. It is tracked separately from archiving — a disposed item stays in your active inventory (showing a disposal badge) until you choose to archive it.

To mark an item for disposal: open the item, tap ⋮ → Mark for Disposal. A sheet slides up where you can record:

• Disposal Type — Sold, Gave Away, Donated, Trash, Lost, Recycled, Auctioned, Returned, or Other (shown when enabled in item type settings).
• Disposal Date — optional date picker (shown when enabled).
• Disposal Notes — free text for insurance records, donation receipts, etc. (shown when enabled).

After confirming, a disposal banner appears at the top of the item detail page showing the disposal type (or “Pending Disposal” if no type was selected), the date, and any notes. Tap Edit on the banner to update the record.

If the item type has archiving enabled, you’ll also be asked “Archive now?” immediately after disposal — you can dismiss this and archive later, or never.

Disposal Items page

All active (non-archived) disposed items across every container are listed in Settings → Tools & Features → Disposal Items. This is useful for donation-run use cases: mark everything you’re giving away, then bring up this list when you arrive. From here you can tap into any item or archive it once the handover is done.

Cascade behaviour

When you mark a parent item for disposal and it has children, you can choose to apply the same disposal record to all descendants at once, or leave the children unchanged.

15. Warranty Tracking

Box•E includes a full warranty management system. Each item can have one or more warranty records.

Adding a warranty

1. Open an item and scroll to the Warranty Details section (must be enabled in the container's field settings).
2. Tap Add Warranty.
3. Fill in provider, coverage type, start/end dates, claim contact, and notes.
4. In Receipts & documents, tap + to attach photos (camera or gallery) and documents (PDF, Word, plain text, or images). You can attach as many as you need.
5. Tap Save.

Identical files (e.g. the same receipt scan attached to two different items) are stored only once on your device thanks to content-hash deduplication.

The first time you add a warranty or insurance-policy photo on a device, Box•E shows a one-time note about photo compression and metadata retention.

Warranty status

Warranties page

View all warranties across every item type in one place via the Tools tab → Warranties. Items are sorted: expiring soon first, then active, then expired/inactive.

16. Insurance

Link items to shared insurance policies to track insured values, coverage dates, and all the contact and cost information you’d need in an emergency.

Creating an insurance policy

1. Go to the Tools tab → Insurance.
2. Tap the centered Add insurance policy button. Fill in the agency, policy number, and coverage dates, then expand any of the optional groups below.
3. Tap Save.

Insurance policy fields

Insurance policy documents

Attach declarations pages, renewal letters, or any other paperwork directly to an insurance policy. Open the insurance policy detail page and use its Documents section:

• Take photo — shoots and compresses a new photo (same pipeline as item photos).
• Pick from gallery — selects one or more images from your device.
• Pick file (PDF) — selects a PDF from your device’s file system. Files over 10 MB are rejected; files over 5 MB show a confirmation prompt before saving.

The first photo you add to a warranty or insurance policy on a device shows the same one-time compression and metadata note used for item photos.

Tap any attachment to view it full-screen (images) or open it in your PDF viewer (PDFs). Long-press to delete. Drag the handle to reorder pages.

Linking an item to an insurance policy

1. Open an item and scroll to the Insurance section (must be enabled in the container’s field settings).
2. Tap Add Insurance, then select an existing insurance policy.
3. Set the insured value and any last-claim details for this specific item.

One insurance policy can cover multiple items. An insurance policy’s detail page shows all items it covers, with a combined total insured value.

Insurance policy status

Expired and cancelled insurance policies are hidden by default on the Insurance list. Tap Show history to reveal them.

17. Linked Items

Create typed relationships between items — useful for tracking replacements, accessories, or related equipment.

Relationship types

• Replaces / Replaced by — records that one item supersedes another. Both sides of the link are stored automatically.
• Related to — a symmetric association (accessories, components, etc.).

Adding a link

1. Open an item and scroll to the Linked Items section (must be enabled in the container's field settings).
2. Tap Add Link, search for the target item, and choose the relationship type.
3. The linked item card appears in both items’ detail pages.

Tap a linked item card to navigate directly to that item. Long-press the trailing icon to remove the link.

Warranty Replacement disposal flow

When marking an item as disposed with type Warranty Replaced, you’ll be prompted to pick or create the replacement item. Box•E automatically marks the old item’s warranties as inactive and creates a Replaces/Replaced by link pair. The disposal banner then shows a tappable “Replaced by” link.

18. Notifications & Reminders

Box•E can send local notifications to remind you about expiring warranties, insurance renewals, loans you need to chase up, and items you’ve borrowed.

Categories

Open Settings → Notifications. Each category has its own master switch:

• Warranty expirations
• Insurance renewals
• Loan due dates (items you’ve lent out)
• Borrow due dates (items you’ve borrowed)

Reminder offsets

For each category, pick when you’d like to be reminded relative to the date — e.g. 7 days before, 1 day before, on the day, 1 day after, 7 days after. Add as many offsets as you like — reminders are free for everyone, no subscription required.

Per-item overrides

For unusually important (or unimportant) items you can override the category defaults: open the item, tap the ⋮ menu → Reminders…, and pick offsets just for that item. Per-item offsets always win over the category defaults.

Permissions & the notification settings page

If Box•E doesn’t have notification permission, the Settings → Notifications page shows a yellow banner at the top explaining the situation. Tap Open System Settings in the banner to go directly to your device’s notification settings for Box•E. When you return to the app the banner disappears automatically — no manual refresh needed.

While permission is denied, all category toggles are shown but disabled so you can see what will be available once permission is granted.

• Android 13+: you’ll be asked to allow notifications the first time you schedule one.
• Android 12+: Box•E uses the schedule exact alarms permission so reminders fire at the exact time you chose.
• iOS: a short in-app explainer appears before the system permission prompt.

Daily reminder time

By default, reminders fire at 9:00 AM on the day they’re scheduled. Pick a time that fits your routine on Settings → Notifications → Daily reminder time. Changing the time reschedules every existing reminder automatically.

Send a test notification

The Send test notification button at the bottom of the Notifications settings page fires a one-off notification immediately, so you can verify permission is granted, the channel is enabled, and the system isn’t silencing notifications from Box•E.

19. Calendar Export

Box•E never asks for live calendar access — instead it gives you two ways to add Box•E dates to your calendar of choice.

Add a single event (Free)

On any warranty card, insurance card, or loan/borrow card you’ll see an Add to Calendar button next to the relevant date. Tapping it opens your phone’s system “Add Event” sheet, pre-filled with the title, date, and a short description. Save it into whichever calendar you like (Google, Outlook, iCloud, work, etc.). Available to all users at no charge.

Bulk export to .ics (Premium)

1. Open Tools → Export.
2. Tap Export Calendar (.ics).
3. Choose which date types to include (warranties, insurance, loans, borrows).
4. Share the generated .ics file into Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, or any other ICS-compatible app.

Each event has a stable identifier tied to the underlying record, so re-exporting after a date change updates the existing calendar event in place rather than creating a duplicate. When Cloud Sync sharing is active, the bulk export includes dates from the active shared space only. Bulk calendar export requires a Premium or Premium+ subscription.

20. Premium Features

Box•E offers two paid tiers on top of the free plan:

Notifications & reminders and per-event Add to Calendar are free for everyone. Bulk calendar export (.ics) requires Premium or Premium+.

• Premium — $1.99/month or $14.99/year (save 37%).
• Premium+ — $4.99/month or $39.99/year (save 33%).

Free users see an Upgrade to Premium entry in top-level Settings and Account & Sign-in. Premium-only tools appear as locked rows unless Settings → Appearance → Hide locked Premium features is turned on, in which case those locked rows are hidden. On mobile, Upgrade, Export, and App Lock locked rows open the Superwall upgrade screen. On the web app, they do not open Superwall; web users are directed to upgrade in the Box•E mobile app through the app store.

Manage your subscription in your Google Play or Apple App Store account.

21. Cloud Backup & Sync

1. Sign in with Google, Apple, or email from the Settings tab.
2. If you are on the free plan, use the single Upgrade to Premium entry in Settings to subscribe. Until then, Create Shared Space and other Premium-only actions stay locked unless locked Premium features are hidden in Appearance.
3. Open Settings → Spaces & Sharing → Manage Space for a private space and use Cloud Backup. If Premium is not active, the row stays locked and opens the Premium upgrade flow. If Premium is active but you are signed out, Box•E opens the sign-in / create-account flow. If Premium is active and you are signed in, the row becomes a real toggle; turning it on immediately backs that space up to your cloud account and shows its cloud usage from Manage Space.
4. Cloud-backed spaces stay synced while they are active. On a Premium phone or tablet, Delete local data can re-sync the same cloud-backed space after a reset.
5. Open Tools → Export and use Full Backup (.zip) when you want one local ZIP snapshot containing items, warranties, insurance, attachments, item types, hierarchy links, and a settings snapshot.
6. Open Tools → Import and use Import from ZIP package to add items from a Box•E export package. The app previews item/attachment counts before import, and every imported row is added as a new item.
7. Open Tools → Import and use Import from spreadsheet for CSV/XLSX lists. Box•E previews row validation first, lets you map columns, and can skip invalid rows while importing valid rows as new items.
8. Open Settings → Storage & Media to manage local photo storage and choose how aggressively this device downloads cloud media.
9. Open Settings → Spaces & Sharing → Manage Space → Shared Space Sync to enable Live Sync and choose shared-space data/media sync rules. While Live Sync is enabled for the active cloud-backed space, local item, container, policy, and media-reference changes are pushed automatically.
10. To restore on a new device: install Box•E, sign in, switch to the cloud-backed space or shared space you want, and let it sync.

Storage & Manage Storage

Settings → Storage & Media now gives each device four media policies:

• Everything — auto-download cover photos, photos, and documents.
• Hero images — auto-download item cover photos, while other attachments stay on demand.
• Database + thumbnails only — keep inventory data plus 256 px browse thumbnails, then fetch full media only when you open it.
• Manual (nothing auto) — leave even cover photos in the cloud until you explicitly download them.

Default behavior depends on context: the web app starts with Database + thumbnails only, shared-space members on mobile start with Hero images, and other mobile devices start with Everything. You can change the choice at any time per device.

Storage quotas

Photos are compressed to roughly 1280 px max dimension at JPEG quality 80 before upload. Your plan includes a storage quota:

• Premium — 5 GB
• Premium+ — 50 GB

You can view your local photo cache size and free up space from Settings → Storage & Media → Manage Storage. That page now includes an All / Photos / Files filter, a Sort menu (Largest first, Smallest first, or Name), larger previews for locally cached images, and small media-type labels such as Cover Photo, Item Photo, Attachment, and Insurance Document so deletion decisions are safer. When a device is using Hero images, Database + thumbnails only, or Manual, item details, galleries, and insurance documents show download actions when the full cloud file is needed. On the web app those files download through the browser; on phones and tablets they are cached locally after download. Private-space cloud usage appears in Manage Space when Cloud Backup is on; shared-space usage appears in Shared Space Sync.

If Box•E detects cloud-evicted attachments that are also missing locally, open Manage Space → Media Graveyard to see affected items and jump directly to each item for recovery. On first detection per device, Box•E shows a one-time in-app notice so this state is easy to find.

If your space goes over quota after a tier change, Box•E pauses new media uploads until usage is reduced or the owner upgrades. Core data sync continues, so your inventory records stay up to date.

Sync modes (Premium)

Premium and Premium+ subscribers can choose a sync mode. Private-space Cloud Backup lives under Settings → Spaces & Sharing → Manage Space; shared-space sync lives under Settings → Spaces & Sharing → Manage Space → Shared Space Sync:

• Everything — syncs all inventory data and photos (default).
• Data only — syncs inventory data but skips downloading photos. Useful on slow or metered connections. Photos already cached locally are kept.

Top-level Cloud Backup has been folded into space management. Use Manage Space for private Cloud Backup and Shared Space Sync for shared-space sync controls. Local import/export tools live under Tools: use Tools → Export for spreadsheets, package exports, calendar export, item-tree exports, and Full Backup (.zip); use Tools → Import for ZIP-package and spreadsheet imports.

Shared-space owners also control Cloud media uploads for the active shared space: everyone can upload media, admins only can upload, or no one can upload. Owners and admins can view a BETA Storage usage card in Shared Space Sync showing approximate cloud media usage by member. Members see a read-only note when media sync has been limited by the Spaces & Sharing admin. If this device is using a lighter media policy, browse surfaces keep showing item thumbnails while details and galleries offer explicit download actions for the full cloud files.

Low-storage warning

If your device has less than 1 GB of free storage, Box•E shows a one-time warning when you try to capture a photo. You can clear cached photos from Manage Storage to free up space.

22. Spaces & Sharing

Box•E supports Private Spaces and collaborative Shared Spaces. Private spaces can stay local-only or, with Premium, turn on Cloud Backup from Manage Space. If the Cloud Backup row is visible and Premium is not active, it stays locked and opens the Premium upgrade flow. If Premium is active but you are signed out, the same row sends you to sign-in / account creation. Once Premium is active and you are signed in, the row becomes the real Cloud Backup toggle. Shared spaces let family members or housemates see the same inventory in real time.

1. Open Settings → Spaces & Sharing.
2. Tap Create Private Space, Create Shared Space, or Join Shared Space. The join option stays available even if another shared space is already active.
3. Create Private Space asks only for a name and stores the new space on this device by default. If you later subscribe to Premium, you can turn on Cloud Backup for that private space from Manage Space.
4. Create Shared Space asks whether the shared space should start with your current inventory or with a blank slate.
5. When creating a shared space, choose an owner cancellation policy: Wipe (guests lose shared-space local data on cancellation) or Release (guests keep a disconnected local copy).
6. Share the 10-character invite code with the people you want to add.
7. Anyone who signs in with a valid invite code joins immediately as an Editor.

Joining is free. Anyone with a Box•E account (free or Premium) can join an existing shared space using an invite code. Creating Private Spaces is also free, and you can keep multiple local-only spaces on one device. Creating a new shared space requires Premium — the Owner’s subscription covers cloud sync for every member. Free users see Create Shared Space as a locked row unless locked Premium features are hidden in Appearance.

When an Owner cancellation is finalized, guest devices receive a one-time in-app notice showing what happened: Wipe removes that shared-space data from the device, while Release keeps a local-only copy and disconnects it from cloud sync.

If a shared-space Owner’s Premium subscription lapses, the Owner is not auto-replaced. Existing members keep access, but owner-only cloud management actions (creating new shared spaces, sending invites, and changing shared management/sync policies) stay locked until Premium is renewed or ownership is transferred to a Premium member. In that state, Spaces & Sharing shows a warning banner so members can immediately see the shared space is running in limited cloud-management mode.

You can switch between multiple private and shared spaces from Spaces & Sharing. Open Manage Space for a private space to rename it, change photo metadata mode, and manage Cloud Backup. When locked Premium features are visible, the Cloud Backup row stays locked until Premium is active, then routes Premium users through sign-in if needed before showing the real toggle; when Hide locked Premium features is on, the locked Cloud Backup row is hidden until Premium is active. Turning Cloud Backup off keeps the space local on this device and removes its cloud copy.

Choosing Use my current data while creating a shared space promotes your current data into the first visible shared space. Choosing Start fresh keeps existing local data in your current private space and creates a blank shared space with the default container types. After either choice, Box•E shows a brief in-progress indicator while the shared space is provisioned. On the web app, a signed-in user without Premium can enter an invite code from the access screen before entering the app.

Every expanded row shows read-only Photo metadata and Cloud Backup status so members can see the current mode. Expand a private-space row and open Manage Space to rename it, set a Space Avatar (tapping it opens a sheet with Choose a photo and Choose a color options), change its Photo metadata mode, manage Cloud Backup, or delete it when it is not your Home space. In shared spaces only Owners and Admins can edit the space avatar, and the new avatar syncs to every device. Your first/default private space is marked with a Home icon and cannot be deleted. Deleting another private space removes that space’s local items, photos, files, and settings; if Cloud Backup is on, its cloud copy is removed too. Private spaces hide shared-only actions like invite codes and Shared Space Sync until you convert them.

If you upgrade to Premium while using a private space, switch to that private space, open Manage Space, and tap Convert to Shared Space (the subtitle will read: “Invite others to this space — cloud sync turns on automatically.”). Box•E keeps the local data, asks for the shared-space cancellation policy, then shows a brief progress indicator while it creates the cloud space. Once the space is ready, Box•E starts live sync and uploads your items in the background, so you can continue using the app straight away. If the creation fails, Box•E lets you retry immediately without losing data.

Roles & Manage Space

Each member has a role that controls what they can do:

A Manage Space entry appears on the expanded active shared-space row. Members can open it to view the member list, read shared settings, open Shared Space Sync, and leave the shared space. If you’re the Owner, you can also:

• Rename Space and update the Space Avatar (tapping it opens options to choose a photo or a color).
• Choose the shared space’s Photo metadata mode: Strict, Balanced, or Full. This only affects future uploads.
• Change any member’s role, or remove them.
• Rotate Invite Code to immediately invalidate the old one.
• Toggle whether items show “Added by …” by default.
• Transfer Ownership… to another member, or use Delete Space to remove the shared space entirely. Deleting a shared space removes that space’s cloud data and member access, but does not touch other spaces or private cloud backups in other spaces.
• Convert to Private Space removes all members and pending invites, but cloud backup keeps running. It simply becomes your personal cloud-backed space. In the app, the tile subtitle reads: “Remove all members and make this your personal space. Cloud backup stays on.” After tapping it, a dialog explains that “All members will lose access and pending invites will be deleted. Your cloud backup stays on, so nothing is lost.” Tap Make Private to confirm.

Open Shared Space Sync from Manage Space to edit sync mode, media upload policy, and the owner cancellation policy later.

When the Owner is in a lapsed state, Box•E keeps current access stable but blocks the expansion-oriented actions above until the Owner renews Premium or transfers ownership to a Premium member. Transfer checks are strict: in shared spaces, the selected member must be Premium and their tier must be able to fit the space’s current cloud storage usage.

Invite by Email (recommended)

For a more secure invite, the Owner can issue a per-email invite from Manage Space:

1. Open the Invite by Email card and tap +.
2. Enter the invitee’s email address. A single-use code is generated and the invite expires in 14 days.
3. Use the row’s menu to Send email (opens your mail app), Share (system share sheet), or Copy invite message.

The invitee must sign in to Box•E with the same email address you invited. The code is one-time only, and Owners can Revoke any pending invite from the same menu.

“Added by…” Attribution

Items added inside a shared space are stamped with the creator’s name. On the item detail page you’ll see a small Added by <name> line under the breadcrumb. Names update live across devices when someone changes their display name.

• Per shared space: the Owner can hide the “Added by…” line for everyone via the Manage Space toggle.
• Per item: in the item form, the Hide creator switch hides the line just for that item.
• Search: when there are 2+ members, the Search page’s Added by filter lets you list only items added by specific people.

23. Export to Excel

1. Open Tools → Export. Free users see Export as a locked row that opens the Superwall upgrade screen on mobile unless locked Premium features are hidden in Appearance.
2. Choose the spreadsheet to export: full inventory, warranties, insurance policies, loans, disposed items, or archived items.
3. Items, Warranties, Insurance, Disposed, and Archived exports include an Include attachments toggle (on by default). With it on, Box•E generates a .zip package containing the spreadsheet plus attachments/<recordId>/ folders, and the spreadsheet’s Attachments column links directly to each folder.
4. When Include attachments is off (or no local files are found), Box•E shares the export as a direct .xlsx file.

The same Export page also offers the free Calendar (.ics) export described in section 19, plus four Item Tree exports described below. The page is now grouped into three easy-to-scan sections: Data Exports, Visualizer, and Full Backup. It also includes Full Backup (.zip) for one-package local snapshots. Box•E automatically omits optional spreadsheet columns that are completely empty, both in direct .xlsx exports and in the workbook files inside package ZIPs.

Tools → Import is the matching restore/import surface for ZIP packages and CSV/XLSX spreadsheets.

Media verification exports live separately under Tools → Verification. For Premium users, that page exports a Verification Manifest PDF for every fingerprinted item cover photo, item photo attachment, and item document attachment in the active space, now with a preview thumbnail column for image assets. Single-asset Verification Certificate PDFs are exported from each asset's verification sheet instead of from the Export page.

When Cloud Sync sharing is active, exports use the currently active shared space, including warranties, insurance links, loans, archived items, disposed items, tags, and item tree links.

23b. Item Tree Export

Visualise your entire inventory hierarchy—parent–child relationships and item links—as either a plain outline or a diagram, depending on what you need.

Item Tree Outline (.md)

1. Open Tools → Export.
2. Tap Item Tree Outline (.md).
3. A Markdown file containing a nested bullet outline of your containers, items, and item links is generated and shared via your device’s share sheet.

This is the most portable option for large inventories because it opens cleanly in any text editor, notes app, or Markdown viewer.

Item Tree Diagram (.md)

1. Open Tools → Export.
2. Tap Item Tree Diagram (.md).
3. A Markdown file containing a Mermaid diagram is generated and shared via your device’s share sheet.

The diagram shows every active, archived (📦), and disposal (♻) item, with arrows for parent–child containment and dotted lines for linked items. Open the file in any Mermaid-compatible viewer (GitHub, Obsidian, VS Code, etc.) to render it. This option works best for smaller inventories; for larger trees, the outline export is usually easier to read.

Item Tree with Photos (.html)

1. Tap Item Tree with Photos (.html) on the same page.
2. A self-contained HTML file is generated with a collapsible tree of your hierarchy, so you can open and close branches in any web browser without needing Mermaid or an internet connection.
3. Open the file in any web browser—no internet connection required.

For smaller exports, Box•E also embeds item thumbnails directly into the HTML file. For larger exports, it switches to text-only automatically so the file stays lighter and opens faster.

Web Visualizer (.json)

1. Tap Web Visualizer (.json) on the same page.
2. A structured JSON file is generated for the Box•E browser visualizer schema.
3. Use that file with the Box•E website visualizer, or with your own tools that read the same schema.

All four exports include every item in the active shared space regardless of archive or disposal status, giving you a complete snapshot of that inventory graph in text, diagram, HTML, or machine-readable JSON form.

23c. Web Visualizer

The Box•E Inventory Visualizer is a free, browser-based tool that lets you explore a full inventory export as a tree, force-directed graph, treemap, or sunburst. It runs entirely in your browser — your file never leaves your device.

Exporting from the app

1. Open Tools → Export.
2. Tap Web Visualizer (.json).
3. Save or share the file to your computer.

Using the visualizer

1. Open boxeapp.com/visualizer in any modern browser.
2. Drop the box_e_visualizer.json file (or the ZIP bundle if you chose Include photos) onto the drop zone, or click to choose it.
3. Start in the tree view to browse the full hierarchy, then switch to graph, treemap, or sunburst for alternate layouts of the same data.
4. Click any node in any view to open the shared details panel on the right.
5. Use the search box or tag chips to narrow the tree view before switching layouts if you need to inspect a smaller slice of the inventory.

The graph view is best for visual relationships, while treemap and sunburst give you quick space-based overviews of where items are concentrated.

24. App Lock & Security

Protect your inventory with a PIN and biometric unlock.

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security.
2. Enable App Lock and set a 4–6 digit PIN.
3. Box•E confirms that App Lock is on and keeps a Recovery & backup card visible on the same page. That card keeps the no-recovery warning visible, includes a normal Cloud Backup row that opens Spaces & Sharing, and tucks uninstall-protection advice into an expandable section.
4. Optionally enable Use biometrics (fingerprint / face).
5. When you later change the PIN or turn App Lock off, confirm with your current PIN or biometrics.

The app re-locks every time it goes to the background, no matter which page you were on when you left it. If a Face ID or fingerprint prompt is dismissed or interrupted, Box•E simply stays locked so you can try biometrics again or enter your PIN. When App Lock is enabled, Box•E also hides sensitive app previews in the recent-apps switcher: on Android it blocks screenshots and recent-app previews entirely, and on iPhone/iPad it blurs the preview while the app is in the background.

Privacy & Security now keeps that recovery guidance visible instead of showing a one-time setup popup: your App Lock PIN never leaves the device, and if you forget it there is no in-app reset. You must uninstall and reinstall Box•E to regain access. Cloud-backed spaces can be restored after signing back in, but local spaces on that device are lost. The same card includes a normal Cloud Backup row that opens Spaces & Sharing, while device-level uninstall protection lives in a smaller expandable tip.

Setting up App Lock requires Premium, but once you have turned it on you can still keep biometrics on, change the PIN, or disable it later even if your subscription ends. Changing the PIN or turning App Lock off requires your current PIN or biometrics. If you do turn it off after Premium has ended, Premium is needed again to switch it back on later. Free users who have never enabled App Lock see it as a locked row that opens the Superwall upgrade screen on mobile unless locked Premium features are hidden in Appearance.

If you forget your PIN, the lock screen does not offer an in-app reset. Reinstall Box•E, then sign back in to restore any cloud-backed spaces. Local-only spaces on that device cannot be recovered.

25. Settings & Preferences

Settings is organised into four labelled groups, each with its own focused sub-pages:

General

• Appearance — choose from five theme modes:
  • System — follows your device's light/dark setting.
  • Light / Dark — fixed regardless of system.
  • Daylight — automatically switches to Light during the day (06:30–17:30) and Dark at night.
  • Night Shift — the inverse of Daylight: automatically Dark during the day to reduce glare, Light at night.
  Time-based modes update every 15 minutes and show a “Currently showing: light/dark” caption so you always know which theme is active. When you’re signed in, Box•E syncs Appearance choices across browsers and devices, including theme, accent colour, design style, default tile view, the Home photo cycle, and whether the Home screen shows Coming Up, Pending Moves, and Tidy Up. Open signed-in browsers receive those preference changes automatically.
• Notifications — per-category master switches, reminder offsets, daily reminder time of day, and a “Send test notification” button. Free for everyone.
• Inventory Views — configure default tile view, card density, and list sorting preferences.
• Hide locked Premium features — when you’re on the free plan, hide Premium-only tools and settings instead of showing them with lock icons. This preference follows your signed-in account, which is useful if you receive access through a shared space and want a quieter demo or day-to-day setup. This option is hidden while Premium is active, and it turns off automatically if Premium ends so gated features are visible again.
• Region & Date format — confirm the default region Box•E uses for address fields, choose N/A - Not specified to keep every address field visible, or open Address display format to override individual address fields for your region. Those settings now feed both item addresses and loan addresses, and they also influence the advanced address defaults in Containers. You can also choose how dates are displayed across the app: Automatic (follow your device locale), MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, or ISO (YYYY-MM-DD). Signed-in Region and Date format settings sync across browsers and devices, including open browser sessions. Language is currently English-only and is hidden until additional languages are available.

Inventory

• Containers — create, edit, reorder, and delete container types. Supports Material icons and emoji, and the Settings tile describes it as the place to customize the categories used to organise your items.

Account

• Account & Sign-in — Google or email sign-in/out, delete account, delete local data on this device, and subscription status. Resetting local data clears this device’s items, Private Spaces, photos, and local settings. The Devices manager in this page lists your signed-in phones, tablets, and computers with friendly model names and lets you revoke old devices if you hit the account device cap. Sign-in is free — you don’t need Premium to create a Box•E account. Free email sign-up uses invite codes for shared-space joining; Premium/Premium+ sign-up can proceed without one. On web, this page also explains that browser data is a companion cache of your phone/desktop data.
• Upgrade to Premium — the Settings entry for subscribing or restoring access. It opens Superwall on mobile and appears for free users even when locked Premium feature rows are hidden.
• Storage & Media — manage local photo storage and choose whether this device downloads cloud photos and attachments. Per-space cloud usage lives in Manage Space for private cloud backups and in Shared Space Sync for shared spaces.
• Spaces & Sharing — open the spaces page to create free local Private Spaces, join a shared space with a code (free, signed-in), or create a new shared space (Premium). The join action stays available even if another shared space is already active. Expanded rows show summaries and members for cloud-backed spaces; switch to a space to manage live sync, media policy, or owner-only admin settings.

Privacy & About

• Privacy & Security — App Lock PIN + biometrics. Premium is required for first-time setup, but existing App Lock protection stays manageable after Premium ends; changing the PIN or turning App Lock off requires your current PIN or biometrics, and if you disable it at that point, Premium is needed to turn it back on again.
• About — version info, dev mode unlock, and Report a problem.

Tools page — Scanning section

• Receipts — see and resume any receipt scans you saved for later. Old drafts (past 30 days) show a badge but are never auto-deleted — tap the overflow menu to discard them in bulk. Tap a draft to open the scan screen with your saved progress restored, or swipe left to discard it.

Tab navigation tips

• Tap the active tab again to jump that tab back to its root — useful when you’re three levels deep and want to start over.
• Going from Search or Containers back to Home resets the Home tab to its root so you always land on the dashboard.
• Long-press the back button on an item detail page to jump back to your anchor screen (the last non-item page you came from).

Delete account & local data

The Delete account action lives in Account & Sign-in on every platform. When you’re signed in it removes your cloud data and signs you out. After you confirm and re-authenticate, Box•E shows a non-dismissible progress dialog while it removes you from spaces, deletes your profile, wipes local data, deletes the account, and returns you to the landing screen. If you still own a shared space that has other members, Box•E blocks deletion and asks you to transfer ownership first in Spaces & Sharing.

The same page also includes Delete local data on this device:

• Web: wipes this browser’s local copy and signs you out so cloud data does not immediately re-sync back in.
• Mobile/Desktop (Free): wipes local data and signs you out.
• Mobile/Desktop (Premium/Premium+): you can choose either Re-sync from my cloud space (stay signed in) or Start fresh on this device (sign out).

If you’re not signed in, reset local data simply wipes the on-device database, preferences, and stored photos.

26. Troubleshooting

NFC tag not detected

• Make sure NFC is enabled in your device's settings.
• Hold the tag against the back of your phone, near the camera.
• Some metal surfaces interfere — try peeling the tag off.

GPS won't fix

• Grant Box•E location permission when prompted.
• Step outside or near a window — GPS struggles indoors.
• Use the long-press → manual coordinate entry as a fallback.

Cloud sync stuck

• Check your internet connection.
• Sign out and back in from Settings.
• Make sure your subscription is active.

Reminders aren’t firing

• Check that the relevant category is enabled in Settings → Notifications. If Box•E doesn’t have system notification permission, a yellow banner will appear at the top of that page — tap Open System Settings to grant it.
• On Android 13+, allow notifications for Box•E in your phone’s app settings.
• On Android 12+, allow the Schedule exact alarms permission so reminders fire at the chosen time.
• Battery-saver and “deep sleep” modes can delay scheduled notifications. Whitelist Box•E if your device aggressively kills background apps.

Manage Space says “permission denied”

• Make sure you’re signed in as the space’s Owner for owner-only actions like invites, role changes, transfers, and deletion. Editors and Viewers can still open Manage Space for read-only details.
• If you just upgraded the app, fully close and reopen it so the new permission rules take effect.

I saw “Account removed” on launch

• This means the signed-in account was deleted remotely (for example from another device or admin tools).
• Box•E signs you out and removes local data for that deleted account from this device.
• Sign in again with an active account to restore cloud-connected features.

Voice assistant doesn't find items

• Make sure Include in voice search is enabled for the item type.
• Add voice aliases for items with unusual names.
• Reopen Box•E once after adding new items so the voice index updates.

27. FAQ

Is my data private?

Yes. Inventory data is stored locally on your device. If you enable cloud backup, it's stored in your private Firebase database under your account — not shared with anyone unless you invite them to your space.

Can I use Box•E without an account?

Yes. All free features work fully offline without signing in.

Can I use Box•E on multiple devices?

Yes. Box•E supports up to 5 active devices per account at a time. You can manage active sessions in Settings → Account & Sign-in → Devices, including a normal signed-in web browser. Removing a device signs it out, and you can also ask Box•E to erase that device’s local Box•E data the next time it reconnects. Private/incognito browser sessions are temporary and won’t persist as long-term device records.

What happens to my space if the owner cancels Premium?

The owner remains owner and isn’t auto-replaced. During the lapse window, members keep current access while owner-only cloud management expansion actions stay paused until renewal or transfer to a Premium member. If cancellation finalizes, Box•E applies the owner’s cancellation policy for each shared space: Wipe revokes access and removes that shared-space data from guest devices; Release revokes cloud access but guests keep a disconnected local copy.

Is the web app a standalone version of Box•E?

No. The web app is a companion to your phone or desktop install. Set up your space on mobile/desktop first, then sign in on the web for occasional access.

How do I fully clear Box•E from a browser?

On the web app, open Settings → Account & Sign-in. The Browser cache section shows roughly what Box•E has cached there. Use Trust this browser to ask the browser to keep that cache longer, Clear browser cache to wipe cached Box•E data without signing out, or Sign out and clear this browser for a full local wipe. Box•E may also offer Trust this browser? automatically after the first successful web sign-in. Plain Sign Out only removes your session; cached Box•E data on that browser stays there until you clear it.

What if I remove a lost browser or device?

Use Settings → Account & Sign-in → Devices. Removing it signs Box•E out there. If you also choose the erase option, Box•E will wipe its own local data on that device or browser the next time it reconnects. A closed browser cannot be wiped until it opens Box•E again, so sign-out is the strongest guarantee Box•E can offer in that case.

What happens to my data if I cancel Premium?

Your local data stays on your device. Your cloud backup remains for a grace period:

• Days 0–59: data fully intact, no action required.
• Day 60: first warning shown in-app (Settings page banner).
• Day 80: second warning sent.
• Day 90: data soft-deleted (archived; recoverable by re-subscribing).
• Day 180: data permanently deleted.

For shared spaces you already own, ownership is not auto-transferred if Premium lapses. Existing members keep access during retention windows, but owner-only expansion/admin cloud actions remain locked until renewal or transfer to a Premium member. If a shared space is later deleted (or you are removed from it), Box•E clears only that shared space’s local data and keeps your other local spaces/personal data intact.

Re-subscribe before Day 180 to restore your data. See the Privacy Policy §7 for full details.

What if my payment fails temporarily?

A temporary billing issue puts the account in a past due state while payment is retried. This does not start the 60/80/90 retention countdown. The retention clock starts only after an official cancellation or expiry event.

Why do I see unavailable photos or documents?

This usually means those files were evicted from cloud storage by retention or quota policy and are not cached on this device anymore. Box•E keeps the item metadata and attachment records so your inventory structure stays intact. Open Manage Space → Media Graveyard to review affected items and replace missing files when needed.

Does Box•E work without internet?

Yes. The full app works offline. Cloud sync just resumes when you reconnect.

Can I export my data?

Yes. Premium users can export to Excel at any time from Tools → Export. Calendar export (single events and bulk .ics) is free for everyone. Item Tree exports (Mermaid .md and HTML with photos) visualise your full inventory hierarchy and are also free. Full Backup (.zip) in Tools → Export creates a single ZIP with items, warranties, insurance, attachments, item types, hierarchy links, and a settings snapshot. Tools → Import accepts both Box•E ZIP packages and CSV/XLSX spreadsheets, and imports all rows as new records (no deduplication). The full local SQLite database can also be backed up by your phone’s standard backup tools.

Can I see who added or changed an item in my space?

Yes — each item shows an Added by <name> line on its detail page. The Owner can hide it for the whole shared space, and individual items can be hidden via the Hide creator switch in the item form. You can also filter Search by member when 2+ people are in the shared space.

How do I move ownership of a space to someone else?

If you’re the Owner, open Manage Space and use Transfer Ownership… in the danger zone. Pick the new Owner from the member list and confirm — they become Owner immediately and you stay in the space as an Admin. Shared-space ownership transfers require the target member to have an active Premium subscription, and the target tier must be large enough for the space’s current cloud usage.

28. Reporting a Problem

If Box•E hits a bug or behaves unexpectedly, you can send a report directly from the app. Reports help prioritise fixes — they’re read by the developer, not automated bots.

How to send a report

• From About: open Settings → About → Report a problem at any time.
• From an error message: when Box•E shows an error snackbar, tap the Report action on the right.
• After a crash: if Box•E crashed last time you used it, you’ll see a prompt on the next launch asking whether you’d like to send the crash report.

A sheet slides up where you can add a short description of what you were doing. Tap Send report when ready, or Don’t send to dismiss.

What’s included

Each report contains:

• App version and build number
• Operating system name and version
• Device locale
• Your space ID (no inventory data)
• Your account UID (so the developer can correlate with your account if you contact support)
• The error message and stack trace (if one was captured)
• Your typed description
• A timestamp

What’s not included: your item names, photos, notes, or any other inventory content.

Rate limits

To prevent accidental spam, reports are limited to one per 60 seconds and 20 per day per account. Both limits are enforced in the app and on the server.