VolKit

Step 1 of 5 · Take the photo

Which bookcase?

Stand square to the shelves and keep the phone level. A tall bookcase reads best in sections: take 2–4 shelves at a time and slide the phone down for the next section. Doors or shadows? Open the doors wide or turn on a light.

Step 2 of 5 · Mark the shelves

Top shelf in this photo is shelf

Shelves in this photo: 4

Drag the orange lines onto the shelf boards, so each numbered band holds one shelf.

Step 3 of 5 · Check the photo

Can you read the spines in each close-up? If not, retake.

Step 4 of 5 · Send for reading

How to read it

You take the photo once. This only chooses how the app reads it.

Just the changes: compares with the shelf's last list and finds only what's gone or new. Cheaper, about 2¢ a shelf. Best for routine updates. Read everything fresh: reads every spine again, with exact positions. About 4¢ a shelf. Use when a shelf was rearranged or the list looks wrong.

A shelf photographed for the first time is always read fresh.

Who reads it?

Claude: the default, steady and accurate. Gemini (free, testing): about as accurate in our tests, and costs nothing. It's often busy; if so, Claude reads it instead. Always answers right away.

When do you need it?

In a few minutes, half price. Our tests took 3–5 minutes. Anthropic promises at most 24 hours, and usually it's under an hour. Right away, full price: about 30 seconds a shelf while you wait.