How to Use ChipScan

Install, set up a preset, scan. About 60 seconds end-to-end.

1

Install the app

ChipScan is available on the App Store (iPhone running iOS 16 or later) and Google Play (Android phones running Android 11 or later). It is not available on the web, macOS, Windows, or Linux — by design.

Permissions

On first launch, ChipScan asks for camera access. Grant it. The camera is the only sensor ChipScan uses — no location, no contacts, no microphone.

2

No calibration needed

Earlier versions asked you to tap an empty patch of felt so ChipScan could learn your table color. That step is gone — it now works the table color out from each photo, so there is nothing to set up and nothing to redo when the lighting changes.

  • Tip: ChipScan still works best on a uniform, matte surface. Glossy tables and busy patterns make the base of the stack harder to find.
3

Create a preset

A preset is a mapping of chip color → denomination. ChipScan needs one to compute totals.

Steps

  • Open Settings → Presets.
  • Either edit a built-in preset (Home Game, Casino Standard, Tournament) or tap "New Preset."
  • For each color you'll be using, set its value. Example for a home game: white=1, red=5, blue=10, green=25, black=100.
  • Name the preset and save.
  • Back on the Scanner screen, pick this preset from the preset selector.
  • Tip: Tournament players who don't care about cash value can still use ChipScan — just set the values to whatever your chip-color hierarchy uses (e.g., 25 / 100 / 500 / 1000 / 5000).
  • Tip: Don't put two preset entries on the same color. ChipScan classifies by hue and won't be able to disambiguate two same-color entries.
4

Scan a stack

One stack per scan. Line it up, tap, check the number.

Steps

  • On the Scanner screen, line up a single stack inside the aim box. Hold the phone at a low side angle (roughly 15–30° off horizontal) so the pattern down the side of the stack is visible — not straight down on top of it.
  • Tap Scan stack. ChipScan analyses the frame and shows a count with the rows it found drawn over the photo.
  • Check it against the picture. If it is off, tap − or + to correct it, and pick the color if it did not get one.
  • Tap Add to total. Then line up the next stack and repeat.

Why you check the count

Counting chips from a photograph is harder than it looks. The stack compresses toward the top, and because each chip sits at a slightly different rotation the edge spots spiral rather than line up — which can make several chips read as one. ChipScan is accurate most of the time on shorter stacks and less so as they get taller, so it shows you what it counted and lets you fix it in one tap rather than quietly getting it wrong.

  • Tip: Scan one stack at a time. A stack sitting directly behind the one you are aiming at can get counted along with it.
  • Tip: Tall stacks are harder. Above about eight chips ChipScan will suggest splitting the stack in two and scanning each half — that is usually quicker than correcting a bad count.
  • Tip: Avoid extreme glare on the chip edges. A light off-axis from the camera works better than one directly behind you.
5

Save the session

Once you have added the stacks you care about:

Running total

Each stack you add appears as a chip along the bottom with its count and color, and the session total updates as you go. Tap the × on any of them to drop it back out, or Clear to start the session over.

Save to history

Tap Save. The session is written to ChipScan's local database with a timestamp and a per-color breakdown. Open the History tab any time to review past scans. Saved scans never leave your device.

6

Tips for best accuracy

  • Use the side view, not the top view. ChipScan reads the edge-spot pattern around the chip rim. A top-down view collapses that pattern into a thin ring and accuracy drops.
  • Keep stacks separate. Two stacks touching each other can sometimes be detected as one wide region. A small gap (a chip's width) between stacks is plenty.
  • Keep the aim box on one stack. Whatever is inside the box is what gets read, so a busy room behind the table is fine — but a second stack sitting directly behind the one you are aiming at can get counted along with it.
  • Smooth-edge chips are not supported well yet. Ceramic chips without a printed edge pattern break the autocorrelation signal. We're working on a fallback.
  • Leave some bare table below the chips. ChipScan finds the bottom of the stack where it meets the surface, so framing that cuts off the base makes the count less reliable.

Still stuck?

Have a look at the support page for troubleshooting common issues, or email support@chipscan.app. Include your device model, OS version, and a short description — we'll get back to you.