Quick Start
- Install ChipScan from the App Store (iOS 16+) or Google Play (Android 11+).
- Grant camera permission when prompted — ChipScan needs the camera to do its job.
- Create a preset that matches the chips you're using. Map each color to a value.
- Line one stack up in the aim box, from a low side angle, and tap Scan stack.
- Check the count against the rows drawn over the photo, correct it if needed, and add it to your total.
For a full walkthrough with tips, see the How to Use guide.
Setting Up Presets
A preset is a list that maps each chip color to a denomination. Examples:
- Home Game: white=$1, red=$5, blue=$10, green=$25, black=$100
- Casino Standard: white=$1, red=$5, green=$25, black=$100, purple=$500, orange=$1,000
- Tournament: white=25, red=100, blue=500, green=1,000, black=5,000 (points, not dollars)
To create one: Settings → Presets → New Preset. Tap each row to choose a color and enter a value. Save, then pick the preset from the scanner screen.
ChipScan ships with the three presets above pre-built. You can edit, duplicate, or delete any of them.
Framing the shot
There is no calibration step — ChipScan works your table color out from each photo. What it does need is a clear view of the side of the stack.
- Hold the phone at a low side angle, roughly 15–30° above the table. Straight down on top of a stack hides the rim, and the rim is what gets counted.
- Put a single stack inside the aim box. A stack directly behind the one you are aiming at can be counted along with it.
- Leave a little bare table visible below the chips — that is how ChipScan finds the bottom of the stack.
- Split stacks taller than about eight chips and scan each half. The app will suggest this when it sees a tall one.
Troubleshooting
The chip count is wrong by one or two
Correct it with the − and + buttons before adding the stack — that is what the confirm step is for, and it is quicker than re-shooting. Counting chips from a photo is genuinely hard: the stack compresses toward the top, and the edge spots spiral because each chip sits at a different rotation. If it is consistently off, try a lower angle so more of the rim is visible, and split tall stacks in two.
Colors are being misidentified
ChipScan judges color by comparing a chip against its own pale edge spots, which cancels out most room lighting. If it still gets it wrong, check that you haven't mapped two preset entries to the same color, and that a decent stretch of the chip's side is in the box — the color is read from the rim, not the printed face on top. You can also just pick the right color on the confirm screen before adding the stack.
It says it can't find a stack
ChipScan looks for where the chips meet the table, so it needs a little bare surface visible below the stack and inside the aim box. Move back slightly, drop to a lower angle (~15–30° off horizontal works best), and make sure the stack is not right at the edge of the frame.
Smooth-edge or ceramic chips aren't being counted
ChipScan relies on the distinctive white edge-spot pattern that most clay/composite chips have around their rim. Ceramic chips with smooth or unprinted edges break this signal — the algorithm may see the whole stack as a single chip. This is a known limitation; we're working on a fallback for edge-less chips in a future release.
The app says "view obstructed"
Something (a hand, a card, a cup) is in front of the stack for too many frames in a row. Move the obstruction out of the way and the scan resumes automatically.
The app feels slow or my phone gets warm
ChipScan only does work when you tap to scan — it is not analysing the camera feed continuously — so sustained drain should be modest. Leaving the scanner screen open does keep the camera preview running, so close it between sessions if you are watching the battery.
Why is there no cloud sync?
Because ChipScan doesn't talk to a server. Your presets and scan history live only on your device. If you switch phones, you'll start fresh. See the privacy policy for why we built it this way.
Reporting a Bug
ChipScan ships with no automatic crash reporting (see the privacy policy for why). That means if something is broken, the only way we'll know is if you tell us.
When reporting a bug, please include:
- Your device model (e.g., iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 8)
- OS version (iOS 17.4, Android 14, etc.)
- App version (visible in Settings → About)
- What you were doing when it happened
- What you expected vs. what actually happened
- If possible: a screenshot or short screen recording — attach it to your email.
Send the report to support@chipscan.app. We read every message.