Help
How can we help?
Short answers to the questions readers ask us most.
Nothing on that yet
Email [email protected] and we'll help directly.
Most asked
- How do I get the best results from a scan?
- How do Grab and Pass work, and can I undo them?
- How do I remove books or clear my whole wishlist?
- How do I delete a scan?
- Can I export my books or a scan as a spreadsheet?
- How do I import my Goodreads library?
- Can I photograph my own bookshelves to add my books?
- How do I cancel or change my subscription?
Scanning shelves
Taking a scan, getting good results, and what the badges mean.
- How do I get the best results from a scan? Get close, hold the phone level and find good light. Here's what helps Spines read every spine.
- Can I scan several shelves in one go? Premium Take up to 10 photos, then scan them together while you keep browsing.
- What happens if I lose signal while scanning? Spines keeps your photo and scans it when you're back online.
- How many scans do I get? Free accounts get 3 scans a month, more in the first week. Premium scans are unlimited.
- What do “For You” and “Worth Grabbing” mean? How Spines picks out books for you, and how to filter a shelf down to them.
- What can Spines scan? Book spines, in charity shops, thrift stores, libraries or at home. Not DVDs or records.
- Spines got a book wrong. How do I tell you? Report a wrong match from the book's page. It helps us fix it.
Your books
Wishlist, grabbed books, loved books and scan history.
- How do Grab and Pass work, and can I undo them? Grab the books you buy and Pass on the rest. You can undo either one.
- How do I add books and authors to my wishlist? Premium Tell Spines what you're hunting for and it flags those books when you scan.
- How do I remove books or clear my whole wishlist? Remove one book with the bin icon, or select them all and remove them at once.
- How do I delete a scan? Remove a scan from your history with the bin icon next to it.
- Can I export my books or a scan as a spreadsheet? Premium Save any scan, or your whole Grabbed list, as a CSV file.
- How do I share what I found on a shelf? Send a picture card or a link to your finds, straight from the results.
- How do I change my favourite genres and authors? Edit the genres you love or avoid, and add authors you love, to tune your recommendations.
Importing your books
Bring your reading history from Goodreads, StoryGraph or your own shelves.
- How do I import my Goodreads library? Premium Export your library from Goodreads as a CSV file, then bring it into Loved or your Wishlist in a few taps.
- How do I import my StoryGraph library? Premium Generate an export in your StoryGraph account, then pick the CSV file in Spines.
- Can I photograph my own bookshelves to add my books? Premium Scan the shelves at home and add the books you own to Loved, without using your scans.
Account & settings
Signing in, Premium, settings and deleting your account.
- How do I save my books with an account? Link Apple or Google so your books and scans aren't lost if you change phones.
- How does the free trial work? Try every Premium feature free for 14 days. Cancel before it ends and you won't be charged.
- How do I cancel or change my subscription? Subscriptions are managed by Apple or Google. Here's where to find yours.
- I paid for Premium but the app says I'm on the free plan Restore your purchase from Settings. Check you're signed in to the same Apple or Google account.
- How do I switch between light and dark mode? Choose Light, Dark, or follow your phone's setting.
- How do I delete my account? Delete your account and data from Settings. Cancel your subscription first.