Scanner troubleshooting

Most scanning hiccups have a ten-second fix. Find your symptom below.

"Card could not be detected"

The scanner sees a card but can't match it. In order of likelihood:

1. The game isn't downloaded — the scanner can only match games whose data is on your phone. If the app recognises the game, it offers the download on the spot; otherwise open Scanner options → Settings → Game data

2. Lighting or glare — foils and sleeves reflect. Tilt the card away from direct light, or take it out of the sleeve

3. The card is very recent — data for brand-new expansions can arrive a few days after release. Try again after a game data update, or use Add card manually in the meantime

4. Horizontal cards — Sorcery Sites and Riftbound Battlefields scan best held vertically, text along the right side

The scanner picked the wrong version

Some printings are near-identical, and promos or reprints can fool the match.

• When the scanner isn't sure, it asks — pick the right version in the list

• If it guessed silently and got it wrong: tap the card (or find it in Scanned cards), open Edit card, and change the printing — every same-name printing in the game is listed with its expansion and print number

• Wrong guesses happening often? Turn Auto-pick best match off in the settings to review every ambiguous match, or lock the expansion you're scanning — the match pool shrinks and accuracy jumps

"This card is from {game}. Your filter is set to {game}."

You have a game or expansion lock active and scanned a card outside it. That's the lock doing its job — clear the filter, or keep sorting with it, your call. The lock only lasts for the session.

"Card already added to scanned cards"

Scanning the same card twice in a row is deliberately blocked, so a card left under the camera isn't counted twice.

• You have several copies? Use the quantity shortcut at the bottom of the scan screen, or Change quantity in Scanned cards

• Two different copies (say, one Near Mint, one Played)? Scan the first, adjust it, scan another card, then scan the second copy — or adjust the details through Edit card. Rows with different conditions stay separate; identical rows merge into one line when you add them

"Scan limit reached"

Sessions cap at 1,000 cards (750 on Android). Add the batch to your inventory or a list, then keep scanning — your next session starts fresh.

Scanning paused or frozen

• After 45 seconds without a new card, scanning pauses ("Scanning paused due to inactivity") — tap to resume

• Black or stuck camera preview? The app offers Tap to open camera; if the scanner really won't recover, force-close and reopen the app

"Can't add to inventory while offline"

Scanning works offline, but adding cards to your inventory or lists needs a connection. Your scanned cards are saved — reconnect and add them.

The scanner won't open at all

• Android: the scanner needs Android 10 or newer, and some older processors aren't supported

• Storage: the scanner needs at least 128 MB free, plus room for each downloaded game (the exact size shows before download)

• Camera permission: if you declined it, the app shows Allow camera in settings

Good to know

• Game data updates (new expansions, refreshed market values) appear in Scanner options → Settings → Game data — a badge shows when updates are available

• If a newly announced game doesn't appear in your list, update the app itself: new games ship with app releases