Get help with Unmuck
Keep the Muck Out of Memories™
Unmuck brings photo intelligence to your everyday captures — turning receipts, menus, serial numbers, and documents into structured, searchable, actionable information.
Have a question, found a bug, or want to suggest a feature? We'd love to hear from you.
We typically respond within 1-2 business days.
Open the app and you'll see the SNAP screen with 10 capture intents: Task, Read, Receipt, Food, Identify, Interpret, Slide, Reference, Contact, or Evidence. Tap what you're capturing, take the photo, and it goes directly to your iCloud Drive — never touching your Camera Roll. Photos auto-file to folders based on the intent you choose.
Every photo you capture is instantly processed by Apple's on-device AI — text is extracted, barcodes are scanned, and content is classified. All free, all private. For deeper analysis, tap Analyze to use generative AI (powered by Claude).
Photos are stored in your iCloud Drive in a "Unmuck" folder. You can see them in the Files app under iCloud Drive → Unmuck. This means your photos are backed up automatically, sync across your devices, and won't be lost if you delete the app.
Your photos stay safe in iCloud Drive. Reinstall the app anytime and they'll be right where you left them. You can also access them directly through the Files app.
Yes. Photos are stored in iCloud Drive, so they automatically sync to any device signed into the same Apple ID with iCloud Drive enabled.
Photos land in folders based on the capture intent you chose — Receipt photos go to Receipt, Food photos go to Food, and so on. Open the Folders tab to browse all your folders. Tap any photo to open details where you can:
Open any photo and tap Share. Select Reminders from the share sheet. The reminder includes a deep link back to the photo so you can tap it to see what you need to do.
Images in Reminders require the upgraded iCloud Reminders format. To upgrade, open the Reminders app — if prompted, tap "Upgrade." You can also check Settings → [Your Name] → iCloud → See All → Reminders. This is a one-time iCloud account upgrade.
Deep links are preserved. When you delete a photo, it moves to the Deleted folder rather than being permanently removed. The link in your Reminder will still work. You can permanently purge deleted photos in Settings when you're sure you don't need them.
Yes. Open a photo and tap Crop. Note that cropping is permanent — it replaces the original image. The app will warn you before cropping.
Batch Mode keeps you in the camera for rapid capture. After taking a photo, you stay in camera view instead of jumping to details — great for snapping multiple receipts, slides, or items quickly. Toggle it on the SNAP launcher screen.
Auto-AI automatically runs AI analysis when you capture a photo. It's configured per capture intent — Food, Identify, Interpret, and Contact default to ON because AI adds the most value there. Other intents default to OFF so you control when credits are used. Toggle Auto-AI on the SNAP screen; each intent remembers your preference independently. You can always analyze photos manually from the detail view.
Yes. Before running AI analysis, you can add background information to help the AI understand what it's looking at. For example, tell it "this is a receipt from my business trip" or "this plant is in my backyard in New England." The extra context leads to more accurate and useful results.
Yes. After an initial analysis, you can ask Claude follow-up questions about the photo. For example, after identifying a plant, ask "is it safe for dogs?" The first 2 follow-up questions per analysis are free. Additional follow-ups use one credit each. The conversation history is saved with the photo.
Yes. Open any photo and use the rotate button to fix orientation.
A lot. Apple's on-device AI processes every photo instantly for free: text recognition (OCR) extracts all visible text with no character limit, barcode and QR code scanning decodes any codes in the image, image classification auto-tags photos by content type, and for the Interpret intent, non-English text is automatically translated. All of this runs on your phone with no internet connection needed.
The app automatically detects barcodes and QR codes in every photo you capture or import. Decoded data appears in the photo details — URLs are tappable links, product codes and serial numbers are displayed for easy reference. No special scanning mode needed.
Apple's Vision framework classifies every photo with content labels like food, document, outdoor, animal, and more. These tags are searchable — type "food" in search to find all your meal photos, even ones that haven't been AI-analyzed.
When you use the Interpret intent and the text is in a foreign language, the app automatically translates it on-device. You'll see both the translation and the original text. No credits used. Want deeper context and explanation? Tap Analyze to use generative AI.
When viewing a photo that contains a document, receipt, or card, the app detects the edges and offers a "Crop to Document" button. One tap perspective-corrects and crops to just the document.
By default the app uses your iPhone's system language. To override, go to Settings → AI Response Language and choose your preferred language. This affects both on-device translations and generative AI analysis responses.
On-device AI (Apple Vision) extracts what's in the photo: raw text, barcodes, content classification, and translations. It's instant, free, and completely private — nothing leaves your phone. Generative AI (Claude) interprets what it means: structuring a receipt into vendor/date/total, estimating calories from a meal photo, identifying an unknown item with value estimate, or explaining medical test results in plain language. Think of it as extraction vs. understanding. Together, these two layers form Unmuck's photo intelligence — extraction plus understanding, available on every photo you capture.
Every photo gets free on-device processing automatically. AI analysis adds a layer of interpretation — it never replaces what's already there.
AI analysis always adds to your on-device results — it never removes or replaces the extracted text, barcodes, or tags.
| Intent | Included (On-Device AI) | AI Credit Adds (Generative AI) |
|---|---|---|
| Task | Full text extracted. Barcodes/QR decoded. Content classified and tagged. | + Actionable task summary with priority, next steps, and suggested due date. |
| Read | Full text extracted with no character limit. Barcodes/QR decoded. | + Structured summary — key information highlighted, organized by topic or section. Full text always preserved. |
| Receipt ★ HIGH VALUE | Full text extracted. Barcodes/QR decoded (loyalty cards, transaction IDs). | + Vendor name, date, total, tax, and line items structured and ready to file or expense. |
| Food ★ HIGH VALUE | Classified as food. Text extracted from menus or nutrition labels if present. | + Dish identification with estimated calories, carbs, protein, and fat. Ingredient and allergen notes. |
| Identify ★ HIGH VALUE | Generic classification labels (e.g. "animal," "vehicle," "electronics"). Barcodes/QR decoded. | + Specific identification — make, model, species, variety. Value estimate where applicable. |
| Interpret | Full text extracted. Foreign text auto-translated on-device. Barcodes/QR decoded. | + Plain-language explanation with context. Cultural notes for menus. What it means, why it matters, what to do. |
| Slide | Full text extracted from slide content. | + Key takeaways and action items highlighted. Full slide text always preserved. |
| Reference | Full text extracted. Barcodes/QR decoded (serial numbers, product codes). Content classified. | + Structured details — model, specs, expiration dates, policy numbers, key terms organized. Full text always preserved. |
| Contact ★ HIGH VALUE | Full text extracted from business card. | + Structured contact: name, title, company, phone, email, address. Ready for vCard export to Contacts. |
| Evidence ★ HIGH VALUE | Full text extracted. Content classified. Location and timestamp from capture. | + Detailed condition description — what's shown, what's damaged, environmental context. Documentation-grade summary. |
Photos auto-file to folders based on your capture mode: Task photos go to Tasks, Food photos go to Food, etc. You can also manually move photos between folders. The Folders tab shows all your folders so you can browse everything.
There are 10 default folders: Tasks (actionable to-dos), Read (OCR/text extraction results), Receipt (expenses, returns, purchases), Food (meal tracking), Identify (item identification results), Interpret (test results and jargon explained), Slides (presentations and whiteboards), Reference (IDs, cards, permanent lookup items), Contacts (business cards), and Evidence (legal documentation and dispute records). Plus Inbox for Share Extension imports and uncategorized photos. You can also create custom folders in the Files app (iCloud Drive → Unmuck) and they'll appear automatically in the app.
Open any folder and tap the filter icon in the toolbar. You can filter by time period (Today, Yesterday, Last Week, Last Month) and by location (town/city). Filters are independently toggleable — tap an active filter to clear it, or combine time and location for precise browsing. A banner shows your active filters with a one-tap clear button. Filters reset automatically when you navigate back to the folder list.
The Food folder shows a daily totals banner with your total calories, carbs, and meal count. Each photo thumbnail displays its calorie and carb count as an overlay so you can see nutrition at a glance. These totals respect any active time or location filters.
Moving to a folder keeps the photo in your iCloud Drive for reference — useful for receipts or things you've shared to Reminders. Delete moves it to a Deleted folder where you can recover it later or permanently remove it to free up space.
Archive lets you hide completed items from your active view while keeping them in their original folder. Toggle "Archived" on any photo to mark it as done — it disappears from the default view but stays organized where it belongs. Use the "Show archived photos" toggle at the top of folder views to see archived items again. Toggle it off to bring items back to active view.
The Clean Up tab lets you triage your Camera Roll to separate task photos from memories. You'll see your library stats (total photos, photos not in albums) at the top. View your photos in a grid and decide what to do with each one:
Use Batch Mode (in the Options menu) if you want Move and Copy to work silently without opening Photo Details — great for rapid processing.
When viewing a photo in the Clean Up tab, swipe left or right to move to the next or previous photo. A counter shows your position (e.g., "3 of 47"). No need to go back to the grid to see more photos.
Two ways to multi-select:
Then use the action bar at the bottom to Delete, add to Album, or Move all selected photos.
The Options menu has toggles to filter your view:
All are off by default so you see everything. Turn them on to focus on specific photo types.
Tap the album filter dropdown in the toolbar (shows "All Photos" by default). You can filter by:
Open any photo and tap the Album button. You'll see a list of your existing albums plus a "New Album..." option. Tap an album to add the photo, or create a new one. The photo stays in your Camera Roll — albums are just groupings.
Tap the album filter dropdown and select New Album.... Enter a name and the album is created. You'll automatically switch to viewing the new album.
First, filter to the album you want to delete. Then tap the options menu (⋯) and select Delete Album. This option only appears when viewing a user-created album — smart albums like Favorites and Screenshots are managed by iOS. Remember: deleting an album doesn't delete the photos inside it.
Move and Copy create a downsized copy in the app (optimized for storage). If you choose Move, the original is deleted from your Camera Roll but recoverable in your Recently Deleted album for 30 days. Keep and Delete only affect Camera Roll — they don't copy anything to the app.
Photos are automatically resized to 1200px on the longest edge and saved as 75% quality JPEG. A typical 20MB HDR photo becomes roughly 200-400KB — small enough to email, text, or share anywhere. Your original stays untouched in your Camera Roll if you use Copy instead of Move.
Tap the Options menu and choose a sort mode:
Toggle Screenshots Only in the Options menu to filter your Camera Roll to screenshots. Combine with batch select (long press, then Select All) for fast cleanup.
Tap the Options menu and choose 1, 2, or 3 columns under the Grid setting. Use 1 column for detail, 3 columns to scan fast. Your choice is remembered between sessions.
Select 2-6 similar photos in the Clean Up tab, then tap Best. AI compares sharpness, composition, lighting, and facial expressions (no one blinking, everyone smiling). The best shot is deselected and protected. The rejects stay selected — tap Delete and they're gone. Two taps from duplicates to done. Uses one AI credit per comparison.
Use the search bar at the top of the Folders tab. Search finds photos by title, text content, AI analysis, folder name, or auto-generated tags. Results appear across all folders.
Yes. Tap the map icon in the Clean Up tab toolbar to switch from grid view to map view. Photos with GPS data appear as pins on the map. Tap a pin to open the photo. The header shows how many of your photos have location data. If none do, you may need to enable Location Services for your Camera app in system Settings.
The Stats tab provides comprehensive analytics for your entire Camera Roll. You'll see visual charts showing:
Your most popular location is called out separately above the location chart — typically home, so excluded from the chart to highlight other interesting spots.
Yes! Tap any bar in the Quarter, Hour, or Location charts to jump to the Roll tab with photos filtered to that selection. For example, tap the "3PM" bar to see all photos taken at 3PM. A filter banner appears in Roll showing the active filter — tap Clear to remove it and see all photos again.
Yes. Tap the share button (↑) in the Stats toolbar to generate a high-resolution image of all your charts with a "Made with Unmuck" watermark. Perfect for sharing your photography habits with friends on social media.
No. Statistics are calculated entirely on-device from your Camera Roll metadata. No AI credits required, no data sent anywhere.
We designed the app to be safe with your photos. In-app deletions go to a Deleted folder in iCloud Drive — you decide when to purge. Camera Roll deletions go to iOS Recently Deleted for 30 days before permanent removal. Nothing is permanently deleted without your say.
Creates a downsized copy in the app, then deletes the original from your Camera Roll. The deleted original goes to iOS Recently Deleted where you can recover it for 30 days.
Creates a downsized copy in the app. Your original stays untouched in your Camera Roll at full resolution.
Removes the photo from your Camera Roll. It goes to iOS Recently Deleted where you can recover it for 30 days before permanent removal.
Moves the photo to a Deleted folder in your iCloud Drive (Unmuck/Deleted). You can recover it from there, or permanently remove it using Empty Folder or by purging individual photos. Deep links to the photo still work while it's in Deleted.
Photos are resized to 1200px max and compressed to ~200-400KB. This is optimized for sharing via email, text, and task apps — not for high-resolution printing or archival. If you need the full-resolution original, use Copy instead of Move so it stays in your Camera Roll.
Photos are stored in iCloud Drive under the Unmuck folder. Browse them anytime in the Files app (iPhone) or Finder (Mac). They're your files — backed up, synced, and accessible even if you uninstall the app.
Each photo has two files:
Example: 20260118_143022_a1b2.jpg and 20260118_143022_a1b2.json
Photos go directly into folders at the top level of your Unmuck storage. No subfolders. No nested complexity. You can create additional folders at the same level in the Files app — they appear automatically in the app.
Plus system folders: Inbox (Share Extension imports and uncategorized photos), Archive (completed items), and Deleted (recoverable trash).
When you tap SNAP, you choose what you're capturing. This determines where it's filed and how it's analyzed. Auto-AI defaults to ON for Food, Identify, Interpret, and Contact; OFF for others. Toggle per intent on the SNAP screen:
Yes. Open the Slides folder, and if you have 2 or more slides, tap Summarize Slides in the toolbar. AI compiles the extracted text from all your slides into a consolidated summary with key takeaways. Large decks (50+ slides) are automatically batched. Uses one AI credit per batch of ~25 slides. You can also tap Export Text to copy all extracted slide text to your clipboard.
Almost anything! Plants (species, care tips), pets (breed, age estimate), vehicles, electronics, antiques, collectibles, furniture, artwork, coins, stamps, vintage items, and more. You'll get identification details plus a rough value estimate where applicable.
Any document with specialized terminology: blood work and lab panels, soil and water quality tests, genetic/DNA reports, veterinary results, automotive diagnostics, home inspection reports, academic evaluations, foreign menus, and more. Results are explained in plain language with anything outside normal ranges highlighted. Foreign text is translated to your preferred language on-device before AI interpretation. Always consult a qualified professional before acting on any interpretation.
Every photo gets instant, private processing on your phone — no internet, no credits:
These are all Apple on-device AI features — distinct from the generative AI analysis which uses credits. On-device AI does the extraction. Generative AI adds interpretation and understanding.
Generative AI analysis is powered by Claude (from Anthropic). When you tap Analyze, your photo is sent securely for processing. Results are saved with your photo in iCloud Drive. Nothing is stored on Anthropic's servers.
Yes. Generative AI responses follow your system language by default. You can also set a specific language in Settings → AI Response Language. This works for all analysis modes.
Only if you use the generative AI analysis feature. When you tap Analyze, the photo is sent securely to generate a smart description. This is optional — on-device recognition and manual notes work without any cloud connection.
You get 15 free generative AI analyses to try it out — this is a one-time allowance, not monthly. All other features — capture, organization, sharing, on-device OCR, barcode scanning, translation, auto-tagging, and search — are unlimited and free forever. Need more AI analyses? Buy a credit pack anytime.
Purchase a credit pack: 50 AI analyses for $4.99. No subscription required — buy only when you need them. Credits never expire and stay with your Apple ID.
AI analyses are often wildly inaccurate. Verify everything before acting. Food estimates, item valuations, and other analyses are for entertainment only — not for medical, dietary, or financial decisions. When accuracy matters, consult a qualified professional.
Open Settings to see your lifetime stats: photos captured, moved from Camera Roll, copied, deleted, added to albums, marked as memories, and shared. These accumulate over time to show your total app usage.
Go to Settings → AI Response Language. Choose System Default (follows your iPhone language) or select a specific language from 19 options. This controls both on-device translations and the language generative AI uses for analysis results.
If photos show the wrong date (the import date instead of when they were taken), use Fix Photo Dates in Settings. It scans all your photos, reads the original capture date from the image file (EXIF metadata), and corrects any mismatched dates. This is a one-time fix for photos imported before date preservation was added.
Yes. Photos are stored in your personal iCloud Drive — we never see them. On-device OCR, translation, barcode scanning, and classification run entirely on your phone. AI analysis is optional and processed without storing your photos. See our Privacy Policy for details.
All permissions are optional — use what fits your workflow:
You can change permissions anytime in Settings → Unmuck.
Photo library access is only needed for Photo Gallery Cleanup, which lets you import from or delete photos in your Camera Roll. The main capture feature works without it — photos go directly to iCloud Drive.
Current Version: 1.14
Requires: iOS 18.0 or later
Developer: Digital Gemba, LLC