Ways to use Catchall Photo
You don't have to open Catchall to use it. Photos can come in from other apps, and your records can be found from outside it. In the app, see Settings → Help → Ways to Use Catchall.
Adding
Share sheet
In Photos - or any app that shares images - tap Share and choose Catchall. Pick a collection (the one you added to most recently is already chosen) and you're done. The photos are read in the background, and the records wait in your Inbox for you to look over.
You can share up to ten photos at a time, though smaller batches read more reliably - see How many photos at once.
Sharing adds to a collection you already have, using its fields. To start a new collection, open Catchall and make one first.
Control Center, the Lock Screen and the Action button
Catchall has four controls. Add them to Control Center or the Lock Screen by editing either one and searching for Catchall. On an iPhone with an Action button, you can also assign one to it: open Settings → Action Button, swipe to Controls, and choose a Catchall control.
| Control | Opens |
|---|---|
| Add to Catchall | The capture screen, ready to photograph something or import photos or files |
| Take Photo | Catchall's camera |
| Add Photos | Your photo library |
| Add Files | The Files picker, for images or a PDF |
Shortcuts
Catchall's actions appear in the Shortcuts app:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Open Camera | Opens Catchall's camera, ready to photograph something |
| Add to Catchall | Opens the capture screen |
| Add Photos to Collection | Reads photos and adds what it finds to one of your collections. Runs in the background and notifies you when it's finished. |
| Open Collection | Opens a collection |
| Open Record | Opens a record |
| Search Collections | Searches every collection, or one, for a word or phrase - optionally within a range of dates |
| Search Catchall | Searches everything in Catchall for a phrase |
Add Photos to Collection pairs well with a shortcut that runs on a schedule or from the share sheet. Its results go to the Inbox for review.
Finding
Siri
Ask Siri to open a collection or search one by name. For example:
- "Show my Wine List in Catchall"
- "Open Bookshelf in Catchall"
- "Search my Receipts in Catchall"
- "Look through my Recipes in Catchall"
Spotlight
Your records show up when you search from the Home Screen. Tap one to open it in Catchall.
Visual Intelligence
Point Visual Intelligence at something, and records that match it appear from Catchall - photograph a bottle and see whether it's already in your wine list. Catchall shows a handful of the best matches; open Catchall from there to see the full list.