FrigoTime Help

I didn't receive the sign-in email

Check your spam folder first, then wait a few minutes. Email delivery can take a moment.

If you still don't see it, go back to the sign-in screen and enter your email again. We'll send a new one.

I'm on a different device than the one I signed up on

No problem. When you open the sign-in email on a different phone or browser, the link may not work because it is tied to the browser you used to sign up. Instead, look for the 6-digit code in the email and enter it on the sign-in screen. The code works on any device.

Returning users get a different email

The first time you sign up, you receive a "Welcome to the FrigoTime beta" email with a link and 6-digit code. When you come back later, you get a "Magic link" email with the same link and code options if you're not already signed in.

Scan a receipt

Take a photo of your receipt or upload one from your phone. FrigoTime reads it, extracts the items and estimates how long each will stay fresh.

For best results, use a direct screenshot or clear photo rather than a blurry image. The app will tell you if a photo is too unclear to read.

Type a list instead

Can't find a receipt? Type the items, one per line. Any language works, and FrigoTime will translate and match them automatically. You can type up to 40 items at a time.

My receipt is really long

Split it in two. Take a photo of the top half, upload it, then come back and upload the bottom half. FrigoTime will add all the items to your list.

Can I add shelf-stable items?

When you scan a receipt, items like olive oil, pasta, or canned tomatoes show up greyed out because they last so long that freshness tracking is not useful. If you want to track one anyway, tap "+ Track" next to it and FrigoTime will add it.

"Please verify" items

FrigoTime matches your items to real foods and it calculates a confidence score for each match. For lower confidence matches, you'll see a verification prompt next to the item. Most of the time it is right, but check the name and change it if needed before confirming.

Renaming, storing, and editing

On the home screen, tap Menu (three lines) and then "Edit items" to rename, change the storage location (Fridge / Freezer / Pantry / Counter), or adjust how many days an item has left.

Changes save when you tap "Confirm changes".

To delete an item, tap the × icon and confirm again (tap × twice).

Storage locations and freshness

The storage location matters because food lasts different lengths of time in different places. A tomato on the counter lasts 3-5 days, but 5-7 days in the fridge. If you move something to a different spot, edit it and update the storage location so the freshness estimate stays accurate.

Where the numbers come from

FrigoTime uses shelf-life data from freshness authorities like USDA FoodKeeper to estimate how many days each food will stay fresh. Every item is looked up and given an estimate based on where you store it. You can always adjust the number if you think our estimate is off.

If an item is not recognized, FrigoTime gives it a default of 5 days (a conservative estimate for perishables).

Freshness tolerance: Careful, Balanced, Extended

This is your risk tolerance. It sets where on the freshness estimate range you're comfortable with.

• Careful: shorter estimates, alerts come sooner. Choose this if you prefer to use things early.
• Balanced: the middle ground. Good for most households.
• Extended: longer estimates, fewer alerts. Choose this if you are comfortable letting things sit a bit longer.

You can change this anytime in Settings. New items and items you have already added will use the new setting.

Mark as used

Tap "Used ✓" on the home screen when you eat something, cook with it, or use it for anything.

Then choose how much is left: "Mostly here", "About half", "Almost gone", or "All gone ✓". The app will track the amount you used.

If you choose "All gone ✓", the item disappears from your list immediately. Otherwise it stays on your list with the amount you have left.

Items that expired

If an item passes its freshness window without being marked used, it moves to the "Did you use these?" section at the bottom of your home screen. Answer honestly: did you use any of it before it went bad?

• Tap "Yes ✓" and then choose how much you used: "Some", "Half", "Most", or "All". The app counts this as food saved, even though it was past its date.
• Tap "No" if you did not use it. FrigoTime will record it as wasted.

If you do not answer, the item stays in this section for 7 days, then is automatically archived. You can still mark it used or wasted anytime during those 7 days.

What the percentage means

The percentage shows how much of your food you actually used, including partial amounts. If you used all of one item and half of another, and wasted half of a third item, your utilization is about 75%.

Exact quantities and weights of items aren't tracked in FrigoTime. Each item counts equally and partial use counts toward your savings.

Week / Month / All time

Tap the tabs to see your usage for this week, this month, or since you started. Each tab shows:

• Your usage percentage (how much you used vs wasted)
• Change from the previous week or month (arrows show up or down)
• A trend chart showing used vs wasted over time
• A category breakdown if you have enough data
• Money saved and wasted (if your receipts included prices)

Baseline and benchmarks

Your first two weeks are a learning period. Starting from week 3, if you have added at least 10 items total, used at least 5 of them, and it has been at least 14 days, your Progress page will show a baseline: "When you started, you were using X% of your groceries." This is your starting point to compare against.

Scheduled digest

A regular summary of your items according to what you should use in the next two weeks. It arrives on the days and times you choose. You can change the frequency (every 1 to 14 days) and the time in Settings.

Expiry alert

A heads-up for items about to go bad. It tells you what needs attention soon. You choose how many days before expiry to get the alert (1 to 7 days) and what time of day. By default, you get one expiry alert per day per household.

Turn alerts on or off

Go to Settings (the gear icon in the menu) and toggle "Scheduled digest" and "Expiry alert" on or off. You can also change the send times and frequency.

Alert email address

Alerts go to the email you set in Settings. The default is your login email, but you can change it to any email address. This is useful if you share the app with a household and want alerts to go to different people.

I did not get an alert email

Check your spam folder first. If it is not there, make sure you did not accidentally block the sender. The email might also have been delayed in delivery.

If you keep not receiving emails, use the "Send feedback" option in the app menu to let us know. Include whether the email went to spam or disappeared.

You can change these anytime in the Settings menu (the gear icon):

• Freshness tolerance: Careful, Balanced, or Extended. A change applies to all your items, new and existing.
• Scheduled digest: on/off, frequency (1-14 days), time
• Expiry alert: on/off, threshold (1-7 days before expiry), time
• Alert email: which email should get your alerts
• Timezone: used for alert times. Auto-detected, but you can override it.
• Currency: used to show money saved and wasted. Auto-detected based on your timezone and language, but you can change it.

Defaults when you first sign up:

• Tolerance: Balanced
• Digest: on, every 2 days at 16:30 (4:30 PM)
• Expiry alert: on, at 1 day remaining, at 08:00 (8:00 AM)
• Alert email: your login email
• Timezone: auto-detected
• Currency: auto-detected

Receipt scans

You get 20 receipt scans per month, per household, starting on the 1st. This includes scans that did not work, so failed scans count toward your limit. After you hit 20, you can still add items by typing them in (typing lists are not limited).

Failed scans and lockouts

If 3 scans in a row fail (did not read the receipt), scanning is paused for about 1 hour. You can still add items by typing. After an hour, you will be able to scan again (but the monthly cap still applies).

Typed lists

Type as many lists as you want. Each list can have up to 40 items.

• Receipt scans are limited to 20 per month to keep costs down. Typed lists are unlimited.
• Failed scans count toward your monthly limit.
• 3 failed scans in a row pause scanning for 1 hour.
• Shelf-stable items are not tracked by default. Tap "+ Track" if you want to add one.
• Unrecognized items fall back to 5 days by default (a conservative estimate).
• Receipts are not stored. Only the extracted items are kept.
• One account per email address.
• There is no way to log out yet. Close your browser or clear your app data on your phone if needed.

How to send feedback

Tap Menu (three lines) on the home screen, then "Send feedback". A form opens with your email already filled in. Tell us what is working and what is not.

Who do I contact for help?

Email frigotimeapp@gmail.com. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Can you delete my data?

Yes. Email frigotimeapp@gmail.com with your request and include the email address of your account. We will delete your account and all your data.

What data do you collect?

Read our privacy notice at nicolebechard.com/frigotime/privacy. It explains what we collect, how long we keep it, and who can see it.

Is my data shared?

Your items and preferences are private to you. We do not sell your data or share it for advertising. A few service providers process it so the app can run; they are listed in our privacy notice.

The app feels slow

Try refreshing the page. If you are on mobile, close and reopen the browser.

Items are not showing up after I added them

Refresh the page. If they still do not appear, check your internet connection and try again.

An item disappeared from my list

It was probably marked as used. Check the "Did you use these?" section at the bottom of your home screen. If the item has passed its freshness window, it will be there.

I want to track pantry items

Shelf-stable items like pasta and canned goods do not show their freshness by default. You can add them by tapping "+ Track" when you scan or type a list, and they will be tracked like any other item. Keep in mind that FrigoTime estimates are designed for perishables, so the dates may not be accurate for shelf-stable foods.