ReceiptSnap
The canonical App Robot example: snap a receipt, get a categorized expense. Shows OCR inside a focused main feature.
ReceiptSnap
Snap a photo of any receipt and get a categorized expense record instantly — one scan, done.
The Problem
People who expense purchases or track spending lose paper receipts, and manual entry is tedious enough that most give up within days.
The Solution
A mobile app where the one main action is scanning a receipt: the camera captures it, on-device OCR extracts the merchant, date, and total, and the expense is auto-categorized and saved to a searchable history.
Who It’s For
Freelancers and employees who need to track expenses for reimbursement or taxes
- Small business owners
- Budget-conscious households
Main Feature: Scan & Analyze Receipt
Turn a paper receipt photo into a structured, categorized expense record in under 10 seconds.
- Open the scanner
Tap the prominent scan button on the Main Feature tab; the camera opens with a receipt framing guide.
- Capture the receipt
The app detects the receipt edges, captures the photo, and lets the user retake or confirm.
- Extract the details
On-device OCR reads merchant, date, total, and line items; the user sees a preview with each field editable.
- Auto-categorize
A simple rule set assigns a category (food, travel, office, other); the user can tap to change it.
- Save to history
The expense is written to the user's history on the Dashboard tab with the photo attached for audit.
Standard Architecture — the 3 Tabs
Every App Robot app ships on the same proven foundation; this is how your main feature wraps into it.
Dashboard
Shows the user's expense history as a reverse-chronological list with monthly totals and category breakdowns; tap any entry to view the receipt photo and details.
Main Feature
Houses the Scan & Analyze action front and center, plus a small list of the most recent scans.
Profile
Account (email, sign out), preferences (default currency, category customization), and export options.
Screens
Dashboard (History)
Browse and search saved expenses
- Monthly total header
- Expense list with category chips
- Search bar
- Empty state
Scan & Analyze
The core capture flow
- Camera view with framing guide
- Capture button
- Recent scans strip
Review Extracted Expense
Confirm or correct OCR results before saving
- Receipt photo thumbnail
- Editable merchant/date/total fields
- Category picker
- Save button
Profile
Account and preferences
- Account section
- Preferences (currency, categories)
- Export data
- Help & support
Auth
Signup, login, and account recovery
- Email/password
- Google sign-in
- Password reset
Data Model
users
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
string | from auth | |
| createdAt | timestamp | — |
| preferences | map | currency, custom categories |
users/{uid}/expenses
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| merchant | string | — |
| total | number | — |
| date | timestamp | — |
| category | string | — |
| photoPath | string | receipt image reference |
| createdAt | timestamp | — |
users/{uid}/events
| Field | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| name | string | app usage events mirrored to Analytics |
| at | timestamp | — |
Integrations
- On-device OCR (ML Kit) — Extract text from receipt photos without a server round-trip
Explicitly Out of Scope
- Multi-currency conversion
- Receipt email forwarding inbox
- Team/finance-team sharing
- Accounting software sync (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Web or desktop apps
Estimate
Basis: Single main feature with on-device OCR, standard 3-tab shell, photo storage, and history; no third-party accounting integrations.
AI estimate — nonbinding. A human reviews every request before any proposal or contract.