Tutorial — Scan a prescription label

Typing out every detail of a new prescription is a pain. DoseAlert can read a pharmacy label and fill in the form for you.

What you need

• DoseAlert installed with camera permission granted (you'll be prompted the first time).
• A pharmacy bottle or blister pack with a clear printed label.
• Decent lighting — bright but not glaring.

Step 1 — Start a new medication

Tap the + button. The Add medication form opens.

Step 2 — Tap Scan prescription label

At the top of the form, tap Scan prescription label. The camera opens.

Step 3 — Position the label

1. Hold the bottle flat towards the camera (rotate around the bottle if the text is curved).
2. Fill the camera frame with the label, but keep the entire label visible.
3. Wait for the text to come into focus.
4. Tap the shutter button or wait for auto-capture.

If you prefer to pick a photo you already have, tap the photos icon in the corner of the camera view and select it from your library.

Step 4 — Review what was captured

DoseAlert fills in what it could read:

• Medication name
• Dosage (mg, mcg, mL, units)
• Frequency (once daily, twice daily, every N hours, and so on)
• Quantity dispensed (for inventory)

Each field shows a confidence indicator. Anything the scanner wasn't sure about will be blank or flagged.

Step 5 — Correct anything wrong

Step 6 — Finish the schedule

The scanner fills the basic dose info, but you still need to confirm:

• Which times of day you want to take it (the scanner reads "twice daily" but doesn't know that means 8 AM and 8 PM).
• Your reminder levels.
• Priority (Critical for heart or seizure medications).

Step 7 — Save

Tap Save. The medication appears on your Today view.

Privacy

Scanning happens entirely on your device. The photo is deleted right after the text is extracted — DoseAlert doesn't upload it anywhere. See Privacy and data.

Tips

• Curved bottles — angle the bottle so the key fields (medication name, dose, frequency) face the camera flat. DoseAlert can reassemble fragmented words within one photo, but can't combine multiple photos.
• Glare — move the bottle slightly to avoid reflections.
• Small print — move the camera closer; DoseAlert needs the text to be legible.
• Handwriting — the scanner can only read printed text. Ignore any hand-written notes.