FridgeWise FAQs

FridgeWise is a grocery tracking app that helps you remember what you bought, organize food by storage location, and see which items may need attention soon. The goal is to make it easier to use more of your groceries before they go to waste.

FridgeWise is useful for anyone who loses track of produce, leftovers, or pantry items; accidentally buys duplicates; or wants a clearer view of what is in the kitchen. You can use it for one fridge or organize a larger kitchen with multiple storage locations.

Yes. FridgeWise has a Basic plan that lets you try the core inventory, freshness, and reminder features. Premium adds unlimited item tracking and Smart Imports, plus custom storage locations.

FridgeWise is available for iPhone and Android. Use the download page and we will direct you to the appropriate app store for your device.

FridgeWise is focused on grocery inventory and freshness tracking rather than full recipe generation. It helps you identify the foods to use first so you can decide what to make with them.

Tap Add items in the app. You can use Smart Import for a receipt, shopping list, or photo of groceries; scan the barcode on one packaged item; or enter an item manually.

Smart Import lets you take a photo or choose an image of a receipt, shopping list, or group of groceries. FridgeWise analyzes the image, identifies likely food items, suggests details such as names and storage locations, and prepares them for your review.

No. FridgeWise shows a review screen before anything is saved. You can select the items you want, deselect items you do not want to track, and tap an item to correct its name, storage, amount, or use-by timing.

Receipts can be abbreviated, photos can be unclear, and shopping lists may not include enough detail to identify every line confidently. FridgeWise leaves likely non-food or low-confidence results out of the addable list and shows skipped results when available. You can correct a detected item during review or add a missing item manually.

Usually not. Most receipts show what you bought, not the date printed on each package. FridgeWise can use the purchase date and food type to create a freshness estimate, but you should enter the printed package date yourself when you have one.

Barcode scanning is designed for adding one packaged item at a time. When product information is available, FridgeWise can prefill details such as the product name, brand, image, and package amount. You can then enter the printed use-by date or ask FridgeWise to estimate freshness.

A product may be missing from the barcode database, or the barcode may be difficult to read. You can still add the item manually and enter the same details yourself.

Yes. Manual entry works for leftovers, produce, homemade food, unpackaged items, and anything else that does not have a useful barcode. Add a clear name, choose where it is stored, and enter a use-by date or ask FridgeWise for an estimate.

FridgeWise uses details such as the type of food, when it was bought, where it is stored, and whether it has been opened. Those details are matched with freshness rules to create an estimated use-by date that you can review and edit.

No. An app-generated date is a freshness estimate, not a guarantee and not a replacement for a date printed by the manufacturer. Storage conditions, product condition, preparation, and handling can all change how long food lasts.

If a package has a relevant printed date, enter that date in FridgeWise. A date you enter takes priority over the app-generated estimate. FridgeWise is most helpful when there is no package date or when you want a reminder tied to the date you already know.

Yes. Tap the item to edit it, then update the Use by field. FridgeWise labels app-generated dates as estimated so you can distinguish them from dates you entered yourself.

These labels help prioritize items based on their current use-by timing. They are prompts to check or use an item soon, not a statement that the food is definitely unsafe or spoiled.

Food often keeps differently in a pantry, refrigerator, and freezer. When you move an item with an estimated date, FridgeWise adjusts the estimate for the new storage conditions while accounting for the freshness time that has already passed. A use-by date you entered yourself is kept unless you edit it.

Opening can significantly change the freshness or storage needs of foods such as sauces, broths, canned foods, cartons, and refrigerated drinks. When it matters for that food, marking it opened and adding the opened date helps FridgeWise update its estimate.

FridgeWise only shows opened-item tracking when opening is likely to affect freshness or safe storage. It stays hidden when opening does not meaningfully change the estimate or when FridgeWise does not have enough information to apply an opened-food rule reliably.

No. FridgeWise provides organization tools and freshness estimates, not medical or food-safety advice. Always check the package instructions, storage history, appearance, smell, and applicable public-health guidance. If you are unsure whether food is safe, use caution and discard it.

Every account starts with Fridge, Freezer, and Pantry. Premium users can add locations such as a second fridge, chest freezer, cabinet, garage freezer, or another storage area that matches their kitchen.

No. The three default locations are built into FridgeWise because freshness rules depend on their storage conditions. Premium users can create and edit additional custom locations.

Open the item and choose a different storage location. FridgeWise may block a location that is not appropriate for that food or show a warning when the move could reduce quality. If the item uses an estimated date, its freshness timing may update after the move.

For an app-estimated date, FridgeWise recalculates the remaining freshness for freezer storage instead of restarting the item as if it were brand new. If you entered the date yourself, FridgeWise keeps it and asks you to review it when appropriate.

Swipe an item and choose Consume, or open the item and use the Consume action. You can consume the whole item or record a partial amount. Long-pressing an item also starts selection mode when you want to consume or delete several items together.

A grouped quantity keeps identical units together as one inventory entry, such as six bell peppers with the same timing. Track separately creates an entry for each unit so each one can have its own use-by date and status. Separately tracked units each count toward the Basic item limit; a grouped entry counts as one item slot.

Use search on the main screen, or filter your inventory by location, category, freshness status, or recently added items. Your main inventory keeps all tracked locations in one place.

FridgeWise does not currently have dedicated household sharing or separate family profiles. A signed-in account can sync its inventory across devices, but collaborative household features are not yet available. You can send us feedback if household sharing is important to you.

You can choose independent reminders for the use-by day, one day before use-by, and three days before use-by. When several items match the same reminder window, FridgeWise may group them into one notification.

Open Settings → Notification settings. You can turn all notifications on or off and choose which of the three reminder times you want to receive.

Check that notifications are enabled both in FridgeWise and in your device settings, and make sure at least one reminder time is selected. An item also needs a user-entered or estimated use-by date before FridgeWise can match it to a reminder window.

No. A reminder follows the date currently saved on the item. If that date is app-generated, the notification is based on a freshness estimate. Treat it as a useful prompt to check the item, not a guarantee about its condition.

Yes. You can continue as a guest to try the app. Creating an account is recommended if you want to protect your inventory and sync it across devices.

No. When you create an account from your guest session, FridgeWise upgrades that session so your existing inventory remains attached to you.

Yes, when you are signed in with the same FridgeWise account. Guest data is not intended for reliable cross-device access, so create an account before changing or replacing devices.

FridgeWise processes the photos, text, and item details you choose to submit to provide Smart Import, product lookup, freshness estimates, and inventory features. Some data is processed by service providers that help operate those features. See the Privacy Policy for the full explanation of collection, processing, sharing, and retention.

For a signed-in account, open Settings, open the account menu, and choose Delete account. This permanently removes your profile, food inventory, storage locations, and associated active account data. If the option is unavailable or you need help, contact support.

No. App Store and Google Play subscriptions are managed separately from your FridgeWise account. Cancel the subscription through the store where you purchased it, even if you also delete your FridgeWise account.

Premium includes unlimited active item tracking, unlimited Smart Imports for normal personal use, and the ability to create custom storage locations. Automated features still have safeguards against unusually high or abusive usage so the service remains reliable.

The Basic plan currently defaults to 20 active item slots and 3 Smart Imports per month, with the current allowance shown in the app because limits may be adjusted. Manual entry and barcode scanning still count toward the active item limit, while the monthly Smart Import allowance applies to receipt, shopping-list, and grocery-photo analysis.

An item you are currently tracking uses an active item slot. A grouped quantity, such as six identical bell peppers kept in one entry, uses one slot. Items you deliberately track separately use one slot each.

Current pricing, billing periods, trial eligibility, and any promotions are shown in the FridgeWise app before you purchase. App Store and Google Play pricing can vary by platform, region, and offer.

Manage or cancel Premium through the Apple App Store or Google Play account used for the purchase. FridgeWise does not directly control your store billing or cancellation settings.

FridgeWise keeps your existing custom storages and the items inside them. You can continue viewing and using those locations, but you will need Premium again to create additional custom storages.

Make sure you are using the same App Store or Google Play account that made the purchase, then use the restore option on the Premium purchase screen. If access still does not appear, contact support and include the platform you purchased on. Do not send full payment-card details.

In the app, open Settings → Support to start an email that includes helpful app and device details. You can also use the website contact form or email support@fridgewiseapp.com.

Open Settings → Send app feedback and describe what happened or what would make FridgeWise more useful. For an item result, details such as the input method and the correction you expected are helpful, but never send sensitive information you do not want included in a support message.

You can read the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on the website or open them from FridgeWise Settings.