Help & support

• Use bright, even light. Avoid shadows and glare.
• Lay the page flat and keep all four edges in the photo.
• Hold steady and check that small text is sharp.
• Photograph the pages in order, and include every page, especially pages with amounts, dates, or instructions.

Up to 8 pages per letter. The app counts pages as you add them, for example “3 of 8 pages added.” Pages after the eighth aren't read.

If your document is longer than eight pages, or you leave a page out, the result covers only the pages you scanned. It can miss an instruction, amount, or change that appears on another page, and the app may not be able to tell that a page is missing. Keep the full original and don't treat a partial result as an explanation of the whole document.

Some pages were hard to read: for example blurry, too dark, cut off, affected by glare, or with text too small to read. The app shows which page needs a new photo. Retaking a photo is always free.

There are a few different outcomes, and they mean different things:

• Not a document it can help with yet. The document is readable, but it's outside the types of letters the app currently supports. A clearer photo won't change this. You aren't charged.
• Couldn't extract enough. The app couldn't pull enough reliable information from the pages to explain them. A clearer, complete scan may help. You aren't charged.
• Practice copy or blank form. The page appears to be a sample, practice, or training copy, or a form that hasn't been filled in. Scan the letter that was actually sent to you. You aren't charged.

A refusal doesn't mean the document is unimportant. For court papers or anything urgent, contact the office that sent it, a legal aid organization, or a lawyer.

Processing can take a minute or two, and longer for letters with many pages. If the app says it's taking longer than expected, choose Check again. Checking again doesn't start a new scan or use a credit.

Use it to understand the letter, not as the final word. Results are produced automatically and can misread or leave out details. If a letter contains conflicting dates or details, the app points that out instead of choosing one. Check dates, amounts, and instructions against the original, and for legal, tax, immigration, or financial decisions, talk to a qualified professional. The app doesn't verify that a letter or sender is genuine.

• Taking photos, retaking pages, and getting a preview don't use credits. If you haven't signed in, the number of free previews on a device is limited; the app tells you when you reach the limit. Scanning stays free.
• Unlock full decode uses one credit for that letter. You see the full explanation, dates, amounts, and action steps found in the pages you scanned.
• Scans the app can't read or explain never use a credit.
• An unlocked letter stays unlocked. Reopen it from Your letters without using another credit.
• Credits are sold in packs inside the app through Apple. There's no subscription. Prices are shown in the app before you buy.

To buy credits or unlock a result, the app asks you to Sign in with Apple. Your credits and unlocked letters belong to the Letter Decoder account you sign in to.

The Apple ID that pays in the App Store and the Apple ID you use to sign in to Letter Decoder are not necessarily the same. If they differ, or you sign in with a different Apple ID on another device, your credits and letters may not appear where you expect. When you contact support about a purchase, tell us which sign-in you used in the app.

Open Settings (the gear icon on the Home screen) and choose Restore purchases under Purchases. This rechecks your App Store purchases for the account you're signed in to and refreshes your credit balance.

Credits are consumable. Restore purchases can't bring back credits that were already used, and it doesn't move credits between different Letter Decoder accounts. Letters you've already unlocked stay available in Your letters while your account exists.

If the app says it's still confirming a purchase, wait a moment and choose Check again before buying again. If buying stays paused, the app shows a Support reference. Copy the full reference and send it to us with the approximate time of purchase. Please don't buy again while the app says a purchase is being confirmed.

Purchases are made through Apple, and Apple handles refund requests. You can request one at reportaproblem.apple.com. If a refund is granted for credits you already used, your balance can go below zero until you buy more credits.

Use the English / Español switch on the Home screen, or Settings → Language. Each result is written in the language the app was set to when you scanned that letter; changing the language later applies to new scans.

On the Home screen, tap the gear icon to open Settings. Under Account, choose Delete account, type DELETE to confirm, and choose Delete my account. This works whether or not you've signed in.

Deleting your account permanently deletes your letters and any remaining photos from our servers and can't be undone. Unused credits are lost. Some purchase records are kept, as explained in the Privacy Policy. Deleting the app from your phone doesn't delete your account.