Scan old family photos with the scanner you already have.
Fotologue is a photo scanner app for iPad and iPhone that scans printed photos with the Wi‑Fi scanner you already have, splits a full scanner glass into separate photos, and keeps each photo's year, place, notes and the writing on its back in a catalog you can browse by year and place.
- Best forFamilies digitizing boxes of old prints who own an AirScan (eSCL) Wi‑Fi scanner, such as the Epson ET‑2850, and want archive‑quality scans without a computer.
- PriceFree for the first 10 scans, then a one‑time $19.99 Fotologue Pro unlock ($14.99 during the first month after launch). No subscription.
How to digitize old photos with Fotologue.
Scan a whole glass of prints, scan their backs, and browse the results by year or place. Four steps from a shoebox to a catalog.
Scan multiple photos at once.
Lay as many prints on your Wi‑Fi scanner as fit and tap Scan. Fotologue finds up to 16 photos, crops each one and squares it up, so one pass becomes a stack of separate photos.
Save the writing on the back of each photo.
Turn the prints over where they lie and tap Scan Backs. Each back is matched to its front, the handwriting is read on the device, and a year is suggested for you to confirm. Turn a photo over any time to see what was written on it.
Find any photo by year, place or what's written on it.
The Library groups your photos by year or by place. Search across years, places, notes and the writing from the backs to find the one you're thinking of.
One family library, on everyone's devices.
Invite family through iCloud. They see every photo, back and note in their own Fotologue, and can add years and notes for everyone. Each person's Photos library stays their own.
Keep the whole archive. Share the best to Photos.
Fotologue keeps the complete catalog. Apple Photos gets only the pictures you pick, so your everyday library stays yours.
The complete record
- Every front and back, with year, place and notes
- Ordinary image files in your own iCloud Drive, under Fotologue in the Files app
- The details are written inside each file, so your Library opens on any computer
Just the ones you choose
- Select a few and tap Share > Add to Photos, or turn on Add New Scans to Photos
- Each photo lands at its year in your Photos timeline, in a Fotologue album
- Or share by AirDrop, Messages, Mail or Save to Files, fronts only or with their backs
Until now, you had to choose.
Camera apps split your prints and keep their stories, but they take a photo of a photo. Scanner apps capture every detail, but they save the whole glass as one document page. We didn't find an App Store app that does both.
A real flatbed scan, not a photo of a photo
True optical resolution at 300, 600 or 1200 dpi, evenly lit, with no glare. A camera can't match that for an archive.
A full glass, split on the device
Splitting a scan of many prints into separate photos used to need desktop software or dedicated hardware. Fotologue does it on your iPad and iPhone.
The back becomes data
Handwriting is read into the photo's own caption and date. “Lake Tahoe, Aug. ’74” shows up in Apple Photos and stays with the file wherever it goes.
Private by design
Apple's on‑device machine learning finds each photo and reads the handwriting. Your photos, notes and places stay on your devices and in your own iCloud.
Any AirScan scanner
Works with the Epson ET‑2850 and most Wi‑Fi scanners, so you're not tied to one brand's app.
| Fotologue | Camera appsPhotomyne, Pic Scanner, Shoebox, Google PhotoScan | Scanner appsEpson Smart Panel, OpenAirScan, Air Multi Scan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| True scanner resolution | Yes | No, uses the camera | Yes |
| Splits prints into separate photos | Yes | Photomyne, Pic Scanner and Shoebox | No |
| Notes and year on each photo | Yes | Photomyne and Pic Scanner | No |
| Text from the back | Saved in the file | Photomyne attaches an image of the back | No |
| Works with any brand of scanner | Yes | No scanner | AirScan apps yes, Epson's app is Epson only |
| Account or subscription | None | Photomyne and Shoebox are subscriptions, PhotoScan needs a Google account | Free |
Based on App Store listings and the makers' websites, checked October 10, 2026.
Try it free. Buy it once.
Fotologue is free for your first 10 scans. Fotologue Pro is a one‑time $19.99 purchase ($14.99 during the first month after launch) for unlimited scanning. There's no subscription, so you can make sure it works with your scanner before you pay anything.
Free
- The full catalog: browse, search, add years, places and notes
- Your first 10 scans. Backs never count.
- Sharing and the family library, always
- A Sample Scanner to try it without one
$19.99 once
- Unlimited scanning
- One purchase covers your household with Family Sharing
- $14.99 during the first month after launch
Your photos stay yours.
- ScanningScans travel from the scanner to your device over your home Wi‑Fi.
- Finding photosApple's Vision framework detects each print's edges on the device itself.
- Reading the backHandwriting is read with Apple's on‑device text recognition.
- SavingYour catalog lives in your own iCloud Drive, and the photos you choose go to your Apple Photos library. There's no account and no server of ours.
- Usage dataFotologue sends anonymous usage counts so we can make it better. Never your photos, notes or places. You can turn this off in Settings.
Read the full Privacy Policy.
Made for archiving, not snapshots.
- You needAn iPad or iPhone with iPadOS 17 or iOS 17 or later, and a Wi‑Fi scanner with AirScan (most made since about 2015) on the same network
- SpeedA flatbed pass takes longer than snapping a photo. You get archive quality in return.
- EditingNone, on purpose. Use any editor you like once your photos are in your library.
Questions about Fotologue.
More help with your scanner and library is on the Support page.
What is Fotologue?
Fotologue is a photo scanner app for iPad and iPhone that scans printed photos with the Wi‑Fi scanner you already have, splits a full scanner glass into separate photos, and keeps each photo's year, place, notes and the writing on its back in a catalog you can browse by year and place. Best for: families digitizing boxes of old prints who own an AirScan (eSCL) Wi‑Fi scanner, such as the Epson ET‑2850, and want archive‑quality scans without a computer.
How do I scan multiple photos at once?
Lay as many prints on the scanner glass as fit, with a small gap between them, and tap Scan. Fotologue finds up to 16 photos in one pass, crops and straightens each one, and saves them as separate photos.
Which scanners work with Fotologue?
Any Wi‑Fi scanner or all‑in‑one printer that supports AirScan (also called eSCL), which includes the Epson ET‑2850 and most Wi‑Fi scanners made since about 2015. The scanner needs to be on the same Wi‑Fi network as your device. No scanner nearby? The Sample Scanner lets you try it first.
Can I scan old photos without a computer?
Yes. Fotologue talks to the scanner directly over your home Wi‑Fi, so your iPad and iPhone is all you need. There's no computer, no driver and no account to set up.
How much does Fotologue cost? Is there a subscription?
Free for the first 10 scans, then a one‑time $19.99 Fotologue Pro unlock ($14.99 during the first month after launch). No subscription. One purchase covers your household with Family Sharing, and backs never count toward the free scans.
What resolution and file formats does it support?
Scan at 300, 600 or 1200 dpi, the scanner's true optical resolution, and save as JPEG, HEIC, PNG or TIFF.
Can it save what's written on the back of my photos?
Yes. Turn the prints over and tap Scan Backs. Each back is matched to its front, the handwriting is read on the device, and a year is suggested for you to confirm. The text is saved inside the photo file as its caption, so it shows up in Apple Photos too.
Where are my scanned photos saved?
In your own iCloud Drive, in the Fotologue folder of the Files app, as ordinary image files with the year, place and notes written inside each file. You can also add the ones you pick to Apple Photos, where they land at the right year in your timeline.
Can my family see and add to the photos?
Yes. Share your library with family through iCloud. They see every photo, back and note in their own Fotologue and can add years and notes for everyone.
Does Fotologue work on iPhone?
Yes. Fotologue runs on iPhone and iPad, and the same library is on both through iCloud.
Does Fotologue edit or restore photos?
No, on purpose. Fotologue scans and catalogs your photos at full quality. Use any photo editor you like once they're in your library.
Is Fotologue on the App Store?
Coming soon. Fotologue will be a free download on the App Store.