One-tap receipt scanning from your iPhone camera roll or Mac Photos, via a free Apple Shortcut. No App Store download required — Shortcuts is built into iOS 14+ and macOS Monterey+.
🚀 Install in under 2 minutes:
- Get your personal upload URL. ExpenseBot → Settings → Integrations → iPhone Shortcut → "Show My Shortcut URL" → Copy.
- Install the Shortcut. Download and open on your iPhone or Mac: Install "Scan Receipts" Shortcut. When Shortcuts prompts for a URL during install, paste the upload URL from Step 1.
- Run it. Select receipt photos in the Photos app → tap Share → tap "Scan Receipts." AI extracts merchant, amount, date, tax, category, and writes rows to your Google Sheet in ~2 minutes.
📱 Q&A — Apple Shortcut Receipt Scanner
Q: How do I scan receipts from my iPhone into ExpenseBot? A: Install the free "Scan Receipts" Apple Shortcut, paste your personal upload URL (from ExpenseBot Settings → Integrations → iPhone Shortcut), then pick photos from your camera roll via the Share Sheet. Results show up in your spreadsheet in ~2 minutes.
Q: Is the ExpenseBot Apple Shortcut free? A: Yes, the Shortcut is free. You need an active ExpenseBot account (60-day free trial or paid) for the photos to be processed.
Q: Does it work on Mac too, or only iPhone? A: Works on both — any device running Shortcuts (iOS 14+, macOS Monterey+, iPadOS 14+). Download and install once, and it syncs across your Apple devices automatically via iCloud.
Q: Where does the Shortcut send my photos? A: Each user has a private upload URL tied only to their ExpenseBot account. The public Shortcut prompts for that URL on install, so photos only reach YOUR spreadsheet. The token in your URL is never shared.
Q: What if I lose or want to rotate my Shortcut URL? A: Go to ExpenseBot → Settings → Integrations → iPhone Shortcut → "Regenerate URL." The old URL stops working immediately. Reinstall the Shortcut (or edit the existing Shortcut's "URL" action) with the new URL.
Q: What file types does the Shortcut accept? A: JPEG, PNG, HEIC, WebP, and PDF — up to 15 MB per file. The controller validates MIME type + magic-byte signature before processing.
Q: Does it replace the Gmail scanner? A: No — it complements it. Gmail scanning catches email receipts automatically (Uber, Amazon, hotels, SaaS, etc.). The Shortcut covers paper receipts you photograph. Use both; the same Google Sheet captures everything with automatic dedup.
💡 Pro tip — Siri integration: After installing, say "Hey Siri, Scan Receipts" and the Shortcut runs from voice. Combined with "Add to Home Screen" and Share Sheet, that's four ways to trigger it.
🔗 Learn more: Apple Shortcuts Receipt Scanner · Shortcuts deep-dive guide · iPhone Receipt Scanner