ReceiptIQ AI on iPhone, iPad and Mac: how they work together

October 12, 2026 · 5 min read · ReceiptIQ AI 2.5.2

I'm Xinzhou Liu, the developer of ReceiptIQ AI. With version 2.5.2, the app that has always lived on the iPhone also runs on iPad and on the Mac. People keep asking me the same practical questions, so here is how the three fit together.

It is one app, and one purchase

There is no separate iPad app and no separate Mac app. It is the same ReceiptIQ AI, and a Premium subscription bought with your Apple ID works on all three, and Family Sharing connects them. On a second device, open Settings and tap Restore Subscription. The free plan lets you try the app before you pay for anything.

It needs iOS or iPadOS 17.6 or later, or macOS 14.6 or later on the Mac.

What each device is good for

• iPhone is the one in your pocket, so it is where receipts get captured: camera scanning, including live capture, plus voice.
• iPad scans receipts with its camera too, and can scan the QR code when it joins a family. Full-width, it uses a sidebar layout like the Mac; in Split View it falls back to the phone layout.
• Mac is for the sitting-down part: looking over the month. It has a big sidebar with Overview, a Receipts table, Insights and more. It has no camera, so you add receipts from Photos, from PDF files (pick one, or drag it onto the window), by voice, or from email receipts, which have their own Inbox page.

My own routine: scan on the iPhone through the week, review and fix categories on the Mac at the end of the month.

Every device joins one family

Whether it is your own iPad or Mac or your partner's iPhone, every device shares receipts the same way: Family Sharing. It needs no server and no account, and one subscription covers up to four devices. The device with the subscription is the owner.

1. On the owner's iPhone, open Settings → Your Data → Family Sharing → Add Device. It shows a QR code.
2. An iPhone or iPad joins from Settings → Your Data → Family Sharing → Join a Family by scanning that QR code.
3. A Mac has no camera, so Join a Family lists the owners nearby. Pick yours, check that both screens show the same 4-digit number, and tap Allow on the owner's device.

When do the devices sync?

When they are near each other with the app open: on the same Wi-Fi, or close enough to connect directly. Receipts, photos and categories go device to device, encrypted, with no cloud copy in between. Open the app on both after a shopping trip and they catch up on their own; Sync Now in Family Sharing starts it by hand.

The owner sets the categories, budgets, month start day, home currency and recurring bills. Every device adds receipts freely and shares the owner's subscription. More on how it works: Family Sync Architecture.

The Apple Watch is not a family device: it simply shows what its paired iPhone has spent this period.

If all your devices use one Apple ID, the app also has an optional iCloud sync (Settings → Your Data → iCloud & Privacy). Family Sharing is the way I recommend.

What syncs, and how clashes are settled

• Receipts merge in both directions. If the same receipt was edited on two devices, the newest edit wins.
• Photos transfer too, so any device can open the original image.
• Deletions carry over. Remove a duplicate on one device and it disappears from all of them.
• Categories and budgets follow the owner, so everyone's charts group spending the same way.

Joining for the first time

Put both devices on the same Wi-Fi before pairing. iOS asks for Local Network permission on both (and camera permission on the one that scans the QR code); allow them, because that is how the devices find each other. Nothing about this goes through the internet. A photo or screenshot of the QR code is useless on its own: joining only works while the owner's device is present and accepting. If two devices cannot find each other, check that Local Network access is allowed for ReceiptIQ AI in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security.

Family Sharing rules, in plain words

• One subscription covers up to 4 devices in total: the owner plus three more. Only the owner's device needs to subscribe, and it is the one that creates the family. On a free plan, Create Family is greyed out.
• Family members pay nothing. Premium comes from the owner's subscription, and members can use the free download.
• If the owner cancels, the family stays paired, but each device returns to the free plan when the paid period runs out. Subscribing again restores everyone on the next sync, with no re-pairing.
• The owner can remove a device or disband the family at any time, and members can leave at any time. Everyone keeps the data already on their own device.

The trade-offs, honestly. Syncing needs the devices to be near each other with the app open, because there is no server to relay changes while one of them is away; in a household that happens daily. And there is no web dashboard of the family's data, by design.

The Apple Watch app

The Watch app is a companion for a quick look at what the paired iPhone has spent this period. It does not enter expenses and does not join a family; capture happens on the iPhone (camera, voice or typing). To install it, make sure ReceiptIQ AI is on your iPhone, open the Watch app on the iPhone, find ReceiptIQ AI in the list and tap Install.

Privacy stays the same

Nothing about this puts your receipts on a ReceiptIQ server. To read a receipt, its photo is sent for reading and not kept; the receipt itself is saved only on your devices. Family Sharing runs directly between your devices. Details are in the privacy policy.

A small change in 2.5.2

An entry you type in yourself never counts toward the free 30 AI scans.

Questions

Do I have to buy ReceiptIQ AI again for iPad or Mac?

No. It is one app with one purchase. A subscription bought with your Apple ID works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. On the other device, open Settings and tap Restore Subscription.

Do my receipts move between my devices on their own?

Yes, once each device has joined Family Sharing: they sync whenever they are near each other with the app open. There is no server and no account in between.

Can my family use it on their own Apple IDs?

Yes, with Family Sharing. The owner's device adds the others: an iPhone or iPad joins by scanning a QR code, and a Mac joins through the nearby list with a 4-digit confirmation. The devices sync when they are near each other with the app open. No account is needed and there is no server.

Can a Mac scan a receipt?

A Mac has no camera, so it adds receipts from Photos, from PDF files, by voice, and from email receipts. Paper receipts are easiest to scan on an iPhone or iPad.

Do entries I type in count toward the free 30 AI scans?

Not any more. Since version 2.5.2, entries you type in yourself no longer count toward the free 30 AI scans.

How many devices can share one subscription?

Up to 4 in total: the owner's device plus three more. They can be iPhones, iPads and Macs, and members do not pay anything.

Does Family Sharing put my family's receipts on a server?

No. Receipts, photos and categories go directly from device to device, encrypted, when the devices are near each other with the app open. There is no account and no server copy. Scanning a receipt is separate: its photo is sent to be read and is not kept.

What happens to the family's devices if the owner cancels?

The family stays paired, but each device returns to the free plan when the paid period runs out. Everyone keeps the data already on their device, and subscribing again restores everyone on the next sync.

What does the Apple Watch app do?

It shows what its paired iPhone has spent this period. It is a companion for a quick look, not a place to enter expenses, and it is not a family device.

For the rest of the app, see the first-week guide and the Features page. This post is also available in 日本語.