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Why are Receipt Snap photos blurry in the QuickBooks Online mobile app, and what can I do about it?

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
March 24, 2021
17 replies
41 views

mobile snap receipts pictures are blurry and can't read them. Why?

QuickBooks Online

Best answer by sofiamdc-2341

If receipt photos are coming out blurry through the QuickBooks Online mobile app even though your phone camera works fine in other apps, the issue is almost always with the app itself rather than your device. Here's how to troubleshoot and keep your receipt workflow moving in the meantime.

Step 1: Try these app troubleshooting steps

Update the app. Make sure your QuickBooks Online mobile app is on the latest version. Outdated app versions can have camera compatibility issues that are fixed in newer releases. Check the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) for any available updates.
Refresh the app data. In the QuickBooks mobile app, tap the Menu icon, then the Gear icon, and choose Refresh data. Tap Yes to confirm. Then try snapping a receipt again.
Reinstall the app. If refreshing the data doesn't help, uninstall the QuickBooks Online app from your phone and reinstall it from the App Store or Google Play. This clears any corrupted data and gives the app a clean start.

If the problem continues after these steps, contact QuickBooks support through the app - go to Help (?) and select Contact Us, or type "talk to a human" in the Assistant. They can investigate whether there's a known issue with your specific device model and app version.

Step 2: Use alternative upload methods while you troubleshoot

You don't have to wait for the snap issue to be resolved to keep your receipts in QuickBooks. There are two reliable alternatives:

Option A: Upload from your computer or Google Drive

Take a photo of the receipt using your phone's native camera app (not the QuickBooks app). The photo will be clear.
Transfer it to your computer or save it to Google Drive.
In QuickBooks Online, go to All apps, select Accounting, then choose Receipts.
Select Upload from computer or Upload from Google Drive and upload your receipt file.

Accepted file formats are PDF, JPEG, JPG, GIF, and PNG. Each file must contain only one receipt.

Option B: Email receipts to QuickBooks

You can also email receipt images directly to QuickBooks - it'll extract the transaction details and create a record for you to review. Set this up by going to Receipts in QuickBooks Online and selecting Forward from email to create your custom email address. See: Email receipts and bills to QuickBooks Online.

After uploading

However you get the receipt into QuickBooks, the next step is the same. Go to the For review tab in Receipts, select the uploaded receipt, and either match it to an existing transaction or fill in the details to create a new one.

For the full upload guide, see: Upload your receipts to QuickBooks Online.

Let us know if you're still seeing blurry results after trying these steps, we're happy to help dig in further.

L

LollyNino_C

QuickBooks Team

Hello there! Welcome to the Community, @rudzap3594.

Let me share some solutions so you can view the transactions in QuickBooks Online.

At times, pictures taken are not of good quality. To get a clear photo, it helps to have the receipt on a flat surface. Try putting it on a fridge with magnets, or laying it on a table with paperweights at the top and bottom of the receipt. Make sure that it is clear before uploading them in QuickBooks.

You can go to the Receipt Capture page to upload receipts in QuickBooks Online (QBO) using a mobile app.

Here's how:

Go to the Home, click the + icon located in the lower part.
Click Receipt capture.
Hit Use this photo.
Select the Upload photo.
When you are ready. Click Done.

Once done, if the Receipt option is not showing on your end, access your QuickBooks through your computer or using the mobile browser. From there, you can follow the steps to manage your receipts in the Receipts tab.

You can email your receipts or bills to QuickBooks. We'll start a transaction for you based on the info in the image. All you have to do is categorize it. Follow these steps to set up the email forwarding feature.

Let me know if there's anything else that I can help with. Have a good one.

P

Plumber11

With my S21 ultra, the receipt looks clear until it takes then it's blurry and unreadable. Husband's S10 works fine. I can do mobile deposits with the bank & pictures are clear so it's not my phone that's the issue. The S21 ultra worked fine snapping receipts until a week or two ago so something definitely changed.

C

Charies_M

Level 9

You came into the right place for support, Plumber11.

Let's perform some troubleshooting since in your case, this has nothing to do with your camera settings. Let's refresh the data stored in the app by following the steps below:

In your QuickBooks Online Mobile App, select the Gear icon.
Choose the Refresh Data menu.
Tap Yes.

To check the result of the troubleshooting, try to snap a receipt and make sure the photo is no longer blurry. If yes, I'd suggest uninstalling the application and reinstall it. This is done to start using the app on a clean slate.

To do that, follow the steps below:

Go to your phone's settings.
Locate the QuickBooks Online app and uninstall it.
Go to the App store if or Play Store to install the app.
Log in to the app and try to use the snap receipt feature again to see if it works well.

To guide you with the complete workflow of managing receipts attachments, visit this article: Capture and categorize expense receipts and bills in QuickBooks Online.

Feel free to visit this article to find answers to your other QBO mobile questions: QuickBooks Online Mobile app FAQ.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions about recording receipts. I'm more than willing to help. Have a great day!

D

Dapurplepeter

My s21 is doing the same thing. I read your article. I went to my quickbooks mobile app. To the settings gear icon. I do not see anything in there to refresh data. Is there another way to go about it? Thanks

M

montessoriworks

S21 ultra user, same issue, no help from the live support.

L

LeizylM

QuickBooks Team

Hi there, montessoriworks.

I can see that there are separate threads that have similar questions about capture receipts in QuickBooks Online.

Let me share this link so you can follow the steps provided in the threads: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/reports-and-accounting/re-it-samsung-galaxy-s21-ultra-refocus-to-blurry-on-capture/01/865617#M122434.

The Community is always here if you need anything else.

M

Mahdavimail

Oneplus Nord N200 5G

same problem. In Canada.

is there any alternative for quickbooks that works better?!

Angelyn_T

Moderator

Hi, @Mahdavimail.

I understand the need to snap and upload clear receipts to QuickBooks. I'm here to help you today.

While capturing receipts, the quality of the images depends on the device's camera. Getting blurry results can be caused by the following:

The long shutter speed of your mobile device can capture a camera shake, which would produce a blurry image.
Your subject may have been slightly moved, causing a motion blur, made worse by a long shutter speed.
The lens is not capable of producing sharp photos.
The ISO setting in your mobile device may have been set to a very high number, resulting in lots of noise and loss of detail.

For now, I'd suggest reviewing the factor that may affect the blurry result so you can fix the issue immediately. On top of that, make sure that your QuickBooks Online mobile app is updated to the latest version to avoid future problems.

You can learn more about uploading receipts from this link: Upload your receipts and bills to QuickBooks Online. Aside from that, you can also email your receipts. The system extracts info from it and creates a transaction for you to review.

In case you need an additional application while uploading your receipts, you can visit our apps store.

Leave a comment below if you have any other questions about receipts. I'm always here to help. Have a good one!

H

Henry44

I am a professional cinematographer in Hollywood. I use Samsung S21 Ultra which has the best camera on any mobile hand device on the market. I still get blurry images. It is definitely NOT a camera nor operator related issue.

sofiamdc-2341

Answer

Community Manager

If receipt photos are coming out blurry through the QuickBooks Online mobile app even though your phone camera works fine in other apps, the issue is almost always with the app itself rather than your device. Here's how to troubleshoot and keep your receipt workflow moving in the meantime.

Step 1: Try these app troubleshooting steps

Update the app. Make sure your QuickBooks Online mobile app is on the latest version. Outdated app versions can have camera compatibility issues that are fixed in newer releases. Check the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) for any available updates.
Refresh the app data. In the QuickBooks mobile app, tap the Menu icon, then the Gear icon, and choose Refresh data. Tap Yes to confirm. Then try snapping a receipt again.
Reinstall the app. If refreshing the data doesn't help, uninstall the QuickBooks Online app from your phone and reinstall it from the App Store or Google Play. This clears any corrupted data and gives the app a clean start.

If the problem continues after these steps, contact QuickBooks support through the app - go to Help (?) and select Contact Us, or type "talk to a human" in the Assistant. They can investigate whether there's a known issue with your specific device model and app version.

Step 2: Use alternative upload methods while you troubleshoot

You don't have to wait for the snap issue to be resolved to keep your receipts in QuickBooks. There are two reliable alternatives:

Option A: Upload from your computer or Google Drive

Take a photo of the receipt using your phone's native camera app (not the QuickBooks app). The photo will be clear.
Transfer it to your computer or save it to Google Drive.
In QuickBooks Online, go to All apps, select Accounting, then choose Receipts.
Select Upload from computer or Upload from Google Drive and upload your receipt file.

Accepted file formats are PDF, JPEG, JPG, GIF, and PNG. Each file must contain only one receipt.

Option B: Email receipts to QuickBooks

You can also email receipt images directly to QuickBooks - it'll extract the transaction details and create a record for you to review. Set this up by going to Receipts in QuickBooks Online and selecting Forward from email to create your custom email address. See: Email receipts and bills to QuickBooks Online.

After uploading

However you get the receipt into QuickBooks, the next step is the same. Go to the For review tab in Receipts, select the uploaded receipt, and either match it to an existing transaction or fill in the details to create a new one.

For the full upload guide, see: Upload your receipts to QuickBooks Online.

Let us know if you're still seeing blurry results after trying these steps, we're happy to help dig in further.

Step 1: Try these app troubleshooting steps

Step 2: Use alternative upload methods while you troubleshoot

After uploading

Step 1: Try these app troubleshooting steps

Step 2: Use alternative upload methods while you troubleshoot

After uploading

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