Scan addresses with your camera
Mappy's built-in OCR (Optical Character Recognition) lets you point your phone camera at a printed address list and add addresses automatically — no typing required.
Open the camera scanner
In Mappy, tap the camera icon (📷) in the input row below the file upload area. The camera scanner opens as a full-screen overlay. The first time you open it, Mappy asks for camera permission — allow it. The OCR engine loads in the background (this takes a few seconds on the first open).
Point the camera at the address
Hold your phone steady and point the camera at the address you want to scan. The scanner shows a viewfinder crop region — position the address text inside this region. The viewfinder height is adjustable by dragging the resize handle. For best results, centre the address text, keep it horizontal, and make sure the text is in sharp focus before tapping Scan. Good lighting is the single most important factor for accuracy.
Scan and confirm
Tap the Scan button (or wait for auto-scan mode to trigger). When Mappy detects text that looks like an address, the recognized text appears in an editable field below the viewfinder. Review and edit if needed — the OCR engine is accurate but not perfect. Tap Add address to confirm and add it to your list. Mappy starts geocoding immediately.
Repeat for each address
The scanner stays open after adding an address. Point it at the next address and scan again. When finished, tap the X to close the scanner. All scanned addresses are visible in your address list and are being validated in the background.
Good lighting is the most important factor
OCR accuracy drops significantly in low light. Scan in a well-lit room or near a window. Avoid shadows cast by your hand over the document.
Hold the phone steady and parallel to the document
Motion blur and perspective distortion both reduce accuracy. Hold the phone flat above the document, not at an angle. If your hands shake, rest your elbows on a surface.
Use a reasonable font size
OCR works best with fonts larger than approximately 10–12pt. Very small text (like footnotes on a printed form) may not scan reliably. Zoom in on the address text if needed.
Crop to one address at a time
Drag the viewfinder resize handle to frame exactly one address entry. Including adjacent addresses or headers in the scan region confuses the OCR and produces merged or incorrect text.
Handwritten text does not work reliably
Mappy's OCR engine is trained on printed text. Handwritten addresses may be partially recognized but accuracy is low. For handwritten lists, type the addresses manually.
Faded or low-contrast text is unreliable
Photocopied documents with low contrast, thermal paper receipts, or wet/smudged ink often fail OCR. If a scan fails, type the address manually instead.
Does camera scanning work on iPhone?
Yes. The camera scanner uses the browser's native camera API which works in Safari on iOS 14+ and Chrome on iOS. Camera permission must be granted when prompted.
Does the camera scanner work offline?
No. The OCR engine (Tesseract.js) is loaded from the network on first use. Once loaded, it runs entirely in your browser — no address data is sent to any server for OCR processing.
Can I scan multiple addresses at once?
Mappy is designed to scan one address at a time. Scanning a full page with multiple addresses typically produces merged, inaccurate text. Use the file import feature for large lists — it is much faster and handles up to 1,000 addresses in one go.
The scanner opened but the camera is black. Why?
This usually means camera permission was denied. Go to your browser settings, find Mappy (mappy.ba) in the permissions list, and allow camera access. Then close and reopen the scanner.
How accurate is the camera scanner?
Accuracy depends primarily on lighting, print quality, and how steady you hold the phone. Under good conditions with printed text, accuracy is very high. Handwritten text, low-contrast printing, and motion blur significantly reduce accuracy. Always review the recognised text before confirming — the field is editable so you can fix small errors before adding the address.