Support & Guide
Everything MealStash does, and what to do when something does not.
Need a person? Email JfDevIos@gmail.com. Include your iPhone model and iOS version and you will get a faster answer.
Getting recipes in
Scan a handwritten card
Tap + then Scan Recipe Card. Hold the card flat in good light. MealStash reads it on your device — the photo never leaves the phone — and splits it into a title, ingredients and steps for you to correct before saving.
Faint pencil or heavy cursive can confuse any scanner. Scan it anyway, then fix the few lines it got wrong; that is still far quicker than typing the card out.
Import from a website
Copy the link, tap +, then Save from Web URL. MealStash fetches the page and keeps the recipe, leaving the life story and the ads behind.
If a site does not import cleanly, it usually means the page does not publish structured recipe data. Paste the recipe text into the same field instead and MealStash will parse it.
Type it yourself
Tap + then Personal Recipe Creator. Ingredient quantities are understood as you type, which is what lets servings scale later.
Finding things again
With a couple of hundred recipes, scrolling stops working. Three tools replace it:
- Search matches titles, ingredients and tags. Words do not have to be adjacent — "chicken soup" finds "Chicken Noodle Soup" — and accents are optional, so "creme" finds "Crème Brûlée".
- Filters. Your five most-used categories sit above the list. Everything else — every category, then every tag, alphabetically with counts — is behind the More menu. Choosing several narrows the list rather than replacing your last choice.
- Sort and density live under the list icon beside the search field: Newest, Oldest, A–Z or Recently Updated, and a compact list that fits about nine recipes on screen instead of one and a half.
Cooking
Cooking Mode
Open a recipe and tap Start Cooking. Type gets large, the screen stays awake, and only the ingredients for the current step are shown.
Tap the Start … Timer button in a step to start it. Timers keep running on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, so you can put the phone down. Several can run at once.
MealStash will not show you an upgrade prompt while a timer is running. Nothing interrupts you at the stove.
Scaling servings
On a recipe, use Adjust Servings. Quantities recalculate, including fractions, and the scaled amounts are what get added to your grocery list.
Planning and shopping
Weekly meal planner
Planner, in the bottom dock, lays out breakfast, lunch and dinner for the week. Drop recipes into slots, then send the whole week to your grocery list in one tap — duplicate ingredients are combined.
Grocery list
Items group themselves by aisle. Mark pantry staples as already had; they move to In Pantry / Already Have. Sync to Apple Reminders pushes the list to the Reminders app so it is on your watch in the shop.
Family sharing
Starting a Family Circle
Settings → Family Circle & Sharing → Create Family Circle. Only the organizer's device shows the code; the other person types it, scans the QR or taps the link, with both devices open on the same Wi-Fi.
The first time, iOS asks to let MealStash find devices on your local network. That permission is how family sync works without an account or a server, so please allow it. Declining leaves everything else working.
Troubleshooting sync
- Both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network, with the app open on each, the first time they pair.
- If a device shows no shared recipes, close and reopen Family Sharing on both — that forces a fresh announcement.
- Check local network permission in iOS Settings → MealStash → Local Network.
- Removing a member takes effect on the other devices the next time they are on the same network together.
Premium
MealStash is free for up to 10 saved recipes, with scanning, cooking mode and timers included. Pro lifts the caps (10 recipes, 5 meal-plan slots, 15 grocery items) and unlocks Apple Reminders sync, sharing and printing a recipe, Family Cookbook export and the full Kitchen Help library. The planner, the grocery list and Family Circles are free.
| Monthly | $2.99 per month |
|---|---|
| Annual | $19.99 per year, with a 7-day free trial |
| Lifetime | $49.99 once — not a subscription |
All three unlock the same features, and all three are covered by Apple Family Sharing.
Restoring a purchase
New phone, or reinstalled the app? Open Settings (the gear) and tap Restore Purchases, under Membership & Storage. Use the same Apple Account you bought with.
Managing or cancelling a subscription
Subscriptions are managed by Apple, not by us: iOS Settings → your name → Subscriptions. Cancel at least 24 hours before a period ends to avoid the next charge. Recipes you have already saved stay readable and cookable if a subscription lapses.
For refunds, use reportaproblem.apple.com — Apple handles all billing.
Common questions
Do I need an account?
No. There is nothing to sign up for. MealStash has no server and no login.
Will my recipes sync to my iPad?
Yes, if both devices are signed in to the same Apple Account with iCloud on. Sync happens in the background; opening the app on the second device brings it up to date.
Does it work offline?
Completely. The only features that need a connection are importing from a website and purchasing.
How do I get my recipes out?
Any recipe can be shared as formatted text, printed as a 4×6 card, or exported with the rest of your library as a Family Cookbook PDF. Each printed card carries a QR code that imports it straight back into MealStash on another phone.
Still stuck
Email JfDevIos@gmail.com with what you were doing and what happened. Screenshots help.