App Support

Learn the features of Nabble and find FAQs

Getting Started

Getting started with Nabble takes about a minute. Here’s how to create your first shopping list and get it ready to use.

Creating Your First List

The first time you open Nabble, a setup guide will walk you through adding a store and creating your first list. Follow the on-screen steps — it takes less than a minute and you can always change everything later.

If you skipped the setup guide, no problem. Follow the steps below, or tap Settings → Setup Guide to re-run the wizard at any time.

Creating a list manually

From the main screen, tap the + button in the top right

Enter a name for your list — “Grocery Run,” “Project Shopping List,” “Boss’ Birthday,” or whatever makes sense to you

Optionally, select a Store to link the list to. Linking a store lets Nabble organize items by that store’s aisle layout and enables location notifications when you arrive

Tap Create — your list is ready

Adding items to your list

Once your list is open, tap the + button to add items. You have four options:

Add Item — type the item name manually
Search Products — search by product name, brand, or UPC number
Scan Barcode — use your camera to scan a product barcode
Your History – add items in History you have previously purchased

Sharing your lists with family

💎 Premium Feature

If you want family members to see and contribute to the list, go to Settings → Family Members and send them an invitation. Once they accept, your shared lists will appear on their device automatically.

Private lists — marked with a lock icon — are never visible to family members.

Tips for a good first list

Let the app work for you:

Link your list to a store if you have one — it unlocks aisle-order grouping and location notifications
Add a note to items when you need a specific size, package count, flavor or variety
Scan barcodes for frequently purchased packaged goods to save typing time

Adding Items (Manually, Barcode Scan, Product Search, History)

There are four ways to add items to a list. Tap the + button in the top-right corner of any list to choose your method.

Adding an Item Manually

Tap + → Add Item.

Type the item name in the Name field.

Nabble will suggest a category based on the item name — tap the suggestion chip to accept it, or tap the Category field to choose a different one.

Optionally set a Quantity and Unit (e.g., 2 bags, 1 lb).

For weight-sold items like deli meat or cheese, toggle Sold by weight — this swaps the unit picker for a weight-entry field.

Add a Note for anything specific (e.g., “get the organic one”).

Tap Add to save.

Scanning a Barcode

Tap + → Scan Barcode.

Point your camera at the barcode — Nabble reads it automatically, no button tap needed.

If a product is found, Nabble pre-fills the brand, item name, size, and suggested category (where available). Review the details and tap Add.

If the product isn’t found, you’ll land on the Add Item form with the barcode attached — fill in the name manually and tap Add.

If a barcode isn’t found, see Scanning Barcodes and Searching Products on this page.

Low-light tip: Tap the flashlight icon in the top-left corner of the scanner to toggle the torch on your device. The icon turns yellow when the torch is active. The torch turns off automatically when you leave the scanner.

Scan Multiple mode: Tap Scan Multiple in the scanner to keep the scanner open between scans. Each successful scan adds the item directly to your list so you can move through your pantry quickly. Tap Done when finished.

Searching for a Product

Product search is useful when you want to find a specific brand or size before adding it.

Tap + → Search Products.

Type a product name, brand, or UPC code in the search bar.

Browse the results

Each result shows the product image, brand, size, and a suggested category (where available).

Tap a result to open the Add Item form, pre-filled with the product details.

Adjust quantity or notes as needed, then tap Add.

Add from Your History

Nabble keeps track of items you purchase (when you finish a shopping session. It doesn’t track items you add to your lists, but never purchase. Use Your History to add items from either the current store or any store.

Tap + → Your Histry.

Browse items from your purchase history — each item shows how many times you’ve bought it. Results are filtered to the store linked to your current list by default.

To see items bought at any store, tap All History at the top of the screen.

Tap any item to add it to your list immediately — no confirmation needed.

Search Tips

Use the search bar at the top to filter your history by item name. This is useful when you have a long purchase history and want to find something specific quickly.

If an item still doesn’t appear, try switching to All History — it may have been purchased on a different store’s list. Items you’ve hidden via Settings → Suggestions won’t appear here.

Managing Your Stores

Stores are the backbone of Nabble — they let you organize separate lists for each place you shop, get reminded when you’re nearby, and sort items in the order you actually walk the aisles.

Adding a Store

Add as many stores as you like—both brick and mortar and online stores are supported.

Go to Settings → Stores → tap + in the top-right corner.

Start typing a store name — Nabble suggests common retailers as you type. Tap a suggestion to auto-fill the name and store type, or type a custom name.

Tap Add to save.

Nabble automatically sets up a category order for your store based on its type (grocery, pharmacy, hardware, etc.). So, your items are sorted sensibly from the start.

Store Types

When you add a store, Nabble uses the store type to pre-configure which categories appear and in what order. For example, a grocery store leads with Produce and Dairy; a hardware store leads with Tools and Building Materials.

To change the type for an existing store:

Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store.

Tap the Type field and select the correct type.

Online Stores should have a 🌐 icon. This enables links directly to these retailers while shopping.

Setting a Store Location

💎 Premium Feature

A store location lets Nabble send you a notification when you arrive nearby — a reminder that you have items on your list.

Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store.

Tap Set Location (or Change Location if one is already saved).

Search for the store by name and city or neighborhood/place name.

Tap the results to validate the location on a map. If the location is wrong, adjust the name or tap Search Again at the bottom of the screen. If the location is correct, tap Confirm to save the location.

IMPORTANT: After adding a location, toggle Notify when nearby to turn on location notifications for that store.

Nabble can monitor up to 5 stores at a time for location notifications. If you have more than 5 stores with locations set, enable notifications only for the ones you visit most often.

Location Access: iOS will ask for permission to use your location. Choose While Using the App — Nabble uses iOS’s built-in geofence system, so arrival detection works reliably without needing “Always” access.

Customizing Category Order

Each store has its own category order so your list items sort in the sequence you walk the aisles.

Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store. Scroll to the Category Order section.

Drag categories up or down to match your store’s layout.

Toggle off any categories you never use at that store — they’ll be hidden when adding items to lists linked to that store.

Changes take effect immediately on any list linked to that store.

Editing or Deleting a Store

To rename a store: go to Settings → Stores → tap the store → edit the Name field.
To delete a store: go to Settings → Stores → swipe left on the store → tap Delete.

Deleting a store doesn’t delete any lists linked to it — those lists simply become unlinked from a store.

Shopping with Nabble

Shop Mode is Nabble’s focused shopping view — a distraction-free screen that lets you work through your list, track what’s in your cart, and stay in sync with family members shopping at the same time.

Starting a Trip

From any list, tap the cart icon (or Start Shopping button) to enter Shop Mode. Nabble starts a new shopping session automatically.

If you leave Shop Mode mid-trip by tapping Pause, the session stays open. When you come back, your cart is exactly where you left off.

Checking Off Items

Items are grouped by category, sorted in your store’s aisle order, so you can work through the list from one end of the store to the other.

Tap an item to move it to In Cart — it gets a green checkmark and moves to the In Cart section at the bottom of the list.
Tap an In Cart item to move it back to the To Get list if you changed your mind.
Swipe left on any item (or tap the thumbs-down icon) to mark it Not Available — useful when the store is out of stock.

A green/orange banner briefly slides up at the bottom of the screen to confirm each action.

Progress Bar

At the top of the screen, the Progress Bar tracks your trip at a glance:

Green = items in your cart
Red = items marked not available
Gray = items still to get

Not Available Items

Items marked Not Available are hidden and a red segment is added to the Progress Bar. When you finish the Shop session, all Not Available items are automatically returned to your list so they’re ready for your next shopping list.

There are two ways to mark an item as Not Available:

Swipe left on the item → tap Not Available
Tap the thumbs-down icon on the right side of the item row

An orange banner confirms the action, and the item disappears from the list you are shopping.

To restore an item marked as Not Available:

Scroll to the bottom of Shop Mode and tap Show Unavailable

Tap Restore on any item to move an item back to your list.

Finishing Your Trip

When you’re done shopping, tap Done Shopping → Done Shopping to confirm. Nabble:

Removes all In Cart items from your list and records them in your Shopping History
Restores any Not Available items so your list is ready for next time

If you didn’t add anything to your cart, Nabble discards the session so your History stays clean.

To abandon a trip without finishing, tap Pause — nothing is recorded and all items stay on the list.

Real-Time Family Sync

💎 Premium Feature

If a family member is viewing or shopping the same list, their changes appear in real time. A sync indicator in the top-right corner shows when Nabble is uploading or downloading changes. If sync fails, an orange cloud icon appears — check your internet connection and it will retry automatically.

Using the Apple Watch App

The Nabble Apple Watch companion app lets you shop hands-free — glance at your wrist to see what’s next on your list and check things off without pulling out your phone.

What the Watch App Does

The Watch app is focused on shopping.

You can:

See all your lists and how many items are on each
Check items off as you shop
Mark items as Not Available
Sync changes in real time with family members on iPhone or Watch

Adding and editing items is done on iPhone — the Watch app is your companion at the store.

Choosing a List

When you open Nabble on Apple Watch, you’ll see all your lists sorted by most recently modified. Each row shows the list name, linked store, and item count. A green cart icon indicates a list that’s currently being shopped.

Tap a list to start shopping it.

About First launch: The Watch app syncs your lists from iCloud when it first opens. This can take up to five minutes under ideal network conditions. You’ll see a “Checking iCloud…” indicator while it loads — this is normal and only happens once. Because Apple Watch loads data in small chunks, you may see lists appear individually while sync is still in progress. If you’re not sure if it’s up-to-date, pull down on the list to manually refresh, if needed.

Shopping on Watch

Inside a list, items are grouped by category in your store’s aisle order, just like on iPhone.

Tap an item to move it to In Cart — it gets a green checkmark and a green background, and moves to the In Cart section.
Tap an In Cart item to move it back to your To Get list.
Long-press an item to mark it Not Available — a confirmation prompt appears before it’s removed from your list.

A progress bar at the top of the screen shows how many items are in your cart vs. still to get (e.g., “3 of 8”).

Finishing a Trip on Watch

When you’re done shopping, scroll to the bottom and tap Done → Done Shopping. Nabble removes all In Cart items from your list and records the trip in Shopping History.

Not Available items are automatically restored to active, ready for your next trip.

Sync with iPhone

Changes made on Watch sync to iPhone (and vice versa) through iCloud automatically. If a family member is shopping the same list on their iPhone, you’ll each see the other’s check-offs appear in real time.

A small iCloud icon in the top-right corner of the list view shows when the Watch is uploading or downloading. If sync fails, an orange warning icon appears — it will retry automatically when your connection improves.

Tips

Pull down on the list picker to force a manual sync if your lists seem out of date.
The Watch app works independently — it doesn’t need your iPhone nearby, as long as your Watch has an internet connection (Wi-Fi or cellular).
Private lists are visible on Watch the same as on iPhone.

Shopping History

Every completed shopping trip is saved automatically. The History tab gives you a record of what you bought and when — and lets you bring items back onto your list with a tap.

Viewing Past Trips

Tap the History tab at the bottom of the screen. Sessions are grouped by date— Today, Yesterday, and by month for older trips. Each row shows the store, list name, date, and item count.

Tap any session to open the detail view, which shows every item purchased on that trip, grouped by category, with quantities and notes.

Add Items Back to a List

Inside a session detail, tap Add to List to bring past purchases back onto a current list. This is the fastest way to rebuild a recurring list — no typing needed.

This Store — shows only items bought at the same store as your list
All History — shows items purchased across every store
Items you’ve hidden from suggestions will not appear in the add-back list

Deleting a Session

Swipe left on a session and tap Delete. If the session was from a shared list, Nabble will warn you that it is visible to family members before you confirm.

Quick-add Suggestions on Your List

When your list has purchase history, frequently bought items appear as quick-add suggestion chips near the top of the list. Tap a chip to add it immediately. To hide an item from suggestions permanently, go to Settings → Suggestions and tap Hide next to it.

Online Shopping Mode

Online Shopping Mode lets you work through your list using online retailers — useful when an item isn’t available in-store or when you prefer to order online.

Begin an Online Shopping Session

Open any list and tap the cart icon in the toolbar.

Tap Shop Online to enter Online Shopping Mode.

Find Items Online

Each item on your list shows retailer buttons. Tap a retailer to open its website in Safari with the item already searched. Supported retailers include Amazon and Walmart. If an item has a barcode attached, Nabble uses the UPC code to link directly to the product page where possible.

Tap In Cart next to an item once you’ve added it to your online cart
Tap the thumbs-down icon to mark an item Not Available if you can’t find it

Finish an Online Session

Tap Done Shopping to complete the session. Items marked In Cart are removed from your list and recorded in Shopping History, just like an in-store trip.

Family Sharing

Nabble uses iCloud to share your shopping lists with family. Everyone shops the same lists in real time — no accounts to create, no passwords to share.

Family Sharing Requirements

You must be signed into iCloud on your iPhone (Settings → [your name]).
The family member you’re inviting also needs to be signed into iCloud on their device.
Nabble must be installed on their device before they can accept the invite.

Send an Invitation

Go to Settings → Family Members.

Tap Invite Family Member.

Nabble opens Apple’s sharing sheet — choose how to send the invite.

The family member taps the link on their device to accept.

The invite is tied to their iCloud account. Once they accept, their device syncs your shared lists automatically.

Accepting an Invitation

When a family member receives the invite link:

Tap the link — iOS will prompt them to open it in Nabble.

Follow the on-screen prompt to accept the share.

Their app syncs your lists from iCloud. This may take a minute or two on first setup.

Family Member Roles

Each family member gets a role that controls what they can do:

Role: Owner (You)

The person who set up Nabble and sent the invites is the Owner. There is always exactly one Owner. Only the Owner can:

Invite new family members
Remove existing members
Stop sharing entirely

Role: Co-Owner

A Co-Owner has nearly full access — they can do everything except manage who has access. Use this role for a partner or spouse who manages shopping together with you. A Co-Owner can:

Add, edit, and delete items on any list
Create and delete lists
Start and finish shopping trips
See and check off items in Shop Mode

Role: Shopper

A Shopper can use the app at the store but can’t make changes to the lists themselves. Use this role for a family member who shops from your lists but doesn’t need to manage them. A Shopper can:

Start and finish shopping trips
Check items off in Shop Mode
Mark items as Not Available

Shoppers cannot add/edit/delete items, create/delete lists or invite/remove Family Members.

Role: Viewer

A Viewer can see your lists but cannot interact with them. Use this role if you want someone to be able to see what’s on the list — for example, a teenager who wants to check what’s needed before asking you to pick something up. A Viewer can:

View all shared lists and items

Viewers cannot add/edit/delete items, create/delete lists, start a shopping session, check items off of lists or invite/remove Family Members.

Role	View Lists	Add Items	Check Items Off	Manage Lists & Stores
Co-Owner	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Shopper	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Viewer	Yes	No	No	No

Changing Roles

Go to Settings → Family Members.

Tap the role badge next to their name and select a new role.

View Current Family Members

Settings → Family Members shows everyone who has been invited. Each person shows their name and acceptance status:

Invitation pending — they haven’t tapped the link yet
Accepted — they’re active and syncing

Pull down on the list to refresh if the status seems out of date.

Removing Family Members

Go to Settings → Family Members.

Tap Invite Family Member to open the sharing sheet.

Tap the member’s name → Remove Access.

Their device will lose access to your shared lists the next time it syncs.

Private Lists

Any list marked Private when created is only visible to you — it won’t appear on family members’ devices, even after they accept the invite. Use private lists for personal errands or surprise shopping.

Accepting a Family Invitation

When someone invites you to their Nabble lists, you’ll receive a link — usually via Messages or Mail. Here’s how to accept it and get set up.

Before You Start

Make sure Nabble is installed on your device before tapping the link.
Make sure you’re signed into iCloud on your device (Settings → [your name]).

Accepting the Invite

Tap the invitation link in Messages, Mail, or wherever it was shared.

iOS will ask if you want to open the link in Nabble — tap Open.

A prompt appears asking you to accept the share — tap Accept.

Nabble opens and begins syncing the shared lists from iCloud.

Your lists will appear within a minute or two. On Apple Watch, the first sync can take a few minutes — see Using the Apple Watch App if you’re waiting for lists to appear there.

If the Link Doesn’t Open Nabble

Make sure Nabble is installed. The link won’t route correctly without the app present.
If the link opens a webpage instead of the app, try long-pressing it and selecting Open in Nabble, or copy the link and open it from inside Safari.
Ask the person who invited you to resend a fresh link from Settings → Family Members → Invite Family Member.

After Accepting

Once accepted, you’ll see the shared lists in Nabble alongside any private lists of your own. Your role (Co-Owner, Shopper, or Viewer) determines what you can do — see Understanding Roles for details.

The person who invited you can see your acceptance status in Settings → Family Members — it will change from “Invitation pending” to “Accepted” once you’ve joined.

Leaving a Family Group

If you want to stop sharing lists with your Family Group:

Go to Settings → Family Members on your device.

Tap Invite Family Member to open the sharing sheet.

Tap your own name → Remove Me.

Your device will stop syncing the shared lists. The Owner can also remove you from their end via the same sharing sheet.

If the Link Doesn’t Open Nabble

Make sure Nabble is installed. The link won’t route correctly without the app present.
If the link opens a webpage instead of the app, try long-pressing it and selecting Open in Nabble, or copy the link and open it from inside Safari.
Ask the person who invited you to resend a fresh link from Settings → Family Members → Invite Family Member.

After Accepting

The person who invited you can see your acceptance status in Settings → Family Members — it will change from “Invitation pending” to “Accepted” once you’ve joined.

How Real-Time Sync Works

Nabble uses Apple’s iCloud to keep everyone’s app in sync. There are no Nabble servers involved — all your data travels directly through Apple’s infrastructure and is stored in your personal iCloud account.

What syncs?

Everything in Nabble syncs across all devices signed into your iCloud account, and to family members you’ve invited:

Shopping lists and all their items
Item status (active, in cart, not available, saved for later)
Active shopping sessions — check-offs appear on everyone’s screen in real time
Stores, categories, and settings
Family member roles

How Fast is it?

On a good Wi-Fi or cellular connection, changes typically appear on other devices within a few seconds. Nabble saves every change to iCloud immediately — there’s no manual sync button needed during normal use.

Sync speed depends on your internet connection and Apple’s iCloud servers. Occasional delays of 10–30 seconds are normal, especially on cellular.

Sync Indicator

While a sync is in progress, a small icon appears in the top-right corner of the list view and Shop Mode:

Spinning indicator or download arrow — receiving changes from iCloud
Upload arrow — sending your changes to iCloud
Orange cloud icon — a sync error occurred; Nabble will retry automatically

If the orange icon appears, check that your device has an internet connection. Nabble will pick up where it left off as soon as connectivity returns.

Shopping Together in Real-Time

When multiple people are shopping the same list at the same time, Nabble stays in sync across all their devices. As one person checks off an item, it moves to In Cart on everyone else’s screen within seconds.

This works on iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously — a family member can shop from their Watch while you update the list on your iPhone.

First Launch and New Devices

When you open Nabble for the first time on a new device, it needs to download your data from iCloud before your lists appear. On iPhone this usually takes under a minute. On Apple Watch, the first sync can take several minutes — the app will show a “Checking iCloud…” indicator while it loads.

When You’re Offline

Nabble works offline. Any changes you make while offline are saved locally and uploaded to iCloud automatically when you reconnect. If a family member made changes while you were offline, those will download and appear once your connection is restored.

Pull to Refresh

If your list seems out of date, pull down on any list to trigger a manual sync. This tells Nabble to check iCloud for the latest changes immediately.

Still Not Syncing?

If sync seems stuck, see Changes Aren’t Syncing to Family Members on this page for troubleshooting help.

Notifications

Nabble can send you a notification when family members make changes to shared lists or when you are located near a Store that has Items on a List

Collaborative Notifications

Nabble can send you a notification when family members make changes to shared lists — so you always know when someone starts a trip, adds something, or finishes shopping.

Available notifications

List updated while you’re shopping — on by default; alerts you when the list changes while you have an active trip open
Someone started shopping — a family member began a trip on a shared list
Someone finished shopping — a family member completed a trip
Item added or changed — an item was added to or edited on a shared list
Item removed — an item was deleted from a shared list
New list created — a family member created a new shared list

Managing notification preferences

Go to Settings → Notifications.
Toggle each type on or off.

These notifications only apply to shared lists. Private lists never trigger notifications for other family members. Notifications are delivered through iCloud — no Nabble server is involved.

Location Notifications

Adding a location to a store lets Nabble notify you when you arrive nearby — a reminder that you have items waiting on your list.

Setting a Store Location

Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store.

In the Location Notifications section, tap Set next to the location row.

The location picker opens with the store name already in the search field. Nabble searches for matching locations automatically.

Tap a result from the list — a map appears showing the selected location with a circle indicating the 500-metre notification radius.

If the pin looks right, tap Confirm in the top-right corner. If not, tap Search Again to pick a different result.

The location is saved immediately. A pin icon appears next to the store in your stores list to confirm it’s set.

Enabling Notifications

Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store.
In the Location Notifications section, toggle on Notify when nearby.

Once a location is saved, a Notify when nearby toggle appears in the Location Notifications section. Turn it on to receive a notification when you enter the 500m radius around the store with items on your list.

The first time you enable this, iOS may ask for two permissions:

Location — choose While Using the App. Nabble uses iOS’s built-in location notification system, so arrival detection works reliably without needing “Always” access.
Notifications — allows Nabble to deliver the alert.

If Location Permission Is Denied

If you previously denied location access, Nabble will show an orange warning in the Location Notifications section. To fix it:

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Nabble.
Change the setting to Always.

Changing or Removing a Location

To update the location: tap Change in the Location Notifications section and search for the new address.
To remove the location: tap Remove Location (in red at the bottom of the Location Notifications section). This also disables notifications for that store.

The 5-Store Limit

iOS allows apps to monitor up to 5 locations at a time for arrival notifications. Nabble enforces this limit — if you’ve already enabled notifications for 5 stores, you’ll need to turn off one before you can enable another. The toggle will show an error message if you hit the limit.

Privacy

Nabble uses your location only to detect when you arrive near a store. Your location is never stored on Nabble’s servers or shared with anyone — all geofence monitoring happens on-device through iOS.

Turning It Off

To stop notifications for a store, go to Settings → Stores → tap the store → toggle off Notify when nearby. The store location is preserved — you can re-enable notifications at any time.

Sync Indicator

While a sync is in progress, a small icon appears in the top-right corner of the list view and Shop Mode:

Spinning indicator or download arrow — receiving changes from iCloud
Upload arrow — sending your changes to iCloud
Orange cloud icon — a sync error occurred; Nabble will retry automatically

If the orange icon appears, check that your device has an internet connection. Nabble will pick up where it left off as soon as connectivity returns.

Shopping Together in Real-Time

This works on iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously — a family member can shop from their Watch while you update the list on your iPhone.

First Launch and New Devices

When You’re Offline

Pull to Refresh

If your list seems out of date, pull down on any list to trigger a manual sync. This tells Nabble to check iCloud for the latest changes immediately.

Still Not Syncing?

If sync seems stuck, see Changes Aren’t Syncing to Family Members on this page for troubleshooting help.

I still have questions

We are happy to answer questions or help you with problems. Just use our Support contact form.

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