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
1
From the main screen, tap the + button in the top right
2
Enter a name for your list — “Grocery Run,” “Project Shopping List,” “Boss’ Birthday,” or whatever makes sense to you
3
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
4
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
1
Tap + → Add Item.
2
Type the item name in the Name field.
3
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.
4
Optionally set a Quantity and Unit (e.g., 2 bags, 1 lb).
5
For weight-sold items like deli meat or cheese, toggle Sold by weight — this swaps the unit picker for a weight-entry field.
6
Add a Note for anything specific (e.g., “get the organic one”).
7
Tap Add to save.
Scanning a Barcode
1
Tap + → Scan Barcode.
2
Point your camera at the barcode — Nabble reads it automatically, no button tap needed.
3
If a product is found, Nabble pre-fills the brand, item name, size, and suggested category (where available). Review the details and tap Add.
4
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.
1
Tap + → Search Products.
2
Type a product name, brand, or UPC code in the search bar.
3
Browse the results
Each result shows the product image, brand, size, and a suggested category (where available).
4
Tap a result to open the Add Item form, pre-filled with the product details.
5
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.
1
Tap + → Your Histry.
2
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.
3
To see items bought at any store, tap All History at the top of the screen.
4
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.
1
Go to Settings → Stores → tap + in the top-right corner.
2
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.
3
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:
1
Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store.
2
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.
1
Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store.
2
Tap Set Location (or Change Location if one is already saved).
3
Search for the store by name and city or neighborhood/place name.
4
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.
5
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.
1
Go to Settings → Stores → tap the store. Scroll to the Category Order section.
2
Drag categories up or down to match your store’s layout.
3
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:
1
Scroll to the bottom of Shop Mode and tap Show Unavailable
2
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.
I still have questions
We are happy to answer questions or help you with problems. Just use our Support contact form.