Why was my barcode not recognized?
Work through framing, lighting, barcode type, and product coverage when a scan does not decode or returns no product.
Short answer
There are two different failures that look similar. Either the camera never decoded the barcode, or it decoded fine but we have no product on file for that code. The viewfinder tells you which: if it never locks on, it is a scanning problem; if it locks on and then reports nothing found, it is a coverage problem.
The camera will not decode the code
Work through these in order:
- Move back slightly. Being too close is more common than being too far, because the camera cannot focus.
- Flatten the barcode. A code wrapped around a bottle or crumpled on a bag will not decode until it is flat and square to the camera.
- Steady the phone. Rest your forearm against the shelf if you need to. Blur is the single biggest cause.
- Improve the light. Move the item out of your own shadow rather than closer to the phone.
- Clean the lens. A smudged rear camera fails at close focus long before you notice it elsewhere.
- Check you are on the right code. Products often carry a QR code, a recycling mark, and a promotional code alongside the product barcode. You want the wide striped one, usually with digits printed beneath it.
- Confirm camera permission is granted. See What permissions does PriceGoose need?
It decoded, but no product came back
The barcode was read correctly and we have nothing matching it. That usually means one of:
- It is not a grocery product. Coverage is grocery items sold by Canadian grocery retailers.
- It is a store-weighted label. Barcodes printed in-store for meat, deli, and bakery items encode a weight or price rather than a product, and are meaningless outside that store.
- It is a very new or very regional product that the retailers near you have not published online yet.
- It is an imported product not carried by Canadian grocery chains.
Coverage is broadest in Ontario and grows as more retailers and products are added. A product that returns nothing today may work later.
What to do next
If particular products you buy regularly never resolve, tell us. Use the feedback option on the Account tab, or email support@pricegoose.ca with the product name and the digits printed under the barcode. That is the most useful thing you can send, and it directly drives what gets added.