Fix Grocery IQ or recommend an alternative?

May 20, 2012 4:48 AM

Help me understand the Grocery IQ app for iOS or recommend an alternative.

Up until now I've been using SimpleNote for my grocery lists. It's missing a few features I'd like in a grocery list manager, such as being able to add items by scanning their barcodes, being able to quickly check off items found (in Simple Note I have to backspace over them), and easy sorting.

So I decided to try Grocery IQ. I don't understand the app though. Firstly I can't seem to sort by aisle. Example: It puts Vanilla Silk Soymilk in the canned goods and soups aisle, but puts Chocolate Silk Soymilk in the Organics section. This isn't a huge deal but I'd like to be able to drag around my items to sort them, since in the store they are actually right next to each other.

My second issue is that when I go into Grocery Store to add an item, it automatically adds it to All List Items. If I delete the item from All List Items, it also deletes it from Grocery Store. So, I can't add an item into the app until I need it on my list? I can't put it there ahead of time just so I can quickly add it later? (I tried making a new blank grocery list, but the only way I can add items to that is from the History list, not the Grocery Store or All Items.) If I am meant to store items in the History Items list, then what is the Grocery Store list even there for?

Finally, I do love SimpleNote's ability to let me enter items via the PC and sync with my phone, but I'm having issues registering with GroceryIQ. I tried resetting my password and it sent me a randomly-generated one, but doesn't seem to want to let me reset it to something that I can remember. So I need sync functionality that actually, you know, works.

Can you help me use Grocery IQ better? Or is there a different app, perhaps not intended solely for groceries, that has the features I want (adding by scanning barcodes, sortable items, checking items off, web sync?)

posted by IndigoRain to computers & internet (9 answers total)

I use and like Grocery IQ (although I used it to replace a paper list, so I don't have anything electronic to compare it to).

You have the ability to edit both the location of items as well as store set-up, but not through dragging. To edit an item, swipe the arrow next to the name. Features you can edit include the store and aisle. (One unfixable feature I don't like is that items are displayed in alpha order in the aisle, rather than "walking order," but I've learned to work around it over time.)

You can also edit your store. Select the Stores icon, then swipe the arrow next to the name and you can change both the order and names of the aisle. You may want to create a custom store (rather than using their default Grocery Store) to create new aisles and custom names, because if you change the name of one of their default aisle names, it does change it across all stores.

For storing items and creating your master list, you want to use the Favorites function, not history.

Hope that helps...
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:33 AM on May 20, 2012

Grocery IQ was a great app until they "updated" it on May 9 and removed all its useful features like aisle sorting, prices and separate favorites list for stores. Check the ratings in iTunes. It went from 4.5 stars to 1.5 stars overnight.

Instead of rolling back to the previous version and then regrouping, they're flailing around trying to do PR and fix their problem piecemeal.

Find another grocery app.
posted by JaneL at 6:09 AM on May 20, 2012

Holy moly, JaneL - had no idea (I don't update very often). Sorry for the outdated advice, IndigoRain.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 6:15 AM on May 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

I use ColorNote, but I have a Droid and don't know if it's also an iOS app. It has 2 modes: text and checklist. The checklist is great because you can drag + drop the order, and touch to check off items. It syncs with Google, so though I haven't edited from my computer (just not a functionality I need), you should be able to. I use the syncing for backup purposes only.
posted by DoubleLune at 7:06 AM on May 20, 2012

Hi, I use Grocery IQ. I too was initially horrified at the recent update, but they fixed a few of the problems already. It takes a little getting used to, but I love it again! So first step is be sure you have the very latest version.

Aisles are called "categories" -- when you're in your List, click the blue arrow (pointing right) to go to the Edit Item screen. There, you'll see a thing for Category. Click that to change it.

The automatic categories are problematic for me too because my grocery store organizes things differently. To get around this, I am a heavy user of the Favorites list. I put everything I buy regularly in my Favorites so they are already sorted by category and when I add them from Favorites, they appear on my List in the right place automatically. I think this might solve your Grocery Store problem too, although I don't really use that section so I'm not sure.

I also don't sync with my computer really -- I just make the list right on my phone -- so I can't help you there either. :( I do synchronize with my husband's phone, too, so we both have the same list.

Finally, just last night I heard about another app called AnyList. I downloaded it but have not even opened it yet, so I have no idea whether it's any good, but my husband read a positive review of it, so we both downloaded it to try it out. Maybe that one is even awesomer than Grocery IQ!!

Feel free to memail me if you have more questions! I'm certainly not an expert but I will try to help you :)
posted by pupstocks at 7:36 AM on May 20, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh! I just remembered something about the store-specific lists. I think if you want to assign an item to a particular store only, there may be a way to set that up. Looking at my app, that seems to have been changed in the recent update... and I can't figure it out. That may be something they will fix soon, though. They got a huge backlash of negative/helpful feedback after the update, according to something I read either on a new update screen or on their site or something... somewhere!
posted by pupstocks at 7:40 AM on May 20, 2012

Well, yeah, all those 1-star ratings on iTunes were probably a good hint to them that they had screwed up! :-)

When I moved from my Palm to an iPhone, I was looking for a HandyShopper replacement, and Grocery IQ worked perfectly for that. If they had apologized and rolled back to the previous version while they worked out the problems, I might be more forgiving, but I had over 2 years invested in building my lists and tweaking it to fit my needs exactly.

I used it for all types of lists from grocery shopping to a packing list for travel to a list for my handyman, so when they dumped everything from Shredded Wheat to my lingerie to paint the doorframe into one gigantic favorites list, it became really tedious to build my weekly grocery list. And who shops following aisles alphabetically? There just didn't seem to be any thought whatsoever to their existing users put into this update.
posted by JaneL at 7:53 AM on May 20, 2012

Well, I'd downloaded the app several weeks ago and never got around to trying it out, so that was probably before all the reviews went down the toilet. Whenever my phone says apps are available for update, I let it update them all, so I'm sure I have the most recent version.

I'm not referring to the Stores tab at the bottom - right now all it gives me is a list of stores near me, and if I tap the arrow, it only gives me a map and their phone number. I'm referring to the list called Grocery Store. I don't know what it's there for.

The other issue I've run into is that I made a separate list called Current List, but anything that I erase from All List Items gets erased from Current List as well! It's very frustrating! I wish that it wouldn't do that!

I'll take a look at these other apps you've mentioned and then decide if I want to tough it out with Grocery IQ, switch apps, or go back to SimpleNote. If you have any more tips or app recommendations, please keep them coming.
posted by IndigoRain at 4:31 PM on May 20, 2012

We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the GiQ 2.6 update. We brought back the Price & History feature in GiQ 2.6.1.

We appreciate all the feedback about Grocery iQ’s latest release where the features you know and love will be back in GiQ 2.6.2 which has been submitted to iTunes and is waiting for their approval!

✓ Create custom aisles for each list. Visit Lists home, tap "edit", then tap into any of your lists to edit aisle settings for that list.

✓ Add items directly to favorites. Add favorite items to a particular list from favorites.

✓ Sort favorite and history items by list.

✓ Add items to a single list, or use list settings to add all items to any list.

✓ Move items between lists in item details.

✓ Fast switch between lists with the list header dropdown.

In addition we are offering our loyal GiQ users a 1 year free subscription to our Savings Club. Email us at [e-mail] to get your promo code. Please do not hesitate to mail us with any questions you may have.

Thanks !
GroceryiQ
posted by groceryiq at 11:37 AM on May 21, 2012