Board scanning
Import a board from a photo or screenshot using TileTactician's server-side Vision scanner, then review uncertain reads before analysis.
How it works
TileTactician can read a Scrabble or Crossplay board from a photo or
screenshot. Tap Scan Board on the home screen, and the app uploads the
image through its authenticated server proxy to Google Cloud Vision's
DOCUMENT_TEXT_DETECTION service. The OCR pipeline uses the Vision result to
identify tiles, premium-square labels, and grid geometry; additional server-
proxied AI verification passes can check ambiguous tiles or rack reads.
This recognition is not on-device. Settings shows Vision AI and enhanced AI as Server-managed, and says board images are processed securely and never stored. Board scanning therefore requires a signed-in account.
Each logical board scan uses one Vision scan credit. Crossplay Pro grants 50 monthly credits; signed-out users cannot scan, and users without a balance can buy packs from Settings. Pack credits do not expire. The balance is checked before scanning and refreshed after the request settles.
Scanning from the app
- Sign in with Apple if the app asks for an account, and confirm that you have a scan credit in Settings.
- On the home screen, tap Scan Board.
- Point your camera at a physical board, or choose a screenshot from your photo library.
- Follow the progress labels as the pipeline finds the board, reads tiles, sharpens crops, fills gaps, and validates the result.
- Review and correct uncertain reads, then confirm the board to load it into the editor.
The client sends a shared scan request ID with the Vision operations in one logical scan, so rescue and verification calls are accounted for together. If a scan is cancelled or fails, the server-side credit flow can settle or refund the request according to its authoritative result.
Scanning from the Share Extension
On iOS, you can share a board screenshot from any app directly to TileTactician. See Share Extension for setup. The same authenticated, credit-gated OCR pipeline handles the shared image.
Accuracy tips
- Flat, well-lit surface — shadows and glare cause misreads.
- Fill the frame — the board should occupy most of the image.
- Straight angle — avoid extreme perspective; the scanner corrects mild skew but not heavy distortion.
- Physical boards — matte tiles scan better than glossy ones.
- Screenshots — crop tightly to the game board when possible, and avoid overlays or keyboards covering cells.
Common misreads
| Misread | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| O ↔ empty | Round tile on a light square | Tap the cell and set the correct letter |
| I ↔ L ↔ 1 | Narrow tiles in some fonts | Tap to correct |
| S ↔ 5 | Low-resolution images | Retake at higher resolution |
| Blank ↔ O | Unmarked blank tile | Toggle the ? blank marker on the cell |
Scan reference overlay
After a scan, the Show Scan control in the editor toolbar overlays the original scan image on top of the board grid, so you can verify recognized tiles against the photo before analyzing. Toggle it off with Hide Scan to see the board cleanly.