The iPhone whiteboard app built from scratch for your pocket.
BoardSnap is a native iPhone app built specifically for whiteboard capture and AI summarization. It uses Apple's own VisionKit framework, runs OCR on the iPhone's Neural Engine, and delivers a structured summary and action plan in under ten seconds.
Built for iPhone, not adapted from the web
Most productivity apps are web applications wrapped in a mobile shell. They render in a WebView, load assets from a server, and behave like websites with a home screen icon.
BoardSnap is a native iOS app. The camera interface is native. The VisionKit integration is native. The UI uses SwiftUI components built for iPhone's screen proportions and interaction model. The performance feels different — because it is different.
On-device processing — VisionKit, OCR, perspective correction — runs at hardware speed, not in a JavaScript runtime. The live camera detection overlay responds in real time.
iPhone hardware that makes whiteboard capture work
Modern iPhones have capabilities that make whiteboard capture genuinely good — not because of software tricks, but because of the hardware.
Camera optics: Wide-angle lenses and computational photography produce sharp captures even in difficult lighting conditions — fluorescent office lights, glare on glossy whiteboards, dim conference rooms.
Neural Engine: A dedicated silicon block for machine learning inference. VisionKit uses it for real-time quadrilateral detection and OCR. The result is instant — detection latency is imperceptible.
A-series chips: The processing power to run VisionKit at full resolution in real time while maintaining a smooth camera preview. No frame dropping, no lag.
VisionKit: Apple's built-in whiteboard scanner
Apple ships VisionKit in iOS — a framework for document and surface detection. BoardSnap uses it as the scanning layer.
VisionKit finds rectangular surfaces in the camera view, estimates their corners, and computes the perspective transformation needed to produce a flat, front-on view of the surface. It handles:
- Angled shots (standing to the side of a board)
- Partially obstructed boards (someone in front of one corner)
- Boards with irregular backgrounds (bright windows, dark walls)
- Multiple rectangular surfaces in frame (it picks the most prominent)
VisionKit is mature software maintained by Apple's teams and updated with every iOS release. It gets better with the OS.
The iPhone in your pocket is the best whiteboard camera you own
Most teams that photograph whiteboards use whatever phone someone happens to have out. They email the photo to themselves. Or share it to Slack. Or it sits in their Camera Roll for two weeks.
The iPhone in your pocket is already the highest-resolution camera in the room. BoardSnap turns it from a passive recorder into an active tool. The photo becomes a summary. The summary becomes action items. The action items become work.
Nothing about the workflow requires special equipment. iPhone, BoardSnap, whiteboard. That's the full stack.
iPhone-first doesn't mean iPhone-only forever
BoardSnap ships on iPhone first because that's where whiteboard capture happens — the phone is always in the room. iPad is next on the roadmap, and the iPad version will take advantage of the larger screen for reviewing and editing summaries.
If you use both an iPhone and an iPad, your projects and boards sync across devices via your account. Snap on iPhone, review on iPad when the larger screen is available.
- Native SwiftUI interface — no web views, no wrapper apps
- VisionKit runs on Neural Engine — real-time detection at hardware speed
- iPhone camera hardware makes it the best whiteboard scanner in the room
- Syncs across iPhone and iPad (Pro) once iPad ships
Frequently asked
Which iPhone models does BoardSnap support?
BoardSnap requires iOS 16 or later. That covers iPhone 8 and all newer models. VisionKit performance is best on iPhone XS or later (A12 chip or newer), which have the Neural Engine required for real-time OCR at full resolution.
Does BoardSnap work in landscape mode?
The camera interface supports both portrait and landscape. Landscape is useful for wide whiteboards. The app UI is optimized for portrait, but the scan itself works in either orientation.
Does BoardSnap work on iPhone SE?
Yes. iPhone SE (2nd generation, 2020, A13 chip) and iPhone SE (3rd generation, 2022, A15 chip) both support BoardSnap. VisionKit works on these models. The smaller screen makes the camera view slightly more constrained, but scanning works normally.
Can I use BoardSnap with an iPhone mounted on a tripod?
Yes. For workshop facilitators who want to photograph a series of boards consistently, mounting the iPhone on a tripod is a common setup. VisionKit detects the board from a static position just as well as from hand-held.
Is there an Apple Watch component?
Not currently. Apple Watch as a quick-trigger for snapping is on the feature wishlist. Today, the iPhone is the full capture interface.
The iPhone in your pocket is ready. BoardSnap is the software.
Download BoardSnap free from the App Store. Your first 30 boards and summaries are included.