Latest Features and Improvements from Orca Scan

Hey devs! As requested, we’ve added the following to our Barcode Image API:

You can now attach photos and files via the Barcode Scanner API. Learn more →

You can now upload attachments to your sheets, perfect for assets with detailed documentation! We now support .doc, .docx, .csv, .txt, .mp4, .ppt, .pptx, .pdf, .xls, .xlsx Learn more →

We’ve upgraded our REST API, now called the Barcode Scanner API, with many new features that you’ve been asking for; including:

Accessing Orca Scan is now smoother than ever. Our new Google and Apple sign-in options mean logging into your account is faster, so you can dive right into your sheets and start scanning! Connect Google or Apple→

One of our most requested features is finally here; thank you to everyone who voted for this.

There’s now 363,603 of you using the Orca platform 🤯 and many of you have contributed some fantastic ideas. We’ve got so much coming thanks to your feedback, stay tuned for Formulas 👀

Hey 👋

We’ve been working on something HUGE, a simple solution to upgrade retail barcodes before they’re phased out in 2027 👇

It’s the end of the year, but we’re not slowing down. We’ve got new features, solutions and even a couple of bug fixes 👇

You can now vote on feature requests, helping us to prioritise what to work on next. We’re all ears, metaphorically, of course… 👀

🎃 Spooky season is here, and our updates are more delightful than frightful! 👻

We’ve been fixing up some delights based on your feedback over the last week. Here’s what’s simmering in this release 👇

We’re not saying there were bugs in the system, but we will say there are a couple of fixes in this release 👀

Summer is over, the days are getting shorter, but that doesn’t mean we’re slowing down. The Orca team have moved to weekly development sprints so we can get the additions you want even faster ⏩

Stay informed or you’ll miss out on our latest shenanigans! 🙃

Buckle up, we’ve got an exciting update for you…

A smaller release this time, but we’ve squashed some more of those pesky bugs 🐞

A release packed with some fixes, improvements and an extra dose of awesome! 🔧

We’re back, armed with supercharged bug swatters!

As requested, we’ve added features and fixed a few bugs 🤘

We’ve been busy with releases, thanks to your feedback! Here’s what was included in Version 11.11.3 and what you might have missed 👇

The humble barcode turned 50 this week 🎉 But, despite its age, generating barcodes is still painful. To solve that, we’re thrilled to announce our FREE Barcode Image API with a step-by-step of how you can use it to generate barcodes in Google Sheets.

In this release, we’ve launched our REST API. Our most requested feature lets your business applications seamlessly interact with internal & third-party systems. Add barcode tracking, connect scanners & more!

Keep them coming 💪 we’re just non-stop fixing!

Thanks again for all the feedback! We’ve got a few more fixes for you.

We’ve released the update v11.10.0, where multiple bugs have been fixed, including the bug that stopped a true/false data type from being selected, the inability to scroll down when editing a column, the incorrect time format showing on the mobile app, and the bug that prevented saving a default value. We’ve also added the change log to the app and made improvements to our core infrastructure to increase stability.

Orca Variables were designed to make it easier to extract data from barcodes as they are scanned, and move that data into the relevant field.

With Zapier, you can scan barcodes into thousands of apps, to do things like upload products to your Shopify store. Follow our step-by-step guide or book a call and we’ll help you get setup.

Released a mobile app update (v11.9.0); which includes:

This update includes:

Thanks to your feedback, we’ve improved Orca Variables, so it’s even easier to extract barcode data.

Just a few more bug fixes ;-)

This update fixes a stability issue (thanks ChiChi)

Quick fix: we’ve increased the amount of time allowed to pull cloud data to better support slower connections. Let us know what you’d like to see next

This update fixes a bug where triggers do not detect when a photo is added.

A few more tweaks:

This update fixes a bug decoding barcodes that contain $ (thanks Curtis)

To celebrate national barcode day, we’ve introduced a new look… same great product, just a little prettier

This update includes:

We’ve introduced Orca Variables to make it easier to extract data from barcodes, add $GS1:GTIN or $HIBC:PCN as a default value and scan a UDI barcode (more info at Variables)

Conditional if-this-then-that triggers will continue to work when “Add detail after scan” is disabled.

Hello, this update includes:

This update includes:

This update includes:

As requested, this update allows you to increase the size of the scan region.

Our new scanner allows you to scan barcodes much faster than before.

This update resolves a bug when scanning UPC barcodes (thank you Michelle)

You can now add images of your items. Whether you want to show proof of delivery, capture a photo for quality purposes or show product variations, it’s now possible!

Hi there 👋

Improvements include:

Improved ability to scan PDF417 barcodes (thanks Mike)

GPS is now optional, so you can install on devices without GPS

Added support for Datalogic barcode scanners (thanks for the nudge Nathalie)

Hello 👋 as requested you can now append rows to a sheet, without clearing existing rows and history 🚀

Scan any medical device and we’ll automatically extract serial number, lot number and expiry date into the relevant fields. We’ll also warn you when you scan an expired product.

We’ve made it a little easier to print barcodes from the mobile app.

We’ve made it easier to print barcodes (tap print next to barcode field)

A couple of bug fixes:

Fixed a couple of UI issues (thanks, Nick)

Some of you reported difficulty seeing Orca Scan in sunny climates. To remedy this, we added a light theme 😎

A few of you reported difficulty using the Orca Scan mobile app in sunny climates. To remedy this, we’ve added a light theme (to do settings > use light theme):

Introducing… Light theme (settings > use light theme)

We’ve fixed the date/timezone issue. Thank you to Clark and others for raising this. Let us know what you’d like to see next

We added templates to help you track more, faster. A few of our favourites:

A few more tweaks:

Quick update; you can now reorder your sheets by dragging the tabs 🚀

This update includes the following:

This update fixes a bug when using a Unique ID field type as the barcode field

Quick update to resolve a random loading bug when starting the app (sorry about that)

Quick update to fix the print barcode issue (long press an item in the list to print a barcode)

We’re super pleased to introduce templates! Simply create a new sheet, select what you’d like to track (Inventory, Books, Medical Devices etc), and we’ll set up your sheet with all the fields you need to do a great job :)

This update includes:

This update fixes:

Hi there, just a quick update.

Orca Scan now works with the Linea Pro Barcode Sled from Infinite Peripherals. BIG thanks to Israel & Jose for the suggestion.

Hello again! This update adds a few features you requested:

You can now use the value of columns in your triggers 🎉

Triggers are a great way to add custom functionality to your sheet, from showing and hiding fields to breaking apart barcodes and sending notification as data changes.

Hi there, this release fixes the bugs you raised:

We’ve just launched Contactless Forms, a simple app-less alternative to paper forms.

You can now view the location of all your assets and inventory in real-time ✨

Emails notifications are great for things that need attention eventually, but what if something needs attention right-away?

As requested, we’ve added the ability to view the location of your assets. Just click the map button at the bottom of your sheet:

You know all those sheets people keep adding you to? Well, you can now remove yourself.

Hello 👋!

Hey 👋. We’ve added more power to the Live Data URL. You can now:

Resolved a few minor UI bugs

we’re super pleased to launch Triggers - simple if-this-then-that logic to do things like:

As requested, this update improves scanning speed.

This update fixes a few annoying bugs:

You can now break barcodes apart into different fields using regular expressions within triggers. Simple, yet powerful!

You can now use triggers to conditionally alter the mobile interface based on the value of fields. You can do things like:

Quick update:

We’re super excited to introduce triggers! You can now show/hide/set and clear fields based on the value of other fields. We’ve added the ability to set and clear required status using triggers :)

A few tweaks to the recently released bulk update feature. To update a bunch of items at once:

This update includes:

Quick update to fix a UI bug on devices with a notch.

This release includes:

Quick update. We’ve added the number of items within a group to the group headers (thanks for the suggestion Prithvi!). To enable grouping tap the sort icon :)

We’ve upgraded the in-app search, you can now search by one particular field at a time. Tap search to try it.

We’ve added support for external data validation via a Validation URL, this allows your system to inspect data entered by a user before it is saved to your sheet.

Thanks for the suggestions! This release includes:

Just a couple of tweaks this time:

A quick fix to bring back delta values on number fields

Quick fix: long-press to view barcode history was a bit buggy. All sorted now :)

As Abraham Lincoln once said “The best way to predict the future is to create it” - so let us know what you’d like to see next.

Web app updates

This update brings a couple of features:

Increased timeout when loading the sheets menu on a slow connection.

This update contains a few performance tweaks:

Yet another rapid release, this one contains:

Hello everyone, as requested you can now:

A few small improvements:

Many of you asked for more analytics and reporting, so we’re pleased to now announce integrations with both Microsoft Power BI and Google Data Studio.

This update brings back the “Pin Value” value feature to help reduce data entry when batch/location scanning.

Thanks for using Orca Scan! As requested this update contains:

This update fixes an intermittent bug with the grouping and sorting features.

This update includes a few UX tweaks, most notably +/- delta indicator on numeric fields.

Fixed email export subject bug

We’re super pleased to announce the release of Lookup URLs and WebHooks. You can now connect Orca Scan directly to your systems using simple HTTP requests and without complex APIs.

Resolved auto date time bug

We’ve fixed the timezone issue and applied a few visual tweaks. Enjoy!

This update includes:

Hello! A couple of tweaks:

You can now connect multiple sheets with Data Sources making it possible to:

We’ve added the ability to Pin values on fields, so you can enter data once and repeat it for every scan.

Orca Scan now works with hardware scanners such as the Zebra TC51 and Bluetooth scanners such as the Symbol CS4070.

Improved Bluetooth barcode scanner compatibility

Added support for Symbol CS4070 bluetooth barcode scanner

Improvement speed of Bluetooth barcode scanner logic

Let us know what you think hello@orcascan.com

As requested, we’ve added support for Bluetooth barcode scanners. To get started, simply:

Thanks for the feedback, this release includes:

As requested, you can now set a default value for drop-down fields.

As requested, you can now add drop-down lists as a field type.

Dates are now exported as ISO 8601 with timezone information.

Fixed timezone issue with auto date time fields

App:

You can now connect Orca Scan directly to Microsoft Excel 2016, removing the need to manually export/import data.

As requested, you can now automagically send your Orca Scan data to Google Sheets!

Fixed required number fields bug causing them to reject 0 as a value

You can now create barcodes with Orca Scan

Orca Scan Mobile:

Fixed increase quantity bug

A few updates/fixes you requested:

Thanks again for the feedback!

Just a couple more of the changes you requested:

We love getting your suggestion; please keep them coming. As requested, this update includes:

Thanks for your feedback! This update includes:

We’ve resolved a random export as Microsoft Excel bug some of you experienced. Thank you for reporting this.

As requested, you can now add true/false fields to every barcode scan. We’ve also

This update contains a few bug fixes. Thank you for raising them!

We’ve added a “Scan into field” button next to all text fields allowing you to scan additional barcodes after every scan.

As requested, we’ve added the email address you have logged in as to the bottom of the app settings screen.

Thank you for all your feedback! This update includes:

Thank you for your suggestions. This update includes:

Thank you for your feedback! This update includes a few fixes:

Thanks again for your feedback, please keep it coming! This update includes:

Thank you for your feedback! Please keep it coming, it helps drive development.

Fixed intermittent “unable to connect” error after an app update

We fixed an issue with iOS 10 that caused the app to crash after an app update.

A BIG thank you for all your feedback! Please keep it coming as it really does help drive development. This version contains the following changes:

Added, “Add detail after each scan” to allow an optional prompt for quantity/name/notes after every scan.

As requested, we’ve added support for PDF417, Aztec & Code 93 barcodes.

The first version of Orca Scan has been released onto the Apple and iOS App Store. This is a revamped, rebranded version of Barcode Bulk Scanner initially released onto the app stores on 13 August 2016.