You find an unfamiliar album in a record shop and want to hear it before deciding. At home, you face a full shelf and cannot choose what to play. Both moments can start with opening GROVV.
This guide follows a simple path: scan a barcode or recognize a CatNo → check the release → preview in the shop → add it to your collection → rediscover it with Today's Pick.
All images are screenshots captured from GROVV running in an iOS simulator, using the app's sample records. They are not AI-generated interfaces. Screenshots show the English interface of GROVV.
1. Scan a record's barcode
Open GROVV and tap the scanner icon at the top left of the collection home screen. The scanner supports both barcodes and catalogue numbers.
- Point your iPhone camera at the barcode on the sleeve. Keep the complete code visible and avoid reflections from shrink-wrap.
- Once the barcode is recognized, GROVV starts a search, saving you from typing the artist and album title.
- Open a candidate and compare the cover, artist, label, year and release details with the record you are holding.
A barcode is a quick lookup method, not a guarantee of one unique pressing. If nothing appears, try another angle or use a CatNo. Record lookups require a connection; follow the app's prompts to connect Discogs.
2. No barcode? Recognize the CatNo
Older records may have no barcode. Look on the sleeve, spine or centre label for a CatNo: the catalogue number used by the label.
In the same scanner, point the camera at the letters and numbers. When recognized text tags appear, tap the relevant catalogue number to search. You can also choose a clear photo from your library or enter the number manually in search.
The Billy Joel album 52nd Street shown here has the CatNo 25AP 1152. Combining that number with Japan, CBS/Sony and the year helps narrow down the edition.
Check similar-looking characters such as O/0 and I/1. Catalogue numbers can also be shared across editions. For a precise pressing match, compare the physical labels, sleeve and runout markings too.
3. Preview while browsing a record shop
Open the release you are interested in and tap Preview. Hear whether the music appeals to you before deciding to take the record home. The track list also provides individual playback controls.
A useful routine is: scan the sleeve → check the artist and edition → listen through headphones → collect it if you own it, or tap Want if you are keeping it in mind. You can find that tempting album again after leaving the shop.
Playback is supplied by Apple Music. Follow its authorization prompts and ensure you have the required playback access; availability also depends on your region and a matching catalogue entry. You hear the matched digital recording, not a live sample of the physical disc in the shop. It helps you judge the music, while scratches, surface noise and the sound of a particular pressing still require physical inspection or a shop audition.
4. Separate what you own from what you want
After checking the edition, tap Collect for a record you own, or Want for one you want to revisit. Keeping those lists distinct is easier to search later than a camera roll full of covers.
Back in the collection view, browse using the vinyl, digital-album and genre options. A little care when identifying each edition makes future searches and shop visits easier.
The Sample Collection visible in these screenshots is for exploring the app, not your personal holdings. GROVV removes the samples when you add your own albums. Build your collection around the records you actually own.
5. Bring older favourites back with Today's Pick
As a collection grows, it is easy to keep playing the same few records. Today's Pick, on GROVV's home screen, gives you a starting point for exploring your own shelf again.
Look at the featured album when you open the app. Tap Shuffle for another choice, or Play to listen. You can also take the suggestion to your shelf and put the physical record on your turntable.
The current queue groups records by when they were added, then shuffles within those groups, giving earlier additions a chance to return. It can help you rediscover albums you have owned for a long time but seldom play. It is not a ranking calculated from actual listening frequency or time since last play.
Try beginning each day with Today's Pick and giving a familiar-but-forgotten record a full listen.
Remember why you loved it
Use barcodes or CatNo recognition to find and preview records in the shop, organize them at home, and open Today's Pick when you cannot decide what to hear next.
Rediscover your vinyl records with Grovv! Explore GROVV and give your collection another turn.