Frequently asked questions

It's really free, and there's no catch. Collections, binders, decks, scans, price history, stats — everything is accessible without paying a thing. The Crew and Stellar subscriptions still exist as a way to support the project, and they come with several perks in return (see the dedicated question below).

Yes, and thank you for the support: those subscriptions genuinely help fund development and infrastructure. Since the app is free, you're never blocked either way. If you want to stop the charge, you can cancel at any time and keep exactly the same features. The steps are just below.

Several perks that are worth it if you want to support the project:

• Exclusive badges and avatars on your profile to show your support.
• Cosmetic items unlocked at subscription time and kept forever.
• Discounts on the official shop (cardonaut.shop).
• Monthly lottery tickets to win cards or sealed products.
• Access to the dedicated supporter Discord with a direct channel to the team.
• The satisfaction of keeping Cardonaut alive — it runs because of you.

Cardonaut doesn't control subscriptions — everything goes through Apple. Here's how:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone
2. Tap your name at the top (your Apple ID)
3. Go to Subscriptions
4. Select Cardonaut
5. Tap Cancel Subscription

You keep access until the end of the period you already paid for, then renewal stops. No data or features are lost — everything stays accessible for free.

On Google Play, it's just as simple:

1. Open the Google Play Store app
2. Tap your profile picture in the top right
3. Go to Payments & subscriptions then Subscriptions
4. Select Cardonaut
5. Tap Cancel Subscription

If you juggle multiple Google accounts, make sure you're signed in with the one that purchased the subscription.

We completely understand the frustration. Cardonaut doesn't receive your payment directly: it goes through Apple or Google, and they're the only ones who can issue a refund. You need to request it directly from them:

• iOS: go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID, find the Cardonaut purchase and click "Request a Refund"
• Android: open the Play Store → your profile picture → Payments & subscriptions, find the Cardonaut purchase and click "Request a Refund"

In your request, mention that the app became free in April 2026 — it helps support your case.

You have our deepest gratitude — without the early subscribers, the app wouldn't exist. The badges, avatars and cosmetic items you unlocked during your subscription stay in your inventory forever, even after cancellation. As for features, since everything is free today, you lose absolutely nothing. Cancel with peace of mind.

The Cardonaut shop has two sides. Inside the app, you'll find cosmetic items, avatars and lootboxes you can buy with your Stardust, earned for free by playing. Outside the app, we have our official store at cardonaut.shop, which offers our merchandise, accessories and card selections — you order directly and we ship everything to your door.

It's Cardonaut's in-app currency. You earn it for free by:

• completing daily and weekly quests
• scanning your cards regularly
• dissolving an item you no longer want from your inventory (the item is destroyed and you get Stardust back)

It's used to buy cosmetics, avatars or lootboxes in the in-app shop. There's no way to buy it with real money — you earn it all by playing.

Sorry, no. The draw is random and final at the moment of opening — rerolling it would throw off the balance for everyone. The trick: if you don't like the item you received, you can dissolve it from your inventory to get Stardust back and try your luck again another way.

In the vast majority of cases, it's just a sync delay. Close the app completely, relaunch it, then pull down in your inventory to refresh. If the item still doesn't appear, contact us via Profile → Help / Feedback with the date of purchase — we'll find the transaction and sort it out.

Don't panic — nothing is lost. Sign in with the same email as on your old device (you'll receive a code by email). Your entire collection, inventory, badges and history are tied to your account, not your phone — everything reappears as soon as you sign in.

Place your card flat on a table and point your phone at it: the capture happens automatically as soon as it's properly framed and in focus. You'll see a green frame appear around the card when it's been recognised.

Collection mode keeps your scans in a session: you go through cards one after another and add them to your collection afterwards. Discovery mode is more visual and ephemeral — it's designed to explore a card without saving it.

Tap the settings icon in the top right of the scanner screen and choose the game from the list. If you're scanning a lot of cards from the same game in a row, select it: recognition is faster and more accurate.

One Piece, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Riftbound, Flesh & Blood, Aniki, Lorcana and Weiß Schwarz are fully supported. Other TCGs (Digimon, Star Wars Unlimited…) are not yet supported.

A few common reasons: lighting that's too dark or with glare on the card, incomplete framing, or a card in a language we don't cover yet (we handle French, English and Japanese depending on the game). If the card is from a brand new set, it may not be in our database yet. If the issue persists, send us feedback from the app — we'll look into it with you.

When multiple cards look very similar to yours (art variants, different rarities, foil or non-foil), we'd rather let you choose than risk getting it wrong. Just tap the correct version in the list shown.

Scanning puts some strain on the camera and battery, especially during long sessions. On less powerful phones, the app automatically switches to a more efficient mode where you tap the screen to trigger a capture instead of continuous analysis — you don't need to activate anything, it's handled for you. To give your phone a break: take pauses between long sessions and close other apps running in the background.

From the scanner screen, open the history with the button in the top right. You'll find all your scans, from most recent to oldest, with the photo and the result. You can reopen any past scan at any time to confirm a card or add it to your collection.

First, check that you've allowed camera access in your phone's settings (under Cardonaut). Then, fully close the app and relaunch it. If nothing works, send us feedback from the app — we have all the information we need on our end.

For some cards, we haven't yet retrieved the official illustration in French. We display the English image with a small flag to clearly indicate that your card is identified as the French version. The text and price remain those of your version.

Go to the Collect tab at the bottom of the screen. You'll find an overview of your collection: your games, your personal collections and your most recently added cards. Tap a game to browse the cards you own.

You can collect cards from One Piece, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, Riftbound, Flesh & Blood, Aniki, Lorcana and Weiß Schwarz.

If a card released in French doesn't yet have its visual in our database, we display the English visual with a small French flag as a watermark. That's just so you can see your card in the meantime — you do own the FR version, and as soon as we get the right image, the flag disappears on its own.

On any list, you'll find a Filters button at the top. You can filter by rarity, illustrator, character, language, or by cards you own or are missing. For sorting, you can arrange by card number, name, value or date added. Your choices are remembered for next time.

If you often apply the same filters, consider creating a personal collection instead: you get directly to the subset you care about, without having to refilter each time.

On the homepage of the Collect tab, your total value and card count are displayed at the top of the screen. Tap it to see the change over the past few days. The value is updated every night based on the best prices actually available for purchase on reference sites.

Every copy you scan is counted individually. If you scan the same card three times, you have three copies in your collection, each with its own date and condition. On the card's detail page, you can see the number of copies and manage each one separately.

Open a set: you'll see a completion gauge showing the percentage of cards you own. Cards you're missing appear greyed out, ones you own appear in colour. At a glance, you know exactly which cards you need to complete the set.

You can create your own custom collections: "My Luffys", "My Lorcana shiny cards", "My best finds" — whatever you want. You choose criteria (game, set, rarity, character…) and the collection fills itself automatically as you scan. Since April 2026, it's free and unlimited for everyone — you can create as many as you like.

Simple:
- Your Collection is your catalogue: everything you own, regardless of where it is.
- Storage is where you physically place your cards in real life: your binders, your piles, your decks.

A card you scan is immediately in your Collection. Physically placing it in a binder or deck is optional — it's useful if you want to know "which binder is my rare card in", but you're never required to do it.

Pull the list down from the top of the screen (the pull-to-refresh gesture). A small vibration confirms it, and your cards, stats and values update. This works on every list in the app.

It happens: some very recent cards, rare promos or special editions take a little time to make it into our database. Same for games not yet supported — we add them regularly. The best thing is to report it directly from the app using the feedback button — we check every report and add missing cards on an ongoing basis.

Three types, to match how you organise your cards in real life:

• Binder: ordered pockets with a fixed capacity. Ideal for collecting by set or character, with each slot clearly visible.
• Bulk: a large unordered box, perfect for commons and cards you don't sort individually.
• Deck: a list of cards ready to play, between 40 and 100 cards depending on the game.

Your Collection is what you own: your virtual catalogue of cards. Storage is where those cards are physically kept at home. A card can exist in your collection without being stored anywhere — it will appear in your "unstored cards" until you find it a place.

You start creating one from the Collect tab, and the app guides you step by step: you choose the type, the game, what you want to put in it (one or more sets, a character, or a free binder), the language, the sort order, the page format (4, 9 or 12 pockets), the number of pages and finally the name. You only see the relevant steps based on your choices. For a bulk box or a deck, it's shorter.

In a by set binder (or by character, or Pokédex), Cardonaut knows the exact position of each card: when you trigger auto-fill from the binder, all the cards you own slot into the right place automatically. In a free binder, you place cards yourself wherever you want, with no constraints. Useful for a themed binder (top 50, custom deck, signed cards, multi-game mix).

You have several options:

• Auto-fill: in set or character binders, open the binder and tap Auto-fill to place all your owned cards in the right slots in one go. You stay in control — you choose when to trigger it.
• Drag and drop: long-press a card (from your collection, from another storage, or from the Unstored cards page) then drag it to the desired slot. The screen scrolls automatically when you get near the top or bottom.
• From a card's detail page: a Store button suggests compatible storage options.

Yes, and you can even swap two cards: grab a card, drop it onto another slot, and if that slot is already occupied, the two cards exchange positions. This works in free binders and is also how reorganising a binder works.

Because that's physical reality: one copy of a card can only be in one place. If you put a card in a new storage when it was already in another, the app automatically removes it from the old one. That's what allows Cardonaut to always know where each of your cards is — and to avoid double counting. If you have multiple copies of the same card, no problem: you can put one in each storage. The rule applies per copy, not per reference.

As many as you need in practice. There's a very generous technical limit that you should never reach, even as a heavy collector. Since April 2026, the app is free for everyone and there are no more limits tied to a subscription: you can create as many binders, bulk boxes and decks as you need.

No, your cards stay in your collection. They simply go back to unstored cards, ready to be placed elsewhere. Only the container disappears. If Cardonaut had created a linked collection for that storage (for example an "OP08" collection created along with your OP08 binder), it gets cleaned up at the same time — but a collection you created yourself remains intact.

For now a deck is a flat list of 40 to 100 cards with a game and a language. Detailed per-game rules (copy limits, exact size by format, combination validation) are coming in a deck module rework. In the meantime, you can already build and keep your decks, but the app doesn't yet validate competitive rules.

If you run into strange behaviour, a placement that won't go through, or a feature you're missing, send us feedback from the app (Profile → Feedback). That's the first thing we look at when prioritising improvements.

Prices come from Cardmarket (the largest European marketplace) and other specialist sources depending on the game. Our in-house AI cross-references this data to estimate a fair and realistic price, filtering out outlier sellers that would skew the average. Soon, the price will also adjust automatically based on the condition you set for your card.

This system is coming soon. The idea: simplify the many market grades into four easy-to-understand levels:

• Mint: card straight out of a pack, no defects.
• Excellent: a few micro-marks but still very clean.
• Played: clear signs of use (light scratches, slightly worn corners).
• Damaged: creases, stains or visible damage.

Once the option is available, assigning a condition to a card will automatically adjust its price.

It can happen, especially on rare cards with very few offers online, or when the market moves fast after a recent release. If you're sure something's off, send us feedback directly from the card's detail page (or from the relevant scan's page): we'll have all the information we need on our end to investigate.

On a card's detail page, there's a dedicated button to go directly to Cardmarket. It opens the page for the right card, in the right version, and you can buy normally from there. If the button takes you to the wrong card or a page that can't be found, report it from the card's page and we'll fix the link.

Magic cards with a different illustration on each face are fully supported. On the detail page, you can flip the card with a tap to see face B. And when scanning, whichever side you show to the camera, we'll recognise the correct card.

Many cards exist in multiple versions: foil finish, alternative art, higher rarity, and so on. Each one is treated separately in Cardonaut, with its own price, because the value often varies enormously between versions. On the card's page, a section groups all versions of the same card to help you find your way around.

For some cards sold in French, we haven't yet retrieved the official French visual. Rather than showing you nothing, we display the English image with a French flag as a watermark to signal that the card does exist in French. When the official visual arrives on our end, the flag disappears on its own.

Yes, just let us know from the scan's detail page or via the feedback button. We review every report manually and add it to the catalogue. Very recent cards sometimes take a day or two to appear, by the time they've actually been released.

No. On the very first launch, Cardonaut creates an account for you automatically, without asking for anything. You can scan your cards, organise them and explore every feature right away. When you're ready, you can link your email to secure your account.

Go to Settings and tap Sign in (or "Link my email"). Enter your address, we'll send you a one-time code by email, you enter it in the app, and you're done. Your cards and progress are preserved — it's still the same account, just protected by your email.

We chose simplicity: no password to remember, lose or get stolen. When you need to recover your account, we send a 6-digit code to your email, you enter it, and you're back in. The code expires after a few minutes — if you take your time, just request a new one.

Don't panic. In order:

• Check your spam or junk mail folder.
• Make sure you typed your email correctly (one typo and the code goes nowhere).
• Wait a minute: some email providers (iCloud, Yahoo) can delay delivery.
• Request a new code from the entry screen.

If nothing arrives after several attempts, send us feedback from the app or write directly to [email protected] — we'll look into what's happening.

Install Cardonaut on your new phone or tablet, open the sign-in screen, enter the email linked to your account, and validate the code you receive. Your collection, storage, decks and progress reappear immediately. You can use several devices at the same time with the same account without any issues.

If you had linked your email to your account, no: just sign back in with your email, and everything is there. On iPhone, your account can even restore itself after a reinstall without you needing to do anything. On Android, after a full uninstall, you just need to sign back in with your email to recover your collection.

If you had never linked your email before uninstalling, write to us at [email protected]: we look into it case by case, but that's the main reason we recommend linking your email early.

We understand — it's stressful. First thing to try: open the sign-in screen and enter the email you were using. In 99% of cases, your account comes back with all your cards intact.

If that doesn't work, send us feedback from the app or write directly to [email protected] with your email — we'll do everything we can to help you find it.

Go to Profile, tap your username and edit it. The app checks in real time whether it's available (3-character minimum). You can change it as many times as you want, with no cost or waiting period.

This isn't available directly in the app yet. For now, send us feedback from the app (or write to [email protected]) specifying your old and new email — we'll make the change on our end.

From a conversation or a user's profile, tap the menu (•••) then Block. Once blocked, they can no longer send you messages or contact you.

To unblock them, open the Messages tab and tap the pencil icon (New message): a View blocked users button appears and lets you manage your list. You can block and unblock as many times as you like.

We keep as little as possible. Cardonaut never sells or shares any information with third parties: your data is used solely to run the app for you (your collection, your storage, your progress). Your email is used only to secure your account and restore it if you change devices — it goes nowhere else. You can request a copy or full deletion of your data at any time via the GDPR section in Settings.

Go to Settings then Delete my account. The app asks you to confirm, and everything is erased: your account, your scanned cards, your storage, your decks and your data.

Please note, deletion is permanent and irreversible. Once confirmed, we cannot restore your account, even through support. If you're unsure, we'd suggest signing out and coming back later.

Quests are small objectives that give you direction while you collect: scan X cards, reach a certain level, create your first collection, link your Discord account… Each completed quest earns you XP, Stardust or items for your avatar. It's free, it's fun, and it gives you one more reason to come back.

On the app's home screen, there's a "Quests" carousel showing the ones you can work on right now. For the full list, tap "See more": you get access to all your progress, with a bar showing where you stand on each objective.

When you meet the conditions for a quest, a glowing button appears on its card. Tap it and you trigger a small celebratory animation: your rewards arrive directly in your account. If the quest is still showing, pull down to refresh and the list will reorganise.

Yes. There are quests tied to your collection (collect X unique cards), scanning quests, level-based quests, account setup quests (link your email, link Discord, create your first personal collection) and a few others. Some only appear once you reach a certain level, so the further you progress, the more new quests unlock.

You earn XP mainly by scanning cards, completing your daily missions and claiming your quest rewards. Your XP gauge is visible around your avatar on the home screen, and you'll find the details on your Profile page. The higher you go, the bigger the step to the next level, but the ranks and rewards follow.

It's the app's virtual currency. You earn it by completing quests or during special events, and you spend it in the in-game shop (the Velaa Counter) on lootboxes, cosmetic items for your avatar and sometimes promo codes. Your balance is shown on the home screen and in your Profile.

Yes, go to Settings → Appearance → Theme. You can choose between the default Cardonaut theme (cosmic purple/blue) and several alternatives. All available themes are free. Some animated premium themes are being prepared and will arrive in the selector soon.

The "News" carousel shows app updates: new versions, new features, community events, new games or sets added. Each news item is translated into French, English and Japanese, so you automatically see the version in your language. Tap a news item to open the details.

It's the "long-form" extension of the news: game guides, meta analysis, deep dives on a set, interviews… Articles are published on blog.cardonaut.com and the latest ones automatically surface in the app. Tap an article to open it in your browser — that's your source to stay up to date on TCGs.

Start by checking the conditions: for "collection" quests, we count unique cards you own (duplicates don't count), and some quests require completing a full flow (for example coming back to the app after linking your Discord). Pull down on the page to refresh — sometimes progress takes a minute to show up. If after that your quest is still stuck and you're sure you've done everything, send us feedback from Settings: we'll look into what's happening, and a constructive report can sometimes help unlock certain progress.

Go to the Messages tab and tap the pencil icon in the top right. Type the person's username, select them from the list, write your message (2,000 characters max) and send. If you've already chatted before, the message is added to your existing conversation.

Open the "New message" screen (pencil icon in your conversation list): you'll find the button to manage your blocked users. You can also block someone directly from their conversation by tapping on their username at the top. Once blocked, they can no longer write to you and you won't receive anything from them.

Still from the "New message" screen (pencil icon), open your blocked users list and tap "Unblock" next to the relevant username. Unblocking is immediate. Blocking and unblocking are managed from the message screen, not from Settings.

When you send feedback (a bug, suggestion or question), our team replies directly in the Messages tab in a conversation marked "Cardonaut Team". You can reply just like in any other conversation. We reply manually, usually within a few days.

First check the permissions in your phone's Settings (not in the app — it's a system setting): on iPhone, Settings → Notifications → Cardonaut; on Android, Settings → Apps → Cardonaut → Notifications. Make sure they're properly allowed and that Do Not Disturb mode isn't active. If the problem persists, write to us via Settings → Send feedback and we'll look into it.

This is done in your phone's Settings, not in the app. On iPhone: Settings → Notifications → Cardonaut → turn off "Allow Notifications". On Android: Settings → Apps → Cardonaut → Notifications → toggle off. You can re-enable them in the same place whenever you like.

In the message list, swipe the conversation to the left (or long-press) then choose "Delete". It disappears from your side. If the person sends you a new message later, the conversation will reappear with the history.

We take this very seriously. Do this in order, without hesitation:

1. Block the person from their conversation or via the "New message" screen (pencil icon). They won't be able to write to you anymore.
2. Write to us directly at [email protected] with the person's username. No need for anything more — we'll handle the rest.

For any illegal content (threats, child sexual abuse material, incitement to hatred), we treat it with absolute priority and cooperate with authorities if necessary.

When someone blocks you, you can no longer send them messages: it's their decision and can't be bypassed, not even by us. This is intentional, to protect people who want some distance. If you think you were blocked as part of harassment directed at you, write to us at [email protected] and we'll look into the situation.

Your conversations are stored on our servers, not on your phone. Sign back in with your usual email and everything reappears. If you sign in with a different email, you start a new empty account — there's no automatic merge between two different accounts.

Go to Settings > Language and choose Français, English or 日本語. The change is immediate, no restart needed. The interface language is independent of the language of the cards you collect: you can perfectly have the app in French and collect only Japanese cards.

Go to Settings > Appearance > Theme. Several themes are available with a visual preview: you choose the vibe you like. The app always keeps an overall dark identity (cosmic background) — themes mainly change the colour accent and gradients. There's no classic light/dark toggle.

Go to Settings > About > Legal notices. You'll find the privacy policy, the terms of service, the disclaimer of non-affiliation with card publishers (Nintendo, Bandai Namco, Wizards of the Coast, Konami, etc.) and the open source licences used by the app. The policy and ToS links open in your browser.

Go to Settings, scroll to the bottom, and tap Delete my account. A dialog asks you to type the word DELETE to confirm. The action is immediate and irreversible: your collection, scans, progress, storages, decks and avatar are permanently erased. The app then creates a new blank account and you start fresh.

If you've lost your phone, uninstalled the app or can no longer sign in, write to [email protected] from the email address linked to your account, mentioning your username. Deletion is handled manually within 30 days, in compliance with GDPR. You can also request a copy of the data we store about you at that same address.

We only store what is necessary for the app to function: your email (if you signed in with one), your username, your avatar, your collection, your scans, your storages, your decks, your progress (XP, Stardust, badges, quests) and some anonymous usage statistics. We don't sell your data and we don't do advertising tracking. Full details are in the privacy policy (Settings > About > Legal notices).

Write to us via Settings > Send feedback — describe what you were doing when the problem occurred and we'll look into it. No need to attach anything or specify your phone model: we already have all the information we need on our end. The more specific you are about what you were doing, the faster we can fix it.

You can send feedback from several places:

• Settings > Send feedback — for any general topic.
• The Report a bug button on a scan's detail page — handy when a scan misidentified your card.
• The Feedback button on a card's detail page — to report a strange price, a translation, an image.

You then choose Suggestion or Bug and describe it in free text. If you start from a card or a scan, the context is attached automatically.

Yes. On more modest devices, the app automatically detects the situation and switches to a lighter mode (especially for the scanner) to stay smooth. It's completely automatic — you don't need to set anything.

This happens when a version that's too old is no longer compatible with our servers (major change, security fix). The screen that appears offers a button that opens directly to Cardonaut's page on the App Store or Play Store. Update, relaunch the app, and you're good to go. If it gets stuck even after updating, fully close the app and relaunch it.

For now, there's no button in Settings to relaunch the tutorials once they've been seen. If you reinstall the app, they'll reappear. We've noted this for a future version — if it matters to you, let us know via feedback.

Not yet. Cardonaut publishes directly to the App Store and the Play Store, without a public beta programme for now. If you want to follow upcoming features, check the news feed on the app's home screen, or join the Cardonaut Discord.