Shiftpup guide ·
How to turn a schedule screenshot into calendar events
A screenshot works as well as a photo, as long as it shows the dates, your name and the full times. Take it at full size, then let Shiftpup for iPhone read it on your phone and add the shifts you check, or upload it to the web version for a calendar file. If the scheduling app can sync or export to your calendar, use that instead: it keeps up with changes, and a screenshot can't.
Before you take the screenshot
- Look for a sync first. Many scheduling apps can add shifts to your calendar or export them. If yours can, that's the better route.
- Use the latest version. In a group chat, scroll to the bottom: Tuesday's rota may have been replaced on Thursday.
- Show the dates. Scroll so the week's dates and your name are on screen together. A screenshot of just your row, with no dates, can't be placed in a week.
- Watch for "Today" and "Tomorrow". Some apps label days that way. Read a few days later, "Tomorrow" is easy to misplace. Switch to a week view with real dates if there is one.
- Several screenshots beat one tiny one. A long schedule reads better in two or three screenshots than one zoomed-out one. Safari's Full Page option saves a PDF, not an image, so take ordinary screenshots.
- Get a sharp copy. Pictures forwarded through chats are often compressed. If the text looks soft when you zoom in, ask for the original.
With Shiftpup for iPhone
- Choose the screenshot from your photo library. Pip reads it on your iPhone; nothing is uploaded.
- Who are you? On a team schedule, tap your name or type it.
- Check each shift against the screenshot. Pip asks when a time could be am or pm.
- Add to Calendar. Your shifts go into your default calendar, with no file to import.
The free app reads one screenshot at a time. Shiftpup Pro reads up to 8 at once, which helps when a long schedule is split across several screenshots.
With the web version
The web version takes screenshots too. Upload one, enter your name exactly as it appears, the first day of the week shown and your work time zone, agree to send it for reading, check every shift and download the calendar file. It reads one week at a time. The screenshot goes through our server to OpenAI, so crop out other people's details if you can (privacy details).
With your iPhone's own tools
On iOS 26, a screenshot that contains event details can show an Add to Calendar button. It's made for one event; whether it copes with a week of shifts for a whole team isn't documented. See the built-in options compared.
Things that trip people up
- Cropped edges. If Sunday is cut off, your Sunday shift isn't cancelled; it's just not in the picture. Check that the screenshot covers the whole week before you trust it.
- A notification on top. A banner that arrived as you took the screenshot can cover a row. Retake it.
- Name variations. "Alex R." on one schedule, "Alex Rivera" on another. Type enough of your name to find the right row.
- Times in your phone's time zone. If you're travelling, some scheduling apps show shifts in local time. Check the time zone before adding them.
- A schedule sent as a message. "Alex: Mon 9–5, Wed 12–8" works too, because Pip reads lines of text as well as grids. Check which week it puts them in.
- Changes. A screenshot doesn't update. When a new version arrives, follow the changed-schedule checklist.
Common questions
Is a screenshot better than a photo of a printed schedule?
Usually. It's sharp, straight and evenly lit. A photo of paper works well too, as long as the page is flat.
What does Shiftpup keep from my screenshot?
While you check it, the screenshot and the text read from it stay on your iPhone. The week you add is saved as your own shifts only, without the screenshot or anyone else's shifts. Scanning something new replaces the screenshot, and Start over removes it. See the iPhone privacy details.
Does it matter which scheduling app the screenshot came from?
No. Shiftpup reads what's in the picture, whatever app it came from, as long as the dates, names and times are visible.