Lading user guide

The same text is in the app under Settings, then How Lading works. Last updated October 8, 2026.

Lading keeps track of every box in a move: photograph it, label it, scan it onto the truck and off again, and see exactly what's missing.

The short version

1. Add your rooms. The welcome screen does this the first time. Each room gets its own color.
2. Add each box. Photograph the open box, pick its room, save. Use Save & Add Another to go fast.
3. Print labels. Two per box, on two sides.
4. Load the truck. Tap Start Loading, then scan each label as the box goes on.
5. Unload. Tap Status, then Truck Arrived, and scan each box off. Anything missing is listed for you.

You need at least one box and one vehicle (a license plate, added under Settings) before you can scan.

Getting started

How does a move work in Lading?

1. Add the rooms you're moving into (the welcome screen does this, or Settings).
2. Photograph each box and pick its room (Inventory, then +).
3. Print the labels (Print tab).
4. Tap Start Loading, then scan each box as it goes onto the truck (Scan tab).
5. At the new home, mark the truck as arrived and scan each box off. Anything that didn't make it is flagged as missing.

What do I need before I can scan?

At least one box and one vehicle. Add the vehicle's license plate under Settings, then Vehicles. The Scan tab stays greyed out until you have a vehicle.

Do I need an account?

No. There's no sign-up, no ads and no tracking. Your boxes live on your phone, and in your own iCloud while sync is on (it is on by default; you can turn it off in Settings).

Adding boxes

What should I photograph?

The open box with the contents showing. You need at least one photo and can add up to five. Good light helps Lading suggest what's inside.

What are the suggestions?

After you add photos, Lading looks at them on your phone and suggests a short description such as Kitchen or Books. Tap Use, tap one of the other options, or type your own. It never changes anything you've typed. Open "How this was decided" to see what it recognized.

How do I add boxes quickly?

Choose Save & Add Another. The form clears but keeps the room, so a run of boxes for one room takes seconds. Box numbers are assigned for you.

What do Priority and Fragile do?

They add a flag or a glass to the label, so movers know to unpack it first or handle it gently.

Can I change a box later?

Yes, until you tap Start Loading. After that, boxes are locked so the numbers on the labels stay right. A box marked missing can still be edited or deleted.

Labels

How do I print labels?

Open Print, pick the boxes (or tap Print all unlabeled), choose your label stock, then tap Print for AirPrint or Share PDF to save or send it. Sticker sheets like Avery 5164 give six labels per sheet with no cutting. Letter gives four per page that you cut apart. The 4×6 size is for thermal printers.

Where do I stick them?

Put two labels on every box, on two adjacent sides, on flat panels and away from tape seams. Cover old shipping labels on reused boxes. Use matte tape over a label, because glossy tape causes glare that stops it scanning. Don't write valuables on a box.

What's the number on the label?

Each box gets a big number such as 7 of 42, plus a short code. If a QR code is smudged or torn, you can type the number on the Scan tab instead.

Is what's inside printed on the label?

Not unless you ask. It's off by default so a box doesn't advertise its contents. Turn it on under Settings, then Labels, or on the Print tab.

I changed a box. Do I need a new label?

If you change its room, Priority or Fragile, Lading marks it as needing a new label and asks before reprinting.

What are door signs?

One big sign per room, in the room's color. Print them from the Print tab and tape them up at the new home before unloading, so movers can see where each box goes.

Loading the truck

How do I load?

Tap Start Loading on Inventory. Then open Scan, choose the vehicle, and hold each label inside the corners. Every scan is saved with the time and the vehicle, and you don't have to tap anything between boxes.

I scanned a box twice.

Lading tells you when it was first loaded and doesn't count it again.

A label isn't in my list.

It's saved under Unknown labels on the Scan tab. Tap Add Box there to create the box with that label, and the scan is recorded for you.

A label won't scan.

Hold the phone 6 to 12 inches away, in good light, with the label flat. Use the flashlight button in dim places, or tap Type number and enter the number printed on the label.

How do I finish loading?

Tap Status, then Ready to Leave. If some boxes weren't scanned, you can go back and keep scanning, or continue and mark them missing.

At the new home

How do I unload?

Tap Status, then Truck Arrived. Scan each box as it comes off the truck. The screen flashes the room's color and name for a second, so whoever is carrying it knows where it goes.

How do I finish?

When everything's off, tap Status, then All Unloaded. Anything that was loaded but never scanned off is listed with the vehicle it was on.

Starting over

How do I start another move?

Settings, then Start a new move. It deletes the boxes, photos and scans and goes back to Packing, with box numbers starting at 1. Your rooms, vehicles and addresses stay. It can't be undone, so share the inventory list from the Print tab first if you want a record. The free box limit starts again too.

If a box is missing

Where do missing boxes show up?

A red "missing" button appears on the Inventory screen. Open it to see them grouped by room.

I found it.

Swipe right on the box and tap Found, or just scan it. Swipe left to delete a box for good.

Free and unlocked

What's free?

Free Lading has every feature, with one room and up to 20 boxes, so you can try the whole loop. One payment unlocks unlimited rooms and boxes. There's no subscription and no time limit.

What happens at the limit?

Adding a 21st box, or a second room, shows the unlock sheet. Nothing you've already added is ever removed or locked. Viewing, editing, printing, scanning and the missing list always work.

How do I unlock?

Tap Unlock on the sheet, or go to Settings, then Unlock. It's a one-time purchase that works with Family Sharing. It belongs to your Apple Account, so on a new phone tap Restore purchase.

Can I try it without using my own boxes?

Yes. Tap Try a sample move on the welcome screen or in Settings. It loads six sample boxes you can print, scan and mark missing. It's deleted when you leave, and your own move isn't touched.

Your data

Where is my data?

On your phone: boxes, photos, rooms and scans. Nothing leaves your phone except to your own private iCloud, and only while iCloud sync is on. It is on by default and you can turn it off in Settings. Your phone's normal backup also includes it.

What does iCloud sync do?

When it's on, your boxes, photos and scans sync across your own devices through your private iCloud, and the photos use your iCloud storage. Turn it off under Settings, then iCloud, and everything stays on this device. After changing it, close and reopen Lading.

Are my photos uploaded for the suggestions?

No. Suggestions are worked out on your phone.

Troubleshooting

The Scan tab is greyed out.

Add a vehicle under Settings, then Vehicles.

The camera is off.

Turn it on in your phone's Settings, under Lading, then Camera. Or tap Type number on the Scan tab and enter box numbers by hand.

I can't edit a box.

Loading has started, which locks boxes so the labels stay right. Boxes marked missing can still be changed.

The suggestion is wrong.

It's only a suggestion. Type your own description, and Lading remembers it for similar boxes. Open "How this was decided" to see why it chose what it did.

Print can't find a printer.

AirPrint needs the phone and printer on the same Wi-Fi. You can also tap Share PDF and print it from another app or a computer.

Quick reference

I want to…	Go to
Add or change rooms	Settings, then your destination address
Add a vehicle	Settings, then Vehicles
Add a box	Inventory, then +
Print labels	Print tab
Print door signs or an inventory list	Print tab, lower down
Start loading	Inventory, then Start Loading
Scan boxes	Scan tab
Change the move status	Scan tab, then Status
See missing boxes	Inventory, the red missing button
Turn iCloud on or off	Settings, then iCloud
See this help in the app	Settings, then How Lading works
See the welcome again	Settings, then Show welcome again