New to OBV? Here's how to get the most out of it. Questions? Email us — we're happy to help.

OBV works best when it knows where you are. When you first log in, allow location access so OBV can find stores near you. Your five closest stores plus Amazon Online will appear in the store selector automatically.

Type or speak naturally into the input field at the top of the page. OBV understands typos, nicknames, shorthand, and local lingo. Tap the microphone icon to speak, then just talk — OBV stops listening automatically after a short pause, no need to tap again. On iPhone that's about a second and a half of silence; on other devices it's handled by your browser's own speech engine. Speak in short sentences, one thing at a time — "add salt" — rather than one long phrase with pauses in the middle, since a pause is how OBV knows you're done. The same input field accepts typed text. OBV figures out what you mean and adds it to the right place on your list.

Just say or type what you want removed, the same way you'd add it — "remove milk" or "remove milk from Super Saver." OBV figures out what you mean and takes it off your list.

Yes. For faster, more predictable results — especially with AI off — you can start what you say or type with the word "command" (or "cmd", or a leading "/). This skips OBV's interpretation step entirely and runs the action directly. Some examples: "command add milk", "command remove milk", "command add milk to Super Saver", "command remove milk from Super Saver", "command increase milk by 2", "command decrease milk", "command task pick up dry cleaning" (add), "command remove t2" (remove — check the task's tag, shown on screen), "command ai on" / "command ai off", "command select products". These same actions also work without the word "command" — it's optional, but including it guarantees OBV treats it as a direct action rather than something to interpret.

The chevron (▲/▼) button at the top right shows and hides the input panel. Hide it when you want a cleaner view of your list — especially useful on a phone where screen space is limited.

The robot icon toggles AI on and off. Green means AI is on — OBV understands natural language, finds products in stores, and can generate full lists from a description. Red means AI is off — items go straight to your selected store stop without any processing, which is faster for simple lists. When AI is off and no store is selected, the input field is disabled. Select a store first to enable it.

With AI on, just describe your situation. Say something like "my five year old is having a birthday party, what do I need to buy?" OBV will generate a full list of items and tasks, organized by store, and tell you which nearby stores carry each item. You can add, remove, or adjust anything after.

The store selector shows your five closest stores plus Amazon Online. Tap a store to make it the active stop — items you add will go to that stop. To customize which stores appear, tap the store tool icon to the left of the selector. A checklist of all nearby stores appears — check or uncheck stores to add or remove them from your selector. Only checked stores appear in the dropdown.

When OBV detects you're physically at a store it works with, it tells you so at the top of the page, along with a rank badge showing how well OBV knows that store — a higher rank means better location data, so items you add there are more likely to come with an exact aisle and shelf. That store is also automatically selected for you, so anything you add goes straight to that stop — no need to pick it from the dropdown yourself.

Products is a holding area for items that aren't tied to a specific store yet — anything you add while no store is selected lands here. You can also deliberately move an item you don't want tied to your current store into Products — say "command select products" to switch new items back to Products even while a store is selected.

When you add an item to a mapped store, OBV shows you exactly where to find it — aisle, shelf, and which side. For example: Aisle 3 North — Salt. Not every store is fully mapped yet. The badge next to each store name tells you how complete the data is.

Each family member tracks their own quantity. Dad wants 7 beers, Son wants 2 — the list shows 9. Each person can only adjust their own quantity and cannot reduce the total below what others have requested. If the total quantity wanted drops to zero, the item is removed from the list. When you are at the store, you can also track how many items you have actually picked up and put in the cart — separately from how many were wanted.

Select Amazon Online from the store selector. OBV adds an Amazon stop to your trip. Add items to it the same way you add items to any store — type or speak naturally. When you are ready to shop, tap "Shop on Amazon" to see your items with direct links to Amazon search.

When you tap "Shop on Amazon," OBV opens a summary of your family's Amazon items. Each item links directly to Amazon search so you can find exactly what you need. You complete your purchase on Amazon using your own account and Prime benefits. OBV just did the organizing.

Two ways. First, share directly with other OBV users — choose read only or edit permission so you decide who can just look and who can add items. Second, share via a link — no OBV account required. The recipient opens the link and sees the list. Link shares are always read only. Send the link by text or email straight from OBV.

Yes. Add as many stops as you need — grocery store, hardware store, Amazon, tasks, errands. OBV keeps everything organized in sequence. Each store stop expands into a full product grid. Mix in tasks like "drop kids at school" or "pick up dry cleaning" alongside your store stops. One list, one trip, everything in order.