Recipe FolioRecipe Folio

Setting up the OpenAI fallback

Only needed if your iPhone doesn't support Apple Intelligence.

What gets sent: When using this fallback, the recognized recipe text is sent to OpenAI — not the photo. The request goes directly from your phone to OpenAI using your key. Recipe Folio never sees it.

If your phone has Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or newer), you don't need any of this. The app handles everything on-device automatically. This guide is for older devices that need a fallback.

The steps

  1. Create an OpenAI account

    Head to platform.openai.com/signup. If you already use ChatGPT, same login works.

  2. Add a few dollars in credits

    Go to Billing and add $5 or so. That's enough for roughly 5,000 recipes. You'll be fine for a long time.

  3. Create an API key

    Go to API Keys, click "Create new secret key," name it whatever you want, and copy it. You won't see it again after closing that dialog.

  4. Paste it in Recipe Folio

    Open the app, go to Settings, paste the key. Done. The app uses it automatically when needed.

What it costs

About a tenth of a cent per recipe. $5 covers around 5,000 recipes. OpenAI only charges for what you use — no monthly fee.

If something goes wrong

"Invalid API key"

Make sure you copied the whole thing — it starts with sk-. If you lost it, just generate a new one from the API Keys page.

"Insufficient quota"

Your credits ran out. Add more on your billing page.

Do I even need this?

Check Settings in the app. If it says Apple Intelligence is available, you're all set — no API key needed.