Help

Technical Requirements

Sharp Cooking is designed to run on a wide range of devices, from older smartphones to modern tablets and computers. This guide covers what you need to use Sharp Cooking effectively.

The good news: if you’re reading this, your device can probably run Sharp Cooking!

Minimum Requirements {#minimum}

Hardware

Smartphones:

  • Processor: Any modern smartphone processor (2015 or newer)
  • RAM: 2 GB minimum
  • Storage: 100 MB free space for the app + space for your recipe photos
  • Camera: Optional, but required for scanning recipes from photos
  • Microphone: Optional, but required for voice commands in Cooking Mode

Tablets:

  • Processor: Any modern tablet processor (2015 or newer)
  • RAM: 2 GB minimum
  • Storage: 100 MB free space for the app + space for your recipe photos
  • Camera: Optional, but helpful for scanning recipes
  • Microphone: Optional, but helpful for voice commands

Computers:

  • Processor: Any dual-core processor from the last 10 years
  • RAM: 4 GB minimum
  • Storage: 50 MB for web app cache + space for recipe photos
  • Browser: Chrome 90+, Firefox 88+, Safari 14+, or Edge 90+

Operating Systems

Mobile:

  • iOS: iOS 14.0 or later (iPhone 6s and newer)
  • Android: Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later

Desktop/Laptop:

  • Windows: Windows 10 or later
  • macOS: macOS 10.14 (Mojave) or later
  • Linux: Any modern distribution with updated browser
  • ChromeOS: Any Chromebook from 2017 or newer

Internet Connection

Required for:

  • Initial setup and account creation
  • Adding recipes from URLs
  • AI-powered recipe extraction from photos and text
  • Cloud sync across devices
  • Accessing shared recipes and communities
  • App updates

Not required for:

  • Viewing saved recipes (cached offline)
  • Using Cooking Mode with downloaded recipes
  • Searching your local recipe collection
  • Basic app functionality

Recommended speed:

  • Minimum: 3 Mbps download / 1 Mbps upload
  • Recommended: 10 Mbps download / 5 Mbps upload
  • For photo uploads: Faster is better (large images take longer on slow connections)

For the best experience, we recommend:

Mobile Devices

Smartphones:

  • Processor: Snapdragon 600-series or equivalent (2018+)
  • RAM: 4 GB or more
  • Storage: 500 MB free space (allows room for 100-200 recipe photos)
  • Screen size: 5.5” or larger for comfortable reading
  • Camera: 12 MP or better for clearest recipe photo scanning

Tablets:

  • Processor: Mid-range or better (2018+)
  • RAM: 4 GB or more
  • Storage: 1 GB free space
  • Screen size: 9.7” or larger (ideal for Cooking Mode in the kitchen)
  • Camera: 8 MP or better

Desktop/Laptop

  • Processor: Quad-core processor
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: 100 MB + space for photos
  • Display: 1920x1080 or higher resolution
  • Browser: Latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge

Internet Connection

  • Speed: 25 Mbps or faster
  • Type: Wi-Fi or wired (mobile data works, but can use significant data if uploading many photos)
  • Reliability: Stable connection recommended for uninterrupted cloud sync

Storage Requirements {#storage}

How Much Space Do You Need?

Base app:

  • Mobile app: ~50 MB (Android/iOS)
  • Web app: ~5 MB cached in browser

Recipe storage:

  • Text-only recipes: ~5 KB per recipe
  • Recipes with one photo: ~500 KB - 2 MB per recipe (depends on photo quality)
  • Recipes with multiple photos: ~1-5 MB per recipe

Example scenarios:

Light user (50 recipes, mostly text):

  • App: 50 MB
  • Recipes: 10 MB
  • Total: ~60 MB

Average user (200 recipes, one photo each):

  • App: 50 MB
  • Recipes: 200 MB
  • Total: ~250 MB

Power user (1000 recipes, multiple photos):

  • App: 50 MB
  • Recipes: 2 GB
  • Total: ~2 GB

Clearing Space

If you’re running low on storage:

  1. Delete unused apps to free up space
  2. Compress recipe photos: Sharp Cooking automatically compresses photos, but you can manually reduce quality in settings
  3. Remove duplicate recipes
  4. Archive old recipes you rarely use (export them, then delete from app)
  5. Use cloud-only mode: Keep recipes in the cloud and only download what you need (requires internet to view)

Internet Data Usage {#data-usage}

How Much Data Does Sharp Cooking Use?

Typical monthly usage:

Light user:

  • Cloud sync: 5 MB/month
  • Adding 5 recipes from URLs: 2 MB
  • Adding 5 recipes from photos: 10 MB
  • App updates: 10 MB
  • Total: ~25 MB/month

Average user:

  • Cloud sync: 20 MB/month
  • Adding 20 recipes from URLs: 8 MB
  • Adding 20 recipes from photos: 40 MB
  • App updates: 10 MB
  • Total: ~80 MB/month

Power user:

  • Cloud sync: 100 MB/month
  • Adding 100 recipes from URLs: 40 MB
  • Adding 100 recipes from photos: 200 MB
  • App updates: 10 MB
  • Total: ~350 MB/month

Reducing Data Usage

Use Wi-Fi whenever possible:

  • Connect to Wi-Fi before adding recipes from photos (photo uploads are the largest data user)
  • Set app to sync only on Wi-Fi (in Settings → Data Usage)
  • Download recipes on Wi-Fi for offline use

Optimize photo quality:

  • Use “Standard quality” instead of “High quality” for photos
  • Disable automatic photo uploads on cellular data
  • Compress existing photos in settings

Limit background sync:

  • Turn off “Sync in background” if on limited data plan
  • Manually sync when connected to Wi-Fi

Browser Compatibility {#browsers}

Supported Browsers

Sharp Cooking works best in modern browsers. Here’s what we support:

Fully supported:

  • Chrome: Version 90 or later ✅
  • Firefox: Version 88 or later ✅
  • Safari: Version 14 or later ✅
  • Edge: Version 90 or later ✅

Partially supported:

  • Opera: Version 76 or later (most features work)
  • Brave: Version 1.24 or later (most features work)
  • Samsung Internet: Version 14 or later (most features work)

Not supported:

  • Internet Explorer (no version)
  • Browsers older than 2020

Browser Features Required

Your browser must support:

  • JavaScript: Required for all functionality
  • localStorage: Required for offline access
  • IndexedDB: Required for storing recipes locally
  • Service Workers: Required for offline mode
  • WebRTC: Required for camera access (recipe photo scanning)
  • Web Audio API: Required for Cooking Mode timers

All modern browsers support these features by default.

Troubleshooting Browser Issues

If features aren’t working:

  1. Update your browser to the latest version
  2. Enable JavaScript in browser settings
  3. Clear browser cache and reload the page
  4. Check browser extensions - some ad blockers may interfere
  5. Try a different browser to isolate the issue

Accessibility Requirements {#accessibility}

Sharp Cooking is designed to be accessible to all users.

Screen Readers

Supported:

  • iOS: VoiceOver (iOS 14+)
  • Android: TalkBack (Android 8+)
  • Windows: NVDA, JAWS
  • macOS: VoiceOver (macOS 10.14+)

What works:

  • All navigation elements are labeled
  • Recipes are read in logical order
  • Form fields have clear labels
  • Buttons and links are announced properly

Visual Accessibility

Font sizes:

  • Minimum font size: 14px
  • Adjustable text size in settings (up to 200%)
  • Supports system-level text size preferences

Color contrast:

  • All text meets WCAG AA contrast standards
  • High contrast mode available in settings

Screen sizes:

  • Works on screens as small as 320px wide
  • Responsive design adapts to any screen size
  • No horizontal scrolling required

Motor Accessibility

Keyboard navigation:

  • All features accessible via keyboard
  • Logical tab order
  • Skip navigation links
  • Visible focus indicators

Touch targets:

  • All buttons at least 44x44 pixels (iOS recommendation)
  • Adequate spacing between interactive elements
  • No reliance on hover states

Cognitive Accessibility

  • Clear, simple language
  • Consistent navigation
  • Visual hierarchy
  • Error messages explain how to fix issues
  • No time limits on interactions

Performance Expectations {#performance}

Load Times

On recommended hardware with good internet:

  • App launch: 1-2 seconds
  • Recipe load: Instant (if cached), 0.5-1 second (if downloading)
  • Search results: Instant
  • Photo upload: 2-5 seconds per photo
  • Recipe extraction from photo: 5-15 seconds (AI processing)

On minimum hardware with slow internet:

  • App launch: 3-5 seconds
  • Recipe load: 1-3 seconds
  • Search results: 1 second
  • Photo upload: 10-30 seconds per photo
  • Recipe extraction from photo: 15-45 seconds

What Affects Performance?

Slower performance caused by:

  • Older device hardware
  • Many browser tabs open
  • Low available RAM
  • Slow internet connection
  • Large recipe collections (1000+ recipes)
  • Many high-resolution photos

Improving performance:

  • Close other apps/tabs
  • Restart your device
  • Clear app cache
  • Use Wi-Fi instead of cellular
  • Reduce photo quality in settings
  • Archive old recipes

Offline Mode {#offline}

What Works Offline?

Full functionality:

  • View all saved recipes (if previously cached)
  • Use Cooking Mode with downloaded recipes
  • Search your local recipe collection
  • Edit recipes (syncs when back online)
  • Add new recipes manually (syncs when back online)

Limited functionality:

  • Cannot add recipes from URLs (requires internet)
  • Cannot use AI extraction from photos (requires internet)
  • Cannot sync across devices (requires internet)
  • Cannot access communities or shared recipes (requires internet)

How Much Can You Store Offline?

Mobile:

  • Default: 50 most recently viewed recipes
  • Configurable: Up to 500 recipes (in settings)
  • Limited by: Available device storage

Desktop:

  • Default: 100 most recently viewed recipes
  • Configurable: Up to 1000 recipes
  • Limited by: Browser storage limits (~100 MB - 1 GB depending on browser)

Downloading Recipes for Offline Use

Automatic:

  • Recipes you view are automatically cached
  • Most recent recipes stay cached
  • Old recipes are removed when storage is full

Manual:

  • Mark recipes as “Available offline” (star icon)
  • These recipes never get removed from cache
  • Perfect for travel or spotty internet areas

Device-Specific Recommendations {#device-specific}

Best Devices for Different Use Cases

For recipe browsing and organizing:

  • Desktop/laptop: Large screen makes browsing easier
  • Tablet: Good balance of portability and screen size

For cooking in the kitchen:

  • Tablet: 9.7” or larger, propped up on counter
  • Large smartphone: 6” or larger screen
  • Not recommended: Laptop (takes up counter space, keyboard can get messy)

For recipe photo scanning:

  • Smartphone: Most convenient, always with you
  • Tablet: Works, but bulkier for quick snapshots

For meal planning:

  • Desktop/laptop: Drag-and-drop interface works best
  • Tablet: Touch interface is good for planning
  • Smartphone: Works, but smaller screen makes weekly view cramped

For shopping:

  • Smartphone: Easy to carry in the store
  • Print shopping list: No battery concerns, works anywhere

Frequently Asked Questions {#faq}

Does Sharp Cooking work on my iPhone 6? Technically yes (iOS 14 supported), but we recommend iPhone 7 or newer for better performance.

Can I use Sharp Cooking on multiple devices? Yes! With a free account, your recipes sync across all devices automatically.

Do I need a fast internet connection? Not really. Even a 3 Mbps connection works fine. Photo uploads are faster with better internet, but everything else works well on slow connections.

How much storage space do I need? Minimum 100 MB. For typical use (200 recipes with photos), expect about 250 MB.

Will Sharp Cooking drain my phone battery? No. Sharp Cooking is energy-efficient. Cooking Mode with the screen on will use battery, but normal use is minimal.

Can I use Sharp Cooking without an internet connection? Yes, for viewing saved recipes. Adding new recipes or syncing requires internet.

Does Sharp Cooking work on my Chromebook? Yes! Any Chromebook from 2017 or newer works great.

What if my device doesn’t meet the requirements? You can try it anyway - it might still work! The requirements are recommendations, not hard limits.

Does Sharp Cooking use a lot of mobile data? Average user: ~80 MB/month. Set it to sync only on Wi-Fi to minimize data usage.

Can I use Sharp Cooking on Windows 7? Not recommended. Windows 7 is no longer supported by Microsoft. Upgrade to Windows 10+ for security and compatibility.

Does it work on Linux? Yes! Use a modern browser (Chrome, Firefox) and it works perfectly.

What’s the maximum number of recipes I can save? Unlimited. Storage is your only limit.

Do I need a camera to use Sharp Cooking? No. You can add recipes manually, from URLs, or from text. Camera is only needed for scanning recipe photos.

Can I use Sharp Cooking on an iPad? Yes! iPads work great, especially for Cooking Mode in the kitchen.

Does Sharp Cooking work on Android tablets? Yes, any Android tablet running Android 8.0 or later.

What if my browser is too old? Update your browser! If you can’t (locked-down work computer, etc.), try a different browser or use the mobile app.

Can I use it on a smart TV? Not officially supported, but some smart TVs with browsers might work. We recommend using a tablet propped up in the kitchen instead.

Does Sharp Cooking work on Apple Watch or Android Wear? Not currently. Use your phone for Cooking Mode instead.

How can I check if my device is compatible? Visit app.sharpcooking.com - if you can sign up and view recipes, it works!

What happens if I run out of storage space? The app will warn you. Delete old recipes, compress photos, or clear your device cache.

Can I use Sharp Cooking on an Amazon Fire tablet? Yes, Fire tablets run Android. Install from the Amazon Appstore or use the web version.

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