Most scan problems have quick fixes. Here’s what the common messages mean and what to do next.
“Document reading” is turned off
Reading the handwriting on a file note uses AI, controlled by your Document reading setting. If it’s off, the upload stops straight away with a message telling you so: nothing is sent anywhere while the setting is off. Turn on Document reading at Settings → AI and upload the sheets again. If you’d rather not use AI at all, use Select from matters in court instead and type the outcomes in yourself.
The QR code wasn’t detected
The photo is too blurry, too dark, or the QR is partly covered. Retake the photo with the QR clearly visible and good lighting. The sheet doesn’t need to be perfectly flat or square (the AI reads it as-is), but the QR itself must be sharp. If you’re uploading a scanner PDF, a higher-quality scan helps the QR decode.
The token has expired
Printed QR tokens are valid for 60 days. If a sheet has been sitting too long, re-print the file note from the same court date and scan the new sheet. The old token is automatically voided when a new one is printed.
The QR belongs to another firm
QR codes are scoped to the firm that printed them. If you try to scan a sheet printed by a different firm, Acquit returns a not-found response. This is a privacy protection, not a bug. Only members of the printing firm can process the sheet.
Only some fields came through
This is normal for handwriting. Open the review screen, look for fields with an orange outline (those are the low-confidence ones) and edit them directly. Tick-box reads are almost always High confidence; handwritten names and the notes block are always flagged Low, so you can rewrite them before accepting.
A review is already in progress
If you’ve scanned the same sheet twice, Acquit routes you to the existing pending review rather than creating a duplicate. Finish that review or click Skip to put it back in the queue.
“Couldn’t read that time”
A half-typed time like 9:3 or 930 is refused on save rather than guessed at. Write 9:00 AM or 2:15 PM, or click the clock and pick one. A bare hour reads as a court hour: 9 is 9am, 2 is 2pm. Leaving it empty keeps the time of the appearance you just heard.
Tip: If scanning keeps failing on a sheet, click Skip on the queue to set it aside and come back to it; your other scans aren’t held up.