Sending photos, PDFs and voice notes
The paper letter from the book bag, the PDF from the newsletter, the thing you remembered in the car. Three ways to send them, and what Bobbie does with each.
Updated 28 September 20262 min read
The short version. On WhatsApp, send the photo, file or voice note to Bobbie's number. From your phone's share sheet, share it to Bobbie. In the app, use the camera button in the chat. All three go to the same place: your Inbox, read.
On WhatsApp
Once your phone is linked, send Bobbie:
- A photo of a letter, a poster on the school gate, a whiteboard, a screenshot of a message.
- A document: a PDF or Word file from an email or the school's website.
- A voice note: say what happened, with the date and the child's name if you can.
- A forwarded message from the class group.
Add a caption if you like ("this is for Leo", "the second date is the one that matters"). Bobbie reads the caption as your words and the picture as the letter. It replies to say what it found.
From the share sheet
With Bobbie installed on your phone, it appears in the share sheet. From Photos, Files, Mail or a PDF viewer: press share, choose Bobbie, and it goes in. Up to ten files at once.
In the app
Press the camera button beside Ask me anything on Today, or in the chat panel. Take a photo, or choose one. The microphone button beside it takes a voice note.
What happens next
Bobbie reads it, and the things it found wait in your Inbox with the picture or file beside them. On WhatsApp it replies with a one-line summary. Files and photos are deleted thirty days later; the items stay.
What is really happening
Photos and PDFs are stored on private storage that only your household can reach, and are read once by the AI model. Voice notes are transcribed first. Every image is checked automatically for content that should not be there before it is shown to anyone. Only images, PDFs, Word documents and audio are accepted; anything else is left where it is and Bobbie tells you.
Questions people ask
- How good does the photo need to be?
- Readable by you is readable by Bobbie. Flat-ish, in reasonable light, the whole letter in frame. It copes with a crease, a coffee ring and a phone held at an angle.
- How long is a voice note allowed to be?
- As long as WhatsApp allows. Bobbie transcribes it and reads the transcript, so a rambling one works, though it helps to say the date and the child's name.
- Can I send a screenshot of a WhatsApp message?
- Yes, and it is one of the most useful things to send. Screenshot the class group message and share it to Bobbie, or forward the message itself if you have linked your phone.