January 13, 2013

PaperKarma App Review

In a past post, we discussed ways to cut down on junk mail after learning about a deal between mass mailing company Valassis and the U.S. Post Office that will increase the amount of junk mail many Americans receive. Since then, I've discovered a new way to help fight junk mail. This unique app called PaperKarma allows you to unsubscribe from mailing lists that are currently sending you junk mail and is a great way to help cut down on the amount of mail you have to trash in the future.

The Basics

-Available for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad with iOS 4.3, Android devices OS 2.2 and up and Windows Phone 7.5 and 8 models

- Free purchase from the App Store, Google Play and the Windows App store

- Only available in an English version

- Created by Readabl, Inc.

The Features

- Allows you to photograph pieces of junk mail that you receive. Then, photos are uploaded and studied to determine the source of the junk mail.

- If the source appears in the PaperKarma database, the app will send an unsubscribe request on your behalf.

- Requires you to register for a free account by providing your email address. You must provide your mailing address as well before you scan any mail.

- Status screens allow you to easily monitor the progress PaperKarma has made in processing your request.

The Takeaway

I saved up about a week's worth of junk mail sent to my family --around 32 pieces in all. It only took me about 15 minutes to get all of the pictures scanned and uploaded. Of what I scanned, about 75 percent was found in the system. I really liked the fact that I could use the GPS feature to find my home address instead of having to spend time typing on my iPhone.

It would have taken me hours to determine where all of this junk mail had come from and send requests to have it stopped. With my busy schedule, I likely would have received several more mailings from these companies before I had the opportunity to request being taken off the list, so PaperKarma allowed me to stop the junk mail and save paper far more quickly. All in all, I'm really impressed with PaperKarma and highly recommend it.