Chapter 22: Toolbox

A collection of 20 small tools that work on your phone, so you do not need separate apps. They cover calculations (calculator, interest, units, area, materials, metal weight), money and notes (bill, quote, khata, notebook), phone sensors (compass, light, noise, vibration, speed, torch) and scanning and files (QR, document scanner, photo editor, photo to PDF).

No. All tools are free to use.

No. The tools work without internet. Only opening a link from the QR scanner needs it. Nothing you type into a tool is sent to our servers. Everything is stored on your phone only.

• Tap the toolbox icon (a small hammer-and-spanner) in the top bar of the Samaj, Contacts, Social or Business tab.
• Inside any chat, tap the same icon in the chat's top bar. It opens the Toolbox as a sheet over the chat, so you can use a tool and send the answer straight into your message (see below).
• On Android, from the Kuhu Tools icon on your phone's home screen (see Chapter 2, item 2.10).
• From the long-press shortcuts on the KuhuChat icon on your phone (see below).

A search box ("Search tools"), a row of profession filters, a section for recently used tools, and a grid of tools. The tools are grouped as Calculate, Money & notes, Sensors and Scan & files.

Type in the search box. The list shows matching tools under "Results", or "No tool found" if nothing matches. You can also scroll the grid.

Chips across the top: Mason / Builder, Carpenter, Painter, Electrician / Plumber, Welder / Fabricator, Tailor, Mechanic, Driver / Delivery, Farmer, Shopkeeper / Trader, Site / Vaastu, and Office & documents. Tap one and the Toolbox shows "For" followed by that profession, with the tools most useful for that work. Tap All to see everything again.

The filter is a shortcut, not a limit. Tap All and every tool is there.

The last six tools you opened, newest first, so your favourite tools are one tap away.

Open a tool and tap the pin icon at the top ("Pin: open this tool first"). The Toolbox then opens that tool first. Tap the icon again ("Unpin") to remove it. You can pin one tool at a time.

Most tools have the same three buttons:

• Send to chat: appears only when you opened the Toolbox from inside a chat. It puts the result in your message box.
• Share: opens your phone's share sheet so you can send the result through any app.
• Save to log: saves the result in your Notebook (see 22.11). A green "Saved to log" appears.

No. It adds the result to your message box and closes the Toolbox. You can read it, edit it and then tap send yourself. If you already typed something, the result is added on a new line.

Press and hold the KuhuChat icon on your phone's home screen to see Tools, Scan document, Bill maker and QR scanner. Tap one to open it directly.

On Android, open the three-dot menu and choose Home screen icons. Switch on KuhuTools icon, KuhuBiz Search icon or KuhuTrip icon. Switch it off to remove it. Do not uninstall to remove an icon, because that removes the whole KuhuChat app. See Chapter 2, item 2.10.

Only on your phone. Your khata entries, notes, saved results, scans and edited photos stay there. They do not move to a new phone, and they are lost if you uninstall KuhuChat or clear its data. Share or save anything important before that.

Add, subtract, multiply and divide, percentages, and GST. It is a simple calculator and is not scientific.

Type a number, press an operator, type the second number and press %. For example, 200 + 10 % gives 10 percent of 200 added to 200, which is 220.

Choose a rate below the display (5%, 12%, 18% or 28%). The default is 18%. Type the amount and tap Add GST to get the price with GST, or Remove GST to find the price before GST. The line above the answer shows the GST amount.

C clears everything. The backspace key removes the last digit you typed.

The display shows Error. Tap C and start again.

Yes. Use Share, Save to log, or Send to chat (when opened from a chat). The result is sent with the line of working above it.

Four groups of units:

• Length: metre, centimetre, millimetre, kilometre, inch, foot, yard.
• Area: square metre, square foot, square yard, acre, hectare, square kilometre.
• Weight: kilogram, gram, quintal, tonne, pound.
• Volume: litre, millilitre, cubic metre, US gallon.

Pick the group (Length, Area, Weight or Volume). Choose the From unit and the To unit. Type the Value. The answer appears at once, for example "10 foot = 3.048 m".

No. The converter uses standard (global) units only. Local land units differ from state to state, so we do not guess them.

Answers are shown to up to 6 decimal places, with unnecessary zeros removed.

Area: Rectangle, Triangle and Circle. Volume: Box / Room / Tank, Cylinder / Round tank and Sphere.

Choose the shape. Fields appear for that shape, for example Length and Width for a rectangle, Radius for a circle, Radius and Height for a cylinder. Choose a unit and type the sizes. The answer appears immediately.

Metre, centimetre, foot or inch. Use the same unit for every field.

The area or volume in your unit and also in other common units. Area is also shown in square metres, square feet, acres and hectares. Volume is also shown in cubic metres, litres and cubic feet.

Use Area and volume to find the size, then Material estimate (22.9) to find how much paint or how many tiles you need.

Simple interest, compound interest (yearly) and EMI (monthly loan instalment). Switch between them with the Simple, Compound and EMI buttons at the top.

Principal, Interest rate per year (%), and Time in years.

Loan amount, Interest rate per year (%), and Number of months.

• Simple: the interest and the total to pay.
• Compound (yearly): the interest and the total to pay, with interest added once a year.
• EMI: the monthly instalment, the total interest over the loan, and the total to pay.

It is a close guide. Banks may add processing fees, insurance or round off differently, so confirm with your lender.

A simple record of money you gave to or got from people, with the balance for each person shown instantly. Everything stays on your phone.

Type the person's Name and the Amount. Add a Note if you wish. Then tap You gave if you gave money, or You got if you received money.

"You gave" counts as money the person owes you. "You got" reduces that, or counts as money you owe them. The list shows each person as To receive, To pay or Settled.

Totals at the top: the total others owe you, and the total you owe others, across all people.

Tap the person's name. Every entry shows with its date and time, amount and note.

Yes. Open the person and use Share or Send to chat. The statement starts with "Khata:" and the name, lists every entry with date, Gave or Got, amount and note, and ends with the balance.

Open the person and tap the delete icon beside the entry.

It is stored only on your phone and is not uploaded or backed up. If you uninstall the app or change phones it is not carried over, so share statements you need to keep.

No. It is a record only. Use a chat message or a reminder (Chapter 12) to follow up.

It makes a quick bill or invoice as text that you can send in a chat or share. It works offline.

1. Type Your shop / name. It is remembered for next time.
2. Type the Customer if you wish (optional).
3. Type an Item, its Qty and its Rate, then tap Add. Repeat for every item.
4. Choose GST: None, 5%, 12%, 18% or 28%.
5. Type a Discount amount if you give one (optional).

Then Share it, or Send to chat when opened from a chat.

Tap the small cross beside the item.

"BILL" with today's date, the customer, each item as "Qty x Rate = amount", the Sub total, the Discount, the GST amount and the TOTAL.

Tap New bill. It clears the items and keeps your shop name.

No. It is a simple, clear bill in text form. It has no invoice number, GSTIN or tax breakup, so it does not replace a tax invoice. Use your accounting software for tax invoices.

No. Type the discount as an amount in rupees.

An estimate you give a customer before starting a job. The Quote maker builds it from your labour, material and transport costs.

Type Your name / shop, the Customer (optional) and a Work description. Then fill in the costs:

• Days and Rate per day for labour.
• Material cost.
• Transport / other.
• GST: None, 5%, 12% or 18%.
• Advance (%) you want before starting.
• Valid for (days).

"QUOTE" with today's date, who it is for, the work, labour (days x rate), material, transport, GST, the TOTAL, the Advance amount, the Balance after work, and "Valid till" the last date the quote holds.

Use Share, or Send to chat when opened from a chat.

It is only an estimate you write yourself. KuhuChat does not check prices. Review the numbers before you send.

How much you need to buy for six common jobs: Paint, Floor tiles, Bricks (wall), Concrete (slab), Plaster and Fabric.

Choose the job. The fields change to match it. Type the sizes, set the Extra / wastage slider, and read the quantity.

• Paint: Wall length (ft), Wall height (ft), Coats, Coverage (sq ft per litre). You get litres of paint.
• Floor tiles: Room length (ft), Room width (ft), Tile length (inch), Tile width (inch). You get the number of tiles.
• Bricks (wall): Wall length (ft), Wall height (ft), Wall thickness (inch), Bricks per cubic ft. You get the number of bricks.
• Concrete (slab): Length (ft), Width (ft), Thickness (inch). You get concrete in cubic metres and cubic feet, and about how many 50 kg cement bags.
• Plaster: Wall length (ft), Wall height (ft), Plaster thickness (mm). You get the mortar volume and about how many 50 kg cement bags.
• Fabric: Length needed (m), Fabric width (m), Pieces, Metres per piece. You get the metres to buy.

A slider from 0% to 30%, set at 10% to begin. It adds extra for breakage, cutting and spills. The answer says "with 10% extra", or whatever you chose.

No. They are rough. Concrete uses about 7 bags of 50 kg cement for every cubic metre of a common mix, and plaster uses a 1:6 mix. Your real mix, sand and mason's method change the result.

Because every answer is an estimate. Always check on site and with your supplier before you buy.

They match how each job is usually measured in India. Keep the length fields in feet as labelled.

The weight in kilograms of a piece of metal or wood from its size, and the total weight for the number of pieces.

Mild steel, Stainless steel, Cast iron, Aluminium, Copper, Brass, Wood (teak) and Wood (generic).

Round bar, Flat / Plate, Square bar, Pipe and Sheet.

• Round bar: Diameter (mm).
• Flat / Plate: Width (mm) and Thickness (mm).
• Square bar: Side (mm).
• Pipe: Outer diameter (mm) and Wall thickness (mm).
• Sheet: Area (m²) and Thickness (mm).

All shapes except Sheet also ask for Length (m). Then type the Quantity.

The material and shape, the weight of one piece, and the total weight for your quantity, for example "Qty 10: 24.5 kg".

For a pipe, twice the wall thickness cannot be more than the outer diameter. Check your numbers.

It uses standard densities (for example mild steel 7850 kg per cubic metre). Real stock can differ by a few percent, so use it for planning and quoting, not for billing by weight.

Your quick notes and work log. It also collects everything you saved with Save to log from any other tool.

Type in "Write a note (measurement, job, address, rate...)" and tap Save note.

Type in "Search saved notes". The list shows notes that contain your words.

Tap the send icon to send it to a chat (when opened from a chat), or the delete icon to remove it.

The newest 500 saved results. When you go past that, the oldest drop off.

No. They are stored on your phone only. See 22.1.

You have not saved a note or a tool result yet. Use Save note, or Save to log in another tool.

It turns paper into a clean PDF using your camera. It finds the edges of the page, straightens the picture, and lets you scan many pages into one PDF.

Tap Scan document, point the camera at the page and capture. Add more pages if you need to, then finish. The PDF opens straight away.

Scan followed by the date and time, for example Scan_20261102_153045.pdf.

On your phone, inside KuhuChat. Nothing is uploaded. The list shows each scan's name, number of pages, and date and time.

Tap a scan to open it, or use the open, share and delete icons beside it. Share lets you send the PDF through any app, or in a chat.

Yes. On iPhone the tool uses Apple's own document camera.

The file may have been moved or damaged. Scan the document again.

Allow camera permission for KuhuChat in your phone settings, then try again.

Yes. Use Photo to PDF (22.13) and its PDF to Photos tab.

Two things, on two tabs: Photos to PDF (combine photos into one PDF) and PDF to Photos (turn each page of a PDF into a picture).

1. On the Photos to PDF tab, tap Add photos and choose your photos.
2. Hold and drag the pages to change their order.
3. Switch on "No margin (fill the page)" if you want each photo to fill the page.
4. Tap Make PDF.

You will see "PDF ready", with the number of pages and the size in KB. Then tap Open PDF or Share PDF.

Tap Clear.

On the PDF to Photos tab, tap Choose PDF and pick your PDF. Each page becomes a PNG picture. Tap a page to share or save it, or tap Share all pages.

When converting a PDF to photos, only the first 30 pages are converted. The tool tells you "Only the first 30 pages were converted." Split a longer PDF first.

No. The work is done on your phone.

In KuhuChat's own folder on your phone. Use Share to move a file into another app or save it where you want.

Rotate and flip, crop, change brightness, contrast and colour, make a photo black and white, draw on it, and add text.

Tap Camera to take a photo, or Gallery to choose one.

• Adjust: Rotate, Flip, Black & white, and sliders for Brightness, Contrast and Colour.
• Crop: Trim left, Trim right, Trim top and Trim bottom, each up to about 45% of the picture.
• Draw: draw with your finger. Choose the Pen size. Tap Undo to remove the last stroke, or Clear drawing to remove all.
• Text: tap Add text, type your words and tap Add. Choose the Text size. Drag the text to move it. Long-press the text to delete it.

They lock after you draw or add text. Rotate and flip first, then draw or add text.

Tap Save. The photo is saved as a PNG inside KuhuChat, and you see "Saved in the app. Tap Gallery to put it in your phone gallery, or Share." Tap Gallery to also put it in your phone's gallery, or Share to send it.

No. The original stays as it was. Your edit is saved as a new picture.

Tap Reset all to go back to the original photo.

Save the photo to your phone first, then choose it from Gallery in the editor.

It scans a QR code or barcode with your camera and tells you what it contains, so you do not need another app.

That depends on the code:

• A KuhuChat link (a shop, hotel or profile page on kuhuchat.com): shows "Kuhuchat page" with an Open page button, which opens it inside the app.
• A UPI payment code: shows "Payment QR" with who you will pay, their UPI id, and the amount and note if the code has them. Tap Open in UPI app to pay in your own UPI app.
• A website link: shows the address first. Tap the Open button to go to it. If the link starts with http and not https, the scanner warns "This link is not secure (http). Be careful."
• Anything else: shows the text, with Copy, Share and Save to log.

No. It never moves money. It only reads the code and opens your own UPI app. You pay and confirm in that app.

Read the name on the screen and check it matches the shop or person you mean to pay, before you open your UPI app. A fake QR sticker can show a different name.

No. A website link opens only when you tap the Open button.

Tap Scan again.

Allow camera permission for KuhuChat in your phone settings, then open the scanner again.

Not in this tool. It scans live with the camera.

It uses your phone's compass and motion sensors, and corrects for tilt. It shows your heading in degrees and a direction such as N or SW. Hold the phone flat.

Magnetic north. The screen says "Magnetic north. Hold the phone flat." It does not correct for the small difference between magnetic and true north in your area.

No. The compass needs no permission.

Move away from metal, magnets, speakers, or a phone cover with a magnet. Wave the phone gently in a figure of 8 to recalibrate it.

The strength of the magnetic field the sensor reads, in microtesla (T). The screen says "Sensor OK" when it is normal, between about 25 and 65. A reading far outside that means something nearby is disturbing the compass.

Wait a few seconds. If it stays that way, your phone probably has no magnetic compass sensor, and a compass cannot work on it. Try it on another phone to confirm.

A switch that adds the traditional Vaastu meaning of the direction you are facing, for the eight main directions. For example, North is Kubera (wealth), North-East is Ishaan (prayer room, water), East is Indra (main entrance, windows, study), and South-East is Agni (kitchen).

No. It is labelled "Traditional guidance only". It describes common tradition, not a scientific or legal standard.

Yes. Use Share, Save to log, or Send to chat. It includes the heading and the Vaastu line if the view is on.

It measures how bright a room or work area is in lux, and tells you whether it is bright enough for the work you do.

Open the tool and point the top of your phone, near the front camera, toward the light. Wait for the reading. Move it around to measure different spots.

The reading is described as Very dark (under 50 lux), Dim (under 150), Normal room light (under 400), Bright (under 1000), Very bright / near window (under 10,000) or Direct sunlight.

The lowest, average and highest readings since you opened the tool or last tapped Reset.

The list "Enough light for the work?" shows general guide values: Walking and storage 100 lux, General room work 300, Reading, writing and sewing 500, Fine work such as tailoring, electronics and repair 750, and Very fine work such as inspection and jewellery 1000.

No. They are general guidance only. Phone sensors also differ by a few percent.

Wait a moment. If it never starts, your phone may not have an ambient light sensor.

No.

How loud it is around you, in decibels (dB).

No. The microphone is switched on only after you tap Start, and only the loudness number is used. Nothing is recorded or saved. Tap Stop to switch the microphone off.

The current dB, a description, and the Average and Highest readings. Descriptions: Very quiet (under 40 dB), Quiet / normal talk (under 60), Loud (under 80), Very loud with ear protection advised for long work (under 90), and Dangerous for ears, use ear protection (90 and above).

Approximate. Phone microphones are not calibrated, so the screen says "Approximate. Nothing is recorded." Use it to compare places or machines, not for legal or safety checks. For those, use a calibrated meter.

Allow microphone permission for KuhuChat in your phone settings, close other apps that may be using the microphone, and try again.

Yes. The text includes the current, average and highest dB and the description.

A GPS speedometer and trip meter for drivers, delivery work and field visits. It shows your speed in km/h, trip distance, moving time, average speed and top speed.

Tap Start trip. Use Pause when you stop and Resume to continue. Tap Reset to start a fresh trip.

Location. The app asks the first time.

No. It works only while KuhuChat is open. The screen says "Keep the app open while driving."

Not always. It is measured by GPS, so it can differ slightly from the vehicle's meter.

The message shows the signal accuracy in metres. Move to open sky away from tall buildings. Weak readings are ignored so that GPS jitter does not add false distance.

Yes. Use Share, Save to log or Send to chat. The text reads like "Trip: 12.4 km in 00:31:10 moving. Average 24 km/h, top 58 km/h", with the start time.

The Trip Planner (Chapter 20) previews a route and places. The Speed and trip meter measures a trip you are actually driving.

It turns on your phone's flash as a flashlight, in three modes: Steady, Blink and SOS.

The flash blinks the SOS signal in Morse code: three short, three long, three short.

No. It turns itself off when you leave the tool.

The torch cannot work while the camera is busy, for example when the QR scanner or document scanner is open. Close them and try again.

Your phone does not have a flash that apps can use.

Checking vibration on a motor, pump, washing machine, fan or vehicle, to see if it is running smoothly. You compare it with a reading taken when the machine was healthy.

Place the phone flat on the machine. Tap Start. The screen shows the vibration strength, a live graph and the Average and Peak values. Tap Stop when done.

Almost none, Light, Medium, Strong and Very strong, based on the vibration strength. The strength is in metres per second squared.

When the machine is healthy, measure it and tap Save as Normal. The tool remembers this reading. Later readings are compared with it.

If the new reading is within about 15% of Normal it says "Same as your Normal reading." If it is higher, it tells you how many percent more, with a hint to check mounting, bearings and balance. If it is lower, it says how many percent less.

Use the same machine, the same spot and the same phone each time. The screen reminds you of this.

No. It is a relative check, not a calibrated lab instrument.

No.