FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Need help with something? Here are our most frequently asked questions.

Getting to Know Groov

Groovs are fully custom insoles made with personalized biometric data to optimize the interface between your feet and your footwear, bridging the gap between off-the-shelf shoes and your unique anatomy.

Using a simple iPhone foot scan, Groov maps the shape, contours, and movement patterns of your feet, then creates a custom support layer designed to improve comfort, stability, pressure relief, and the way your body connects to the shoes, boots, or skates you already wear.

In simpler terms: Groovs make your footwear feel more like it was made for you...because the surface under your foot actually was.
Think about the experience of getting new shoes at a shoe store. You try on a bunch of different shoes that are all technically your size, but you walk around in each and realize they all feel completely different.

Some feel fine. Some feel miserable. And every once in a while, one pair feels almost magical, like it somehow understands your foot better than the others.

That is because size is only part of fit. The actual surface you stand on inside each shoe is different. None of those surfaces were made precisely for you, but some happen to get closer than others. And different people prefer different shoes because bodies are unique and different feet need different support.

Wearing Groovs is like finding that perfect-pair feeling — made just for you — and bringing it into the shoes you already own, helping make every pair feel like your favorite, most comfortable pair.
Your feet were not designed around flat, generic shoe inserts. But most shoes force your feet into standardized shapes with “one-surface-fits-all” insoles that can leave arches unsupported, pressure concentrated in the wrong places, and your body compensating with every step.

Groovs help by creating a custom support surface based on your actual foot shape and the dynamic range of motion of your anatomy. That personalized support helps to improve alignment underfoot, reduce pressure, increase stability, and make movement feel more natural...like giving your feet the perfect hug that your shoes were missing.
Both. Groovs are fully custom insoles, also commonly called shoe inserts, designed to add personalized support and cushioning inside compatible footwear.

Unlike generic inserts, Groovs are built from your scans, optimized by award-winning AI, and tailored to your feet, movement, and shoe type.
Most store-bought insoles are one-size-fits-most. They usually add cushioning or generic arch support, but they are still built around average feet, average arches, and standard shoe sizes. Unfortunately, that just doesn't cut it when it comes to feet and how unique they are person-to-person.

That's why Groovs are made fully custom. ShapeSense™ captures 30,000+ data points from your iPhone foot scan to create a support layer shaped around your actual anatomy. The result is custom support, cushioning, pressure relief, and responsiveness. Fitted to your specific feet and footwear.
Traditional orthotics are usually medical devices made to correct or accommodate specific foot conditions. Groovs bring many of the benefits people want from custom orthotics — personalized arch support, pressure relief, improved stability, and better positioning underfoot — into a more wearable, footwear-friendly product.

Groov is not a medical company and is not a replacement for seeing a doctor. But for most people seeking pain relief, comfort, and support in the shoes they actually wear, Groovs offer a simpler, lighter, easier-to-get path.

No appointment. No foam box. No medical hassle...Not even an app you need to download. Just a simple iPhone scan and custom insoles delivered in a week, built for your body and your life.
The beauty of Groovs are that they make custom support affordable and accessible enough that you can get them because you want them. And you should — if you wear shoes that were made for a shelf, Groovs will make them feel like they were made for you.

Groovs are especially useful if you deal with foot fatigue, heel pain, plantar fasciitis, flat feet, high arches, pressure points, long hours standing, athletic movement, or shoes that never feel as supportive as they should.

Like sleeping on a good mattress, proper foot support is one of those things you may not realize you were missing until you feel the difference.

Choosing Your Groovs

Groovs can be tailored to a wide range of footwear, with a variety of models providing perfect support across all of your shoes.

The Everyday works with most shoes that have removable inserts, including sneakers, running shoes, work shoes, travel shoes, and many boots.

The Response is built for performance footwear like cleats, trainers, running shoes, and sneakers.

The Luxe is designed for slim and dressier shoes, including closed-toe heels, flats, loafers, boots, tuxedo shoes, and dress shoes.

The Blade is made for hockey skates and ice skates, and can also be used with roller blades.

The Carve is made for ski and snowboard boots with removable inserts.
Choose based on the footwear and activity:

The Everyday is best for all-day comfort, arch support, and recovery in everyday shoes. If you're new to Groov and don't know where to start, start here.

The Response is best for performance footwear, cleats, running shoes, training shoes, and explosive movement.

The Luxe is best for heels, flats, dress shoes, and slim or snug footwear.

The Blade is best for hockey skates, figure skates, and rollerblades.

The Carve is best for ski and snowboard boots.
Groovs use model-specific materials chosen for the way each pair is meant to be worn.

The Everyday uses cloud-cushion memory foam with a supportive custom structure for all-day comfort.

The Response uses performance-focused materials with breathability perforations and targeted non-slip cushioning under the heel and forefoot.

The Luxe uses a thin, supple cushion with suction cushioning beneath the heel to help it stay in place in slimmer shoes.

The Blade uses a high-traction surface with breathable, waterproof, quick-dry construction for skate environments.

The Carve uses memory foam cushioning, waterproof quick-dry construction, breathability, pressure relief, heel lock, vibration dampening, and arch support for ski and snowboard boots.

Across models, Groovs are designed to feel supportive without feeling stiff, cushioned without feeling unstable, and custom without requiring a clinic visit or foam box.
Groovs are built from your foot scan, so your custom pair is designed around the actual shape of your feet — including width, arch structure, contours, and pressure needs.

That is one of the main advantages of custom support. Instead of forcing wide, narrow, flat, high-arched, or otherwise unique feet into a generic insert, Groovs are designed around the feet you actually have.

Are Groovs Right for Me?

Yes! Groov has been developed with input from foot and ankle specialists and has backing from some of the world's top podiatrists and foot & ankle surgeons. It's designed around principles that matter to foot health: personalized arch support, pressure relief, stability, comfort, and better positioning underfoot.

While Groovs are not a replacement for medical care, many clinicians recommend Groovs to their patients. They are designed to bring many of the practical benefits people want from custom orthotics into a more accessible, wearable, and footwear-friendly product.
Groovs are designed to provide personalized arch support based on your actual foot shape, which can be especially helpful for people with flat feet who need more structure than generic insoles and off-the-shelf shoes provide.
Yes. For high arches, Groovs help fill the space between your foot and shoe, supporting even pressure distribution and a more comfortable feel underfoot.
Groovs are designed to improve arch support, cushioning, and pressure relief to help reduce discomfort associated with plantar fasciitis, heel pain, and foot fatigue.

Many people look to orthotics for these same issues, but Groov offers a custom, footwear-friendly way to get personalized support without making the experience clinical, complicated, or overly costly.
Yes. The Everyday model is designed for long days on your feet, combining memory foam cushioning with structured custom support to help reduce foot fatigue.

Groovs can be especially helpful for people who spend long hours standing, walking, commuting, working on hard floors, or moving through the day in shoes that do not provide enough support on their own.
Groovs are designed to improve the connection between your foot and your footwear, which matters a lot during movement. It's why Groov is a featured product partner of the NFL Players Association and used by teams in all major American professional sports leagues.

By adding custom support, reducing unwanted motion inside the shoe, improving stability, and helping distribute pressure more effectively, Groovs help your footwear feel more locked in and responsive. The Response model is designed specifically for running shoes, cleats, trainers, lifting shoes, and other footwear used for sprinting, cutting, jumping, lifting, and rapid changes of direction.
Yes. Many existing orthotics wearers prefer Groovs because they deliver custom support in a format that feels easier to wear across daily life.

Traditional orthotics can be effective, but they are often bulky, rigid, expensive, or difficult to fit into the shoes people actually want to wear. Groovs are designed to bring custom support into everyday shoes, performance footwear, dress shoes, skates, ski boots, and snowboard boots in a way that feels more natural, more comfortable, and more usable.
Yes. Groovs are a great option for seniors looking for more support, stability, and pressure relief. A lifetime of wear and tear takes a toll, but Groov helps take comfort back.

For anyone with a known medical condition, it is always smart to check with a healthcare provider.
Yes, Groovs are fantastic for kids, especially those playing sports or looking for support for a growing body. The best way to help protect your body is by preventing issues before they ever arise.

The main difference is that kids' feet grow. That means their Groovs may need to be replaced sooner than an adult pair as their foot size and shape change.

For anyone with a known medical condition, it is always smart to check with a healthcare provider.

The Scan

After checkout, you'll click “Finish Your Scans” on your order confirmation page. Then you'll use your iPhone to complete a guided ShapeSense™ foot scan from home.

A video tutorial demonstrates the process in under 1 minute, then audio guidance and haptic feedback make it easy to finish the process in less than 5 minutes.

You'll remove your shoes and socks, find good lighting, and follow the prompts. ShapeSense™ uses both autocapture and automated scan review to ensure you get it right on the first go.

If you have mobility limitations, select Assisted Scan mode at the beginning of the process. All you need is a chair and a helper.
ShapeSense™ is Groov's proprietary foot-scanning technology. It captures 30,000+ data points to help map the shape, contours, and movement patterns of your feet, then uses that information to design your custom support layer. The design process is powered by Groov's award-winning AI, trained on over 10,000 foot scans to provide unmatched precision.
No. You complete your ShapeSense™ scan after checkout using your iPhone. No app download is required.
Groov's scan is designed for any iPhone. You'll use your iPhone after checkout to complete the guided ShapeSense™ scan from home. iPhone models without FaceID (iPhones 1-8 and iPhone SEs 1-3) are the only ones that cannot access ShapeSense™.
The scan only takes a few moments. You just remove your shoes and socks, find good lighting, and follow the guided prompts. If it's your first time scanning, you might need five minutes. If you've done it before, you may finish within one.
Once your scan is complete, you'll be asked what you'd like engraved on the bottom. Then Groov's Surface Optimization Engine leverages award-winning AI to design your custom insoles in an instant, enabling production to start immediately. Your pair is then finished, engraved with your chosen nickname, and shipped to you within the week.

Pricing, Shipping & Satisfaction Guarantee

Groovs are $149 per pair with significant cost savings when you buy more.
Yes. You save when you buy more:

1 pair — $149 each
2 pairs — $139 each
3 pairs — $129 each
4 pairs — $119 each
5 pairs — $109 each
Yes. Groovs may be purchased with eligible FSA/HSA funds. Just enter your FSA/HSA card during checkout the same way you would use any other payment card.
Yes. Free name or nickname engraving is included with every pair.
Yes. Every order includes free rushed shipping.
Your Groovs are built immediately after your scan and delivered within the week, with free shipping.
Groovs come with a 30-day comfort guarantee. If your feet aren't obsessed, we'll make it right. Email you@groov.me for a replacement or full refund.
Yes. Groov offers easy returns and exchanges. If something doesn't feel right, email you@groov.me and we'll help with a replacement or refund.

Wearing & Caring for Your Groovs

For most Groov models, yes, they're designed to replace the removable factory insert that comes inside your shoe. Removing the existing insert gives your Groovs the right amount of space and helps preserve the intended fit.

The Luxe is different because it is designed for slimmer and dressier shoes, including many shoes that may not have removable inserts. When wearing The Luxe model, leave the existing insert in the shoe and place The Luxe on top of it.
Yes, depending on the model and fit option you choose.

A General Purpose pair is designed for versatility across compatible shoes (meaning any shoe with a standard shoe shape).

A Shoe-Specific pair is optimized for one particular pair of shoes, which usually gives the best fit and feel in that pair and enables access to custom support in atypically-shaped shoes. Fit-to-Shoe technology lets you scan the existing insert from that shoe to ensure the perfect fit.
That's up to you!
Most people find Groovs comfortable quickly, requiring no break-in time.

If your feet and body need a short adjustment period as they get used to more personalized support, that should pass quickly as your anatomy relaxes into custom comfort. Groovs are changing the surface your body stands on, so even when the fit feels good, your feet may need a little time to adjust.

If you feel any discomfort, we recommend starting with a few hours of wear, then increasing as they feel natural. If something feels painful, sharp, or clearly wrong, stop wearing them and contact us at you@groov.me so we can help.
Whenever you're wearing shoes.

There is no such thing as “wearing your Groovs too much.” Many customers order multiple pairs for different shoes, while others use one General Purpose pair and move it between compatible shoes as needed.

For best fit and feel, choose the Groov model that matches the footwear and activity you care about most.
To clean your Groovs, wipe them gently with a damp cloth and mild soap if needed. Let them air dry fully before putting them back into your shoes.

Do not machine wash, machine dry, bleach, soak, or expose them to direct heat. Avoid leaving them on radiators, in dryers, or in very hot cars. A little basic care goes a long way: keep them dry when possible and remove them occasionally if your shoes get especially wet or sweaty.
A pair of Groovs will last at least as long as the shoes you wear them in.

The lifespan for a pair of Groovs is measured in miles, not minutes. We typically recommend replacing them as often as you replace your shoes. For heavy daily use, replace annually. For casual use, you can get several years out of them. Best practice is to take new scans and replace Groovs at least once every five years as feet naturally change with age.
You may want to replace your Groovs when the cushioning feels compressed, the support no longer feels the same, your shoes or boots change, or your feet recover from injury. Athletes, heavy daily users, and growing kids may need replacements sooner than someone wearing Groovs casually.