Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Calories!

Search and Consumptions

What do the colors of the foods mean?

The colors are derived from the energy density (kcal/kJ per 100 grams) of the food. You can see the colors of a traffic light: green = low, yellow = medium, red = high energy density. Please note that the colors don’t indicate healty or unhealty foods.

I’m weighing all foods and do enter all consumptions using their exact weight. Is there an option to directly start using “grams”, instead of switching from a serving size every time?

Yes, when entering a consumption you can open the menu at the upper right corner (three dots) and pick “Settings”. In this screen untick “Propose Servings”. Starting with the next consumption, “grams” will be activated by default.

Foods

I’m missing food XYZ! (Calories!)

When using the free version of the app, the databases of the Pro Platinum version will be searched too. If there are foods in these additional databases that match the current search, there will be an extra entry at the end of the search results. When you select this entry, a dialog will display a list of all additional hits. Maybe the food you’re searching for is already part of a database of the Pro Platinum version.

If the food is not part of the Pro Platinum version, you may enter it yourself. It’s very easy to add a new food or recipe to the database.

The nutrition values of food XYZ seam to be differrent!

Well, this may be caused by several reasons:

There are foods that don’t have definite nutrition information. In particular with discounters it can happen that one and the same product is produced by different local producers. The food is sold with identical names and identical barcodes, but different nutrition values. Especially with milk, cheese and yoghurt this is relatively common.
A barcode can not be assigned to a single product. Unfortunately, some discounters use a single barcode for a “family” of products. This often occurs with yogurt or juice in different flavors.
The nutrition values of foods change over time. It often happens that the nutrition values of the discounters change when the producer behind them is changed. Similarly, food formulations may change over time, resulting in altered nutrition values.
There are products that use a different recipe depending on the country (depending on the legal framework) and thus have different nutritional values. Example: sweets.
Foods are subject to natural variations. For common foods (i.e. without brand or manufaturer name) all displayed values are representatives of the particular food, but they may differ in concrete cases. Respectively the values of food packages and nutritions lists differ. This isn’t an error, but natural and unavoidable.
The nutrition values of raw and processed foods differ. That’s natural too, because the food changes during the processing. Often sugar will be added, or water, for instance. Heating a food changes its nutrition values too.
The nutrition values of mineral waters strongly differ from brand to brand. Please add the nutrition values of your personal mineral water to the database by add a new food.
Althrough all our care and precaution it’s unavoidable that the food database contains errors. MyCalorieApp: Please edit the nutrition value of the food. Our support team will review the changes and then approve. “Calories!” and “Purine!”: Please send your feedback directly from the app (consumption or food, open top right menu, Feedback).

I’m missing a barcode scanner. (Calories!)

We’ve introduced a barcode scanner in Calories! version 9.0. Please note that the scanner is a feature of the Pro Platinum version.

Why does “Purine!” not provide a barcode scanner?

Foods from the supermarket unfortunately have no purine or uric acid values on the packaging. As a result, we cannot add supermarket products to the database (except for special cases, such as mineral water). So it makes no sense to offer a barcode scanner – it wouldn’t find anything.

If you want to use a calorie counter app with a barcode scanner, we can recommend “Calories!” or MyCalorieApp to you. However, you will not find purine / uric acid levels there.

Recipes

How can I enter a new recipe?

Open the menu at the upper left corner, pick “Add Recipe”, enter a name and choose a category. Tip: You can reach all sub-categories by clicking at the icons or texts on the left side. Press the “+” sign at the upper right corner to add a new ingredient. Repeat this until you added all ingredients. The recipes of the list may be altered too – just select one. When the recipe is complete, press the disc icon at the lower right corner. Done!

How can I alter the ingredients of a recipe?

A recipe can be edited as every regular user defined food can. Just press the pencil in the search/browse view.

What are lists and how do they differ from recipes?

A list is a collection of foods that are either similar or can be related to a common topic. For example, you can create a “breakfast list” and put foods there that you often eat for breakfast. Other examples: cereals, jams, baking ingredients, soft drinks, juices, dips, barbecue sauces, ….

With the help of lists you can create your own groupings of foods. If you additionally use the favorites, you can practically create your own directories inside the favorites.

A recipe is always consumed as a whole (cake, cooked dish, etc.). In a list, you always consume only one food (or part of the food). A list is more like a collection of foods. You group foods together and then choose one of them.

Sports

How can I enter my exercises?

Go to “My Day”, then press “Add new exercise…”. Browse using the categories or search for your sport or physical activity. Then enter the duration of the exercise. If you measured the consumed calories yourself, e.g. using a pulse measuring watch, enter the value at “Energy”. Save, done!

Similar to the foods, favorites for sports are supported. Furthermore it’s possible to add your own sport or physical activity (“Calories!” only!). Then it’s up to you to define it using the metabolic equivalent (MET, see Wikipedia) or a weight independent energy value per hour.

Google Fit

I’ve connected the app to Google Fit successfully, but no exercise values are transferred. What can I do?

In the default settings the app stores only the exercises from Google Fit that contain an energy value. If you want the app to store all exercises from Google Fit, then please deactivate the switch “Ignore Exercises w/o Energy Value” (menu at the upper left corner, Settings, Google Fit). The app then calculates the energy values of the exercises. Please be aware that the calculated energy values of the app may differ from the displayed values in Google Fit.

The app stores all exercises from Google Fit, but the overall energy calculation of the app ignores them. Why?

If you’re using a fitness tracker, the device calculates the energy needs of the whole day. When you transfer the exercises into the app, the energy needs exist twice – one time from the basic energy needs of the app itself, and a second time from the exercises from Google Fit. That’s why the default setting tells the app to consider only the energy of the exercises that exceed the basic energy needs calculated by the app. If you want the app to consider all the energy from the Google Fit exercises, you may switch off “24 h Recording” (menu at the upper left corner, Settings, Google Fit).

After the transfer of the exercises from Google Fit the app displays invalid activities, e.g. “Automobile or light truck driving”. Why?

Probably you’re using only the Google Fit app without any fitness tracker. The Fit app attempts to determine from the movement of the mobile phone, which activities you have performed. This works very well in most cases, but sometimes it doesn’t. Our app transfers the data from Google Fit, but it has no chance to verify its accuracy.

Why isn’t it possible to change or delete Google Fit acquired data (weight or exercises) in the app?

It’s part of the philosophy of Google Fit that only the application can change the data that originally generated it. If you have transferred the data from your fitness tracker or scale to Google Fit, you can make changes only directly in the corresponding app. If the data were generated from the Fit app itself, you can make changes directly in the Fit app.

If I write my weight diary to Google Fit, how can I delete the entries in Google Fit?

Since Calories! V10.2.4 / MyCalorieApp V3.2.4 / Purine! V2.2.4 and newer

The entries can be deleted directly in the app. In practice, however, deletion does not work reliably with Google Fit. This is not a bug in our app – Google Fit does not behave correctly here. We therefore suggest the following strategy:

Delete the weight in the app.
Please wait until the internal synchronization of Google Fit is completed. This takes approx. 1 minute, possibly longer.
If necessary: Delete the weight manually in the Google Fit app.
Please wait until the internal synchronization of Google Fit is completed.

Unfortunately, this strategy does not always work reliably. Once again: Our apps work correctly. The problem is in Google Fit.

When changing a weight that is written to Google Fit, you can proceed in a similar way.

For all versions

You can delete the entries that you have created in the app and that you write to Google Fit by
a) changing the transfer mode to “Off” or “Read from Fit” or
b) switching off synchronization to Google Fit in general.

Please note that the entries will not be deleted if you uninstall the app or delete the user data.

When I create a backup, why is no data from Google Fit included?

Basically, the backup only contains data that was created using the app. Data created by other apps does not need to be backed up as it is stored and made available elsewhere. After you have transferred the backup to another device, you can synchronize the data from Google Fit again at any time.

The weight diary used to have a switch for dealing with conflicts when synchronizing with Google Fit. Why is this switch no longer there?

The switch could lead to unwanted data loss. Example: A weight entry was created in the app and another app also provided a weight entry via Google Fit for the same day. If the switch was set to overwrite the app’s entry in the event of a conflict, the app’s own entry is replaced by the Google Fit entry. If you deactivate Google Fit, your own weight entry is no longer available.

We have therefore decided to remove the switch and always keep your own weight entry in the event of conflicts.

What fitness trackers and scales does Google Fit support?

Unfortunately we don’t know any usable list of all compatible devices. Please inquire directly at your selected hardware manufacturer for Google Fit support.

Does Google Fit support my Fitbit device?

Unfortunately not. Fitbit refuses to support Google Fit so far. But maybe the FitnessSyncer service is a workaround for you: https://www.fitnesssyncer.com/

Or Health Sync: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.appyhapps.healthsync

What can I do when my fitness tracker doesn’t support Google Fit?

Maybe FitnessSyncer is a solution to you! It supports Fitbit and JawBone, among others.
https://www.fitnesssyncer.com/

Or Health Sync: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.appyhapps.healthsync

The activation of Google Fit does not work. Why does no login dialog appear?

Google has had problems with its own accounts since summer 2019, at least if the account email address ends in “googlemail.com”. This problem is not caused by the app, but by Google itself! Please convert your email address so that it ends in “gmail.com”: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/googlemail/rebrand

How can I disconnect from Google Fit or use a different Google account for Fit?

The connection from Google Fit to Calories! / MyCalorieApp / Purine! is not managed by the respective app, but by Google Fit. You can disconnect this connection directly in the Fit app if necessary:

(1) Calories! / MyCalorieApp / Purine!: Menu top left, Settings, Google Fit, switch off Google Fit.
(2) Open the “Fit” app, press the icon for the person at the bottom right (profile), press the cogwheel at the top right (settings), then “Manage connected apps”, select the relevant app, then “Delete all connections with <…>”.
(3) Calories! / MyCalorieApp / Purine!: Menu top left, Settings, Google Fit, switch on Google Fit, select the new Google account or add it if necessary.

This gives the app access to the Fit data of the new account.

Google Health Connect

I’ve connected the app to Google Health Connect successfully, but no exercise values are transferred. What can I do?

In the default settings the app stores only the exercises from Google Health Connect that contain an energy value. If you want the app to store all exercises from Google Health Connect, then please deactivate the switch “Ignore Exercises w/o Energy Value” (menu at the upper left corner, Settings, Google Health Connect). The app then calculates the energy values of the exercises. Please be aware that the calculated energy values of the app may differ from the displayed values in the app that originally created the data.

After the transfer of the exercises from Google Health the app displays invalid activities, e.g. “Automobile or light truck driving”. Why?

What fitness trackers and scales does Google Health support?

Unfortunately we don’t know any usable list of all compatible devices. Please inquire directly at your selected hardware manufacturer for Google Health Connect support.

What can I do when my fitness tracker doesn’t support Google Health?

Maybe FitnessSyncer is a solution to you! It supports Fitbit and JawBone, among others.
https://www.fitnesssyncer.com/

Or Health Sync: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.appyhapps.healthsync

Why can I only see Health Connect data up to 30 days in the past?

Unfortunately, this is a limitation of Google Health Connect. Health Connect allows our apps to read records with a start time for up to 30 days before the first successful Health Connect connection. Again, these are the rules of Google Health Connect. Our apps could look as far back in time as they want, but we don’t receive the data.

Note: If the app is uninstalled and then re-installed, the date is reset which marks as your new starting date as if you use the app for the first time.

More information: https://developer.android.com/health-and-fitness/guides/health-connect/develop/frequently-asked-questions#time-range

Why is it necessary to switch from Google Fit to Google Health Connect?

The interface to Google Fit will only be available for a limited time. Google will discontinue the interface in mid-2025.

Google Health Connect is available as an official replacement. This is a new interface. On the part of the apps, this means a completely new development, parallel to the existing Google Fit interface.

How does the integration of Google Health Connect differ from Google Fit?

With Health Connect, Google has not only changed the interface, the usage options also differ. The most serious change is certainly the restriction of access to past days. Health Connect allows all apps to read data records with a start time of up to 30 days before the first successful Health Connect connection.

Again, these are the rules of Google Health Connect. Our apps could look as far back in time as they want, but we don’t get the data.

The restriction to 30 days before the first Health Connect connection has a negative impact when changing devices. If one of our apps is installed on a new device and then the connection to Health Connect is enabled, this counts as a new activation and the 30 days apply from that day. However, older Health data records could also be accessed on the old device, as activation was carried out much earlier. Consequently, you would lose access to a considerable amount of your Health data if you changed devices.

To avoid this loss of data, we fundamentally changed the concept for integrating Health Connect.

With Google Fit, we were able to read all data as far back in time as we wanted. Our apps regarded Google Fit as an independent data source that can always provide all data. We only synchronized the data, i.e. all Fit data was only temporarily stored in our apps (buffer).

With Health Connect, we can only read the data for a limited period of time. This period can change at any time, e.g. due to a change of device. We see Health Connect as a temporary data source that can only provide certain data. The data is imported into our apps and permanently stored locally.

This results in the following advantages:

Changing the minimum synchronization date does not result in the deletion of local Health data.
Switching off Google Health Connect (including weight or training data individually) does not lead to the deletion of local Health data.
Health data can now be changed and deleted.
- Important note: Be sure to pay attention to the minimum synchronization date! Otherwise, the changed data may be reset during the next health import and deleted entries may reappear.
The health data is now part of the backup file and can be transferred manually to another device. This only applies to the Calories! and Purine! apps.

We would like to emphasize once again that all health data is only stored locally on the device. No health data is transferred to the MyCalorieApp server. (The same already applied to all Google Fit data). Exception: When using the data transfer feature, the data will temporarily stored on the MyCalorieApp server, see chapter “data transfer”.

The disadvantages:

Since the health data is only stored locally, there is no synchronization to other devices for the MyCalorieApp app. Each device must establish its own connection to Google Health Connect.
Consequently, the data described above may be lost if you change devices.

If access to past data from Google Health Connect is important to you, we recommend that you switch from MyCalorieApp to Calories! We will provide a corresponding option for data transfer during the second half of 2024.

How can I change the permissions for Google Health Connect retrospectively?

Please open the Android settings (not inside the app, but of the device).
Security & privacy
Privacy controls
Health Connect
App permissions
Select Calories! / Purine! / MyCalorieApp
Enable or disable all or single permissions
A confirmation dialog may appear. Confirm the dialog.

Analysis

What do the arrows in the analysis mean?

We’re using the traffic light colors: green = very good, yellow = good, red = bad. The direction of the arrow describes whether you absorbed too little or too much of a nutrition (or calories, water, etc).

Weight Diary

Is the app able to compute the body fat value if I don’t own a scale that provides this value?

No, a calculation is currently not supported.

Diet

I’m using the app to lose / gain weight. Can I enter my desired weight?

Yes, please use the diet assistant by opening the menu at the upper left corner, then “Diet Assistant”.

How can I decrease / increase the recommended daily calories?

There are two options to do this: (1) You may use the diet assistant (open the menu at the upper left corner), or (2) you set your individual daily values (Settings, Nutrition Values, Individual Daily Values).

Where can I see how many calories I saved daily / weekly / montly?

This feature is already part of our wishlist. At the moment there’s no specific release date, sorry.

Export and Printing

How do I set up a printer for the app?

Since Android 8 (Oreo), the Default Print Service is available. You can find instructions on how to set up a printer here, for example:

[1] https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-print-from-android-4769907
[2] https://droidrant.com/how-do-i-change-my-default-printer-on-android/
[3] https://www.techrepublic.com/videos/how-to-easily-add-a-printing-service-in-android-10/

More information:

https://mopria.org/androidfaq

Note

As the subject of printer setup is quite diverse, we are unfortunately unable to offer any further support. Please contact the printer manufacturer directly if you have any problems.

Data Synchronization

How do I synchronize all data between two devices? (Calories!)

Google Drive, since Calories! V10.1 / Purine! V2.1

I recommend the following procedure:

(1) Launch the app at the first device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(2) Select “Backup”, press “Start”
Note: The following screen will be provided by the Android OS. Calories!/Purine! has no influence on the supported functionality!
(3) Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose “Drive”.
Note: If there is no “Drive” entry, please make sure that the Google Drive app is installed at your device. Please open the Drive app for a moment and return.
(4) Choose “My Drive”.
(5) Optional: You may enter a folder of your choice.
(6) Optional: You may change the file name by clicking at it at the bottom of the screen.
(7) Press “Save”. The backup will be created and uploaded to Google Drive.
(8) Launch the app at the second device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(9) Select “Restore”, press “Start”
(10) Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose “Drive”.
Note: If there is no “Drive” entry, please make sure that the Google Drive app is installed at your device. Please open the Drive app for a moment and return.
(11) Choose “My Drive” and navigate to the backup file. Select the backup file. Done!

Google Drive, before Calories! V10.1 / Purine! V2.1

This is the recommended procedure:

(1) Launch the app at the first device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(2) Choose “Google Drive” at the first tab (“Backup”). Selecting a folder is currently not supported. Start the backup.
(3) If Google Drive is used for the very first time from this app and device, you have to choose the Google account to be used and confirm the access.
(3a) Please take care that the used Google account is available on both devices! Sharing data between different accounts is not supported.
(3b) Privacy: The app can access its own files only at Google Drive. The app is unable to open, read or write files and folders created by other apps.
(4) Launch the app at the second device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(5) Select the second tab (“Restore”) and choose “Google Drive”.
(6) Click “Choose” to get a list of all available backup files. This may take a moment. Please choose a file when the list is available.
(6a) If Google Drive is used for the very first time from this app and device, you have to choose the Google account to be used and confirm the access.
(6b) Maybe the created file from step (2) is not visible yet. Google Drive has to synchronize the data between devices first. Please wait a few minutes before trying again.
(7) Press “Restore” to start the import of the backup file. Done!

Please note that all data will be erased automatically before the backup file is imported! That’s why you should avoid to enter data at both devices at the same time. Otherwise a data synchronization would cause the loss of data.

Local Backup, since Calories! V10.1 / Purine! V2.1

To synchronize data, the manual transfer of the data to the second device is required. You may use a PC for this, or a cloud storage provider, or e-mail, or Bluetooth, etc. We recommend to use a cloud storage provider:

(1) Launch the app at the first device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(2) Select “Backup”, press “Start”
Note: The following screen will be provided by the Android OS. Calories!/Purine! has no influence on the supported functionality!
(3) Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose your device.
(4) Optional: You may enter a folder of your choice.
(5) Optional: You may change the file name by clicking at it at the bottom of the screen.
(6) Press “Save”. The backup will be created.
(7) Upload the created backup file to your cloud storage provider, e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, etc.
(8) Download the backup file from your cloud provider onto the second device. For example using the Google Drive app: search for the backup file, then click at the small “i” at the right side, then choose “Download”.
(9) Launch the app at the second device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(10) Select “Restore”, press “Start”
(11) Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose your device.
(12) Navigate to the backup file and select it. Done!

Local Backup, before Calories! V10.1 / Purine! V2.1

(1) Launch the app at the first device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(2) Choose “Local” at the first tab (“Backup”).
(3) Choose a folder, if required. You may create a new folder as well.
Tip: If you’re unable to pick a folder, this one should work in most cases (try to type it manully):
/sdcard/Android/data/org.digitalcure.ccnf.app/files/
(4) Start the backup.
(5) Upload the created backup file to your cloud storage provider, e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, etc.
(6) Download the backup file from your cloud provider onto the second device. For example using the Google Drive app: search for the backup file, then click at the small “i” at the right side, then choose “Download”.
(7) Launch the app at the second device. Open the menu at the upper left corner, choose Settings, then Backup.
(8) Choose “Local” at the second tab (“Restore”).
(9) Press “Choose” and select the downloaded backup file. Only ZIP files will be displayed. When using Google Drive the download folder is: “/sdcard/Download”.
(10) Click “Restore” to import the backup file. Done!

Data Transfer

What is the difference between a backup and a data transfer?

A backup is a copy of your data that is stored permanently. In an emergency, you can restore this version of your data at any time, e.g. if your device is defective or lost. “Calories!” and “Purine!” support the creation of backups on Google Drive and locally on your device. Note: We recommend that you back up the local backups yourself to another device or to a cloud service. This process can be automated with the help of backup apps.

A data transfer is also a copy of your data, but the focus here is on the transfer. A data transfer only has a short lifespan (1 hour) and is then automatically deleted. The data is transferred via our MyCalorieApp server. The transfer itself is very simple and requires only a few steps.

Conclusion: The focus of backups is on permanent storage for emergencies, while data transfers are only used for short-term transmission. The content is identical in both cases.

How often can I carry out a data transfer?

In the free version of the app “Calories!”, you have 2 data transfers within 12 months. This makes it easy, for example, to transfer all your data when you change devices.

The app “Purine!” and the Pro Platinum version of “Calories!” offer you 5 data transfers within 24 hours. This makes it very easy to use the app on two devices and exchange the data several times a day.

Can I restore a data transfer to multiple devices?

Yes, the number of restores is not limited. It is therefore also possible to use three devices, for example. Please note, however, that a data transfer is only available for 1 hour.

Is the data transfer a full synchronization of my devices?

No, a data transfer is not a full synchronization. During a data transfer, the current data status of one device is completely transferred to another. However, all existing data is deleted on the second device before it is restored.

In other words, there is no mixing of the two data statuses. It is therefore not possible to enter data on both devices at the same time and then synchronize them.

Is a data transfer saved permanently?

No, a data transfer has a lifespan of 1 hour and is then automatically deleted. A data transfer is therefore not suitable as a permanent backup.

How is data protection guaranteed during a data transfer?

There are several aspects to data protection: the anonymity of the user, security during transmission and security during storage on the server.

(1) Anonymity of the user: Each user receives an anonymous ID from the server. Although the server assigns the ID, it does not know to whom. No personal data is required to generate the ID.

The user ID can be displayed in the app at the following location:
Top left menu, Settings, MyCalorieApp server, Anonymous user ID for data transfers

A download code is required to be able to restore a data transfer on another device. The download code is also generated by the server. When the code is entered on the second device, not only is the data backup transferred, but also the user ID. From this point on, the user ID is available on both devices, i.e. the two devices are linked, so to speak. In future, it will no longer be necessary to enter a download code and the data transfer will be even easier and faster.

Neither the user ID nor the download code allow any conclusions to be drawn about the identity of the user.

(2) Security during transmission: All data transfers are encrypted locally on the device. In addition, all communication with the MyCalorieApp server is encrypted. The data is therefore doubly encrypted during transmission.

(3) Security during storage: All data transfers are stored in encrypted form on the MyCalorieApp server.

What is the anonymous user ID for data transfers all about?

In order to make the entire data transfer anonymous, the MyCalorieApp server must not have any knowledge of a user’s identity. How we ensure the anonymity of the user ID is explained in detail in the previous question on data protection.

How can I change the anonymous user ID?

Once you have transferred data from one device (A) to a second device (B), both devices use the same user ID. The two devices are linked, so to speak.

If you now want to transfer the data of a third device (C) to device (B), for example, this is possible with the help of a download code. Create a data transfer on device (C) and enter the generated download code on device (B). Then download the data. This deletes the existing user ID on device (B) and replaces it with the user ID of device (C). From now on, devices (B) and (C) are linked.

Please note that this is a special case. Normally it would be usual to use the same user ID on all three devices (A), (B) and (C). Simply create a data transfer on device (A) and enter the download code on device (B) and then on device (C), download the data in each case, done!

When is a data transfer useful?

In general, a data transfer makes sense if you want to transfer your data from one device to another. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a one-off transfer, e.g. when switching to a new device, or whether you generally use two devices in parallel in everyday life, e.g. a tablet and a smartphone.

However, a data transfer is unsuitable for use as a backup. As the lifespan of a data transfer is only 1 hour, it is not a solution for emergencies.

Can I also transfer data to another app?

No, a data transfer is always linked to an app. It is not possible to transfer data between different apps, e.g. from “Purine!” to “Calories!” or “MyCalorieApp”.

What options are there for transferring data? (Calories! and Purine!)

1. Data Transfer

Top left menu, Settings, Data Transfer
All data
MyCalorieApp server
Lifetime: 1 hour
Max. 5 transfers in 24 hours (Purine! and Pro Platinum version of Calories!) or 2 transfers per year (free version of Calories!)
Advantages: Easy transfer, pairing of devices, 2 or more devices possible
Disadvantages: No mixing of data statuses, no unlimited storage, no automatic synchronization

2. Backup

Top left menu, Settings, Backup
All data
Google Drive or locally on the device, manual transfer of the backup file possible
Lifetime: unlimited
Unlimited number of backups
Advantages: Full control, backup with unlimited lifetime, 2 or more devices possible
Disadvantages: More complex than data transfer, no mixing of data states, manual transfer requires Android knowledge, no automatic synchronization

3. QR Code

Open your user-defined food or recipe in edit mode, top right menu, Share
1 food or 1 recipe
QR code
Lifetime: as long as QR code is displayed
Unlimited number of QR codes
Advantages: Food and recipes can be shared with other users, e.g. within the family
Disadvantages: Only 1 food or recipe at a time, both devices must be in the same room, no automatic synchronization

Log-in and Server

How can I delete my own data from MyCalorieApp?

You can delete your data directly from the app: Top left menu, Settings, MyCalorieApp server, “Delete user generated data”.

In the same screen you can also lock your user account if needed: “Deactivate account”.

If necessary, you can irrevocably delete your user account and all associated data: “Delete user account”.

Why are Facebook and Amazon logins no longer supported?

We no longer want to cooperate with Facebook. Facebook has been in the headlines since 2018: Cambridge Analytica, influencing voters through targeted political ads, knowingly allowing lies and untruths to be spread. Facebook got a huge ethical problem.

Our apps have not shown any Facebook ads for a while. Now we’re going to take the next step and no longer support logging in with Facebook. From March 1st, 2021, it will no longer be possible to log into MyCalorieApp with Facebook.

We will also retire our Facebook page in March 2021 and our X/Twitter page in June 2024. Follow us on Bluesky for the latest news: https://bsky.app/profile/digitalcure.bsky.social

The registration with Amazon was intended for the Amazon App Shop. MyCalorieApp should also be distributed for Amazon devices and therefore an Amazon login was mandatory. Unfortunately, it was never published on Amazon. Very few users currently use Amazon to sign in, which is why we decided to no longer support Amazon. From March 1st, 2021, it will no longer be possible to log into MyCalorieApp with Amazon.

Will my data be retained when the Facebook / Amazon log-in is retired?

Yes, basically no data is deleted when the Facebook and Amazon login is no longer available. The previous storage periods continue to apply. However, we recommend that you migrate your data to a new user account as soon as possible.

How can I switch from Facebook / Amazon to a different login without losing my data?

You can easily migrate your data yourself up to and including February 28th, 2021. Please log in to MyCalorieApp with your Facebook or Amazon account. On the dashboard you will find a new tile and a button to start the account migration. You can use an existing user account or create a new one. After the successful login, your data will be migrated automatically.

After the migration, your previous user account will be automatically deactivated in order to avoid accidental login. The app returns to the login screen and you can now log in with your new user account.

What happens to my Facebook / Amazon log-in after the change date has expired?

From March 1st, 2021, it will no longer be possible to log in with a Facebook or Amazon account, i.e. You can no longer migrate your data yourself. Please contact the support team and provide us with the email addresses of the two user accounts (retired account + new account). We will do our best to migrate your data as soon as possible.

Network and Battery Usage

Why does the app consume a part of my montly network traffic limit? (Calories!)

The network traffic is caused by ads, and the synchronization with the associated app store. We have to use ads to make this app freely available to all customers and we ask for your understanding. Since October 2013 there’s an ad-free version – please open the menu at the upper left corner and choose Shop.

Why does the app consume X percent of my battery?

The biggest energy consumer is the screen of the device. But without the screen the device is unusable, sadly… The app itself doesn’t do background activities, when it is invisible to the user – no calculations, no downloads, etc. If you’re using the app very intensively, the battery consumption rise. Just like every other app would do too.

Organizational Things

How to become a Beta Tester?

You have to click one of these links…

MyCalorieApp: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/org.digitalcure.ccnf.world
Calories!: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/org.digitalcure.ccnf.app
Purine!: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/org.digitalcure.ccnf.gout2

…and confirm your role as a Beta Tester. You’ll get the latest Beta version from the Google Play Store.

You may write your feedback directly to our support team using e-mail: support@mycalorieapp.de

You may cancel the Beta Test at any time and return to the regular version.

Can you please tell me something about your plans for the next versions of the app? When will feature XYZ be released?

Please contact us via e-mail, if you should have any questions concerning new features.

How long does the app still support my Android version?

In spring 2019 we discontinued the support for Android 4.x. Starting from summer 2020, we will discontinue the support of another Android version year by year. Our goal is to actively support every Android version for about 6 years.

The minimum requirements in detail:
from August 2022: Oreo, Android 8.0
from August 2023: Pie, Android 9.0
from August 2024: (no change)
from August 2025: Android 10
from August 2026: Android 11
from August 2027: Android 12
from August 2028: Android 13
etc.

Important: Even if the Android version of your device is no longer actively supported by us, you can continue to use the app as usual. You just don’t get any new updates anymore. Apart from that, nothing will change for you.

I have installed the free trial version of “Purin!”, but I no longer want to use it after the trial period. Do I have to cancel my subscription?

No. By installing the free trial version, you are of course not entering into any obligation. After the trial period has expired, the app functions can no longer be used and you will be automatically redirected to the store.

You will only be charged if you actively start a subscription or purchase the lifetime version. As long as you do not start a purchase or subscription yourself, there are no obligations. Consequently, you cannot cancel a subscription.

Which features have been moved to the free version or the Pro version? (Calories! version 9.1)

Since the apps “Calories!” and “MyCalorieApp” are getting closer and closer together, we would also like to adjust the availability of the individual functions in the free version and in the Pro version. This should make it easier for users to switch between the apps and at the same time it will reduce the maintenance effort at the source code level. Unfortunately, it’s unavoidable that some functions that were previously free of cost are now part of the Pro version. In return, however, other functions are no longer subject to a charge and are therefore available to all users.

The following features of “Calories!” are usable free of charge since version 9.1:

Current value of fructose,
Current value of vitamin D,
Current value and daily value of vitamin B3,
Current value of vitamin B12,
Current value and daily value of vitamin K,
Preview when adding a consumption for fructose, vitamin D, vitamin B3, vitamin B12, vitamin K,
Preview of foods and recipes for fructose, vitamin D, vitamin B3, vitamin B12, vitamin K,
Express input for consumption,
Express input for trainings,
Extracting recipes in “My Day”.

The following features of “Calories!” are in the Pro or Pro Platinum version starting with version 9.1:

Previous and next period in the analysis (Pro) (a single day in free version),
Free choice of start and end date for periods in the analysis (Pro),
Select any period in the analysis (Pro),
Evaluate meals (Pro Platinum),
Unlimited number of recipes (Pro) (25 recipes in free version).
Individual daily values (Pro).

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the support team.

Is the app available as an open source project and how can I create a fork of it?

Our apps aren’t open source and that’s why you cannot create a fork.