FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Short answers. For the full explanation of anything here, the help center goes deeper.
Is Food Loops free?
Food Loops is free to download and free to use for barcode scanning, manual entry, your own food library, the diary, weight tracking and forecasting, water and step tracking, streaks, widgets, reminders and data export. A Pro subscription costs $3.99 per month or $29.99 per year and adds the AI features: photo scanning, logging by description, diet insights, the menu scanner, the meal planner, and blood sugar analysis.
Read more →Do I need an account to use Food Loops?
No. There is no account, no login and no password. Food Loops never asks for an email address or a name. Your data is stored locally on your device, so there is nothing to sign in to.
Read more →Where is my food log data stored?
In a SQLite database on your phone. Food logs, weights, water, notes and settings never leave the device. The only requests that go to a server are AI ones — a photo you are scanning, a description you are logging, a barcode lookup, or a summary of logs when you ask for an insight — and those carry an anonymous identifier and nothing that identifies you.
Read more →How does Food Loops calculate my calorie target?
It calculates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, multiplies by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9 to get TDEE, then applies an offset based on your chosen rate of weight change at 3,500 calories per pound. The result is never allowed below 1,000 calories.
Read more →Why is my protein target based on my goal weight?
Because protein should track the body composition you are working toward rather than the one you are leaving behind. Anchoring protein to current weight sets a target that is too high throughout a long weight loss and drops the moment you arrive. Protein is capped at 80% of total calories so there is always room for fat and carbohydrate.
Read more →How accurate is the AI food scanning?
It is good at identifying what a food is and reasonable at estimating portion size, but it is an estimate — a model cannot know how much oil was in the pan. For packaged food, scanning the barcode returns the manufacturer's actual label data and will always be more accurate. For meals you eat often, entering them manually once from a recipe beats repeated estimation.
Read more →Does barcode scanning use AI?
No. Barcode scans look the product up in the Open Food Facts and Edamam databases and return the real label data with no model involved. That is also why barcode scanning is free and unlimited while the AI features are not.
Read more →What is the Satiety Score?
A 0 to 100 rating of how filling a food is per calorie. It weighs protein at 35%, fiber at 20%, energy density at 25%, and a palatability component at 20% that penalises fat-and-sugar combinations, heavy sugar and heavy sodium. Scores of 0 to 33 are low satiety, 34 to 66 moderate, and 67 to 100 high.
Read more →How does the weight forecast work?
Food Loops fits an exponentially weighted least-squares regression through your last 180 days of weigh-ins, with recent readings weighted more heavily and statistical outliers removed, then draws a 95% prediction interval around the projection. When it does not have enough consistent data to be confident, it declines to show a projected goal date rather than guessing.
Read more →Can I use Food Loops with a continuous glucose monitor?
Yes, on iOS. Connect a HealthKit-compatible CGM such as a Dexcom or FreeStyle Libre, enable Blood Sugar Insights in settings, and Food Loops overlays your glucose readings on your logged meals to show which foods move your blood sugar. This feature is not available on Android yet.
Read more →How do I move my data to a new phone?
Export a backup from Settings, then Export, Import & Reset, save the JSON file somewhere, and import it on the new device. Because there is no account, there is no automatic sync — this is the direct trade-off for keeping your data off a server. Back up before you switch phones, since uninstalling deletes the database.
Read more →Does Food Loops sell my data?
No. There is no server-side store of food logs to sell from. The app uses Sentry for crash reporting, Firebase Analytics for anonymous usage events and RevenueCat for payments, and shares data with no one else.
Read more →How do I cancel my subscription?
Through Settings, Subscription in the app, or from your App Store or Google Play account settings. Cancelling stops the renewal, and Pro access continues until the end of the period you have already paid for.
Read more →Is Food Loops medical advice?
No. Food Loops is for information and education only. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Calorie and macro targets come from population-level formulas that cannot account for your individual circumstances. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before making significant dietary changes.
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