BodyDex guide

Local-first nutrition tracker — your food log stays on your phone

What a private calorie tracker looks like in practice: on-device storage, no account, no ad SDKs — and the tradeoffs stated plainly. Updated September 6, 2026.

A clearer view of your data
01Core logs on-device02You choose to share03Online AI is optional

The short answer

Your core food, workout and protocol logs live on your device.

  • No BodyDex account required
  • AI features process selected data online
More context

BodyDex stores food logs, weight, recipes, workouts, and protocol logs in a local SQLite database on your device. No BodyDex account is required for core tracking, and there is no centralized database of user food entries. AI features send selected inputs and relevant context for processing, as explained in the privacy policy. The app ships with zero ad SDKs. The tradeoffs are real too: no multi-device sync yet, and deleting the app removes its local database. There's no in-app restore; an iOS device backup may retain app data depending on your settings, but recovery is not guaranteed. Export a readable copy (Profile → Export Data, JSON or CSV) before reinstalling.

What local-first actually means

Your data lives in on-device SQLite

Food logs, weight history, recipes, workouts, and protocol logs are stored in a local SQLite database on your phone. That's not a marketing abstraction — it's a database file on your device, not a row in a vendor's cloud.

No account required for core tracking

You can log food, weight, workouts, and protocols without creating a BodyDex account. Some optional services and subscriptions involve account or purchase information, as described in the privacy policy; core local tracking does not require sign-in.

No centralized database of your food entries

There is no centralized BodyDex database of your food entries. Selected information can still be processed by online features or shared by you, as described in the privacy policy. Local storage is not a guarantee against device access, security incidents, or lawful disclosure of information a service holds.

AI features process selected data online

AI scanning and coaching send selected photos, questions and relevant context for processing. The coach can use context from your logs to answer you. Scan-accuracy reports can include a photo if you choose to attach one. Our privacy policy explains what is sent, retention, and how AI providers may use submitted content.

Zero ad SDKs

BodyDex ships with no advertising SDKs. Nothing in the app is instrumented to build an ad profile from your eating habits, weight, or protocols.

You choose which food databases are used

Profile → Food Databases shows which source powers food search, barcode scans, and AI scans, and has a switch to turn any of them off (one search database always stays on so search keeps working). Foods from the community database, Open Food Facts, are labeled as community data with a note that entries can be inaccurate, and you can flag incorrect data from the food detail screen.

Export and delete are yours

Export your data as JSON or CSV from Profile → Export Data any time. Delete everything from Profile just as easily. Local-first means the data is yours to take or destroy — no support ticket required.

The honest tradeoffs

No multi-device sync today

Because your data lives on one device, it doesn't follow you to a second phone or tablet automatically. Sync is on the roadmap; until then, one device holds the log. Exports give you a readable copy of your records, but there is no import to load them into another install.

Deleting the app can lose your local history

Deleting the app removes its local database, and BodyDex has no server copy or in-app restore. An iOS device backup may retain app data depending on your settings; recovery is not guaranteed. Android OS backup is disabled for BodyDex. Before deleting, reinstalling or switching phones, use Profile → Export Data to save a readable copy. The app cannot import that export back into your log.

Exports are a portable copy, not a restorable backup

There is no BodyDex server copy to restore from, and the current app has no import or restore feature. An export (JSON or CSV) is a portable copy of your logged records — it doesn't include image files or every setting, and the app can't read it back in. On iOS your data can ride along with device backups depending on your settings; the Android build opts out of OS backups entirely.

How to export your data

  1. 1Open the Profile tab

    Your data controls live in Profile — no settings maze, no support ticket.

  2. 2Tap Export Data

    Choose JSON (full structured export) or CSV (spreadsheet-friendly). The export covers your logs — food, weight, recipes, workouts, protocols.

  3. 3Save the file somewhere you control

    Files app, cloud drive, email to yourself — anywhere off the phone. This file is a portable copy of your records; BodyDex has no server copy, and the current app has no import or restore feature to read it back in.

  4. 4Repeat before any reinstall or phone switch

    Deleting the app removes its local database. Export before deleting, reinstalling or switching phones: BodyDex has no in-app restore, and an OS backup is not guaranteed. To clear local records on purpose, use the delete option in Profile; externally shared copies follow their own retention rules.

FAQ

What does "local-first" actually mean here?

Your food logs, weight, recipes, workouts, and protocol logs are stored in a SQLite database on your device. Core tracking works without a BodyDex account, and there is no centralized server-side database of user food entries. It's an architecture statement, not a slogan.

Do AI features break the privacy model?

Local storage does not mean every feature stays offline. AI features send selected inputs and relevant context for processing; exports, sharing and optional integrations can also send data off the device. Your core logs remain stored locally. Read the privacy policy for the data sent by each feature and provider-retention details.

Does BodyDex show ads or use ad SDKs?

No. There are zero advertising SDKs in the app. BodyDex is funded by Premium subscriptions, not by monetizing your eating data.

What happens to my data if I delete the app?

Deleting the app removes its local database. BodyDex has no server copy or in-app restore. Depending on your settings, an iOS device backup may contain app data; restoring it is an OS-level process and is not guaranteed. BodyDex opts out of Android OS backups. Export JSON or CSV before deleting, reinstalling or switching phones to keep a readable copy, but the app cannot import it. Copies previously exported or sent to online services are not erased by uninstalling.

Can I use BodyDex on two devices?

Not with synced data today — multi-device sync is on the roadmap. Right now each install keeps its own local database. Exports give you a readable copy of your records, but there is no import in the current app, so an export can't be loaded into a second device.

Is my data encrypted or immune to breaches?

No system is immune to security incidents. Your local database relies on device protections such as your passcode and OS encryption. BodyDex has no centralized food-entry database, but selected data sent to online features, exported copies and device backups have separate handling and risks. Our privacy policy explains these boundaries.

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Your nutrition, decoded.

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Track food, weight, workouts, and protocols with your data in a local database on your own phone.

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