20
FOOD
App gets refresh
Updated Carbs & Cals iOS app
launches in December '21.
The latest version of the
popular Carbs & Cals app was
launched on Android in July.
In December the app will be
released on iOS too. From that point,
both platforms will always have the
same features and foods, and any new
functions and content will be added
to both apps at the same time.
If you currently use, or have
previously purchased, the Carbs &
Cals iOS app, be aware that the app
has been totally redesigned with new
and updated features to enhance
your experience. There is a fresh
new design and more intuitive user
interface and a bigger database of
UK foods, including lots more raw
ingredients and plant-based options
with more than 5,000 photos. Going
forward, it is now possible to update
the app regularly, squash bugs, tweak
the design and add useful features.
If you are an existing iOS user
and have previously purchased the
previous version of the Carbs & Cals
app, you will get lifetime access
to the 'legacy' plan, which means
that you will get access to all the
foods in the app that you previously
purchased. You will also get one year
of free access to the 'unlimited' plan.
Your custom foods will be migrated
from the old app to the new one.
However, as the food database has
been significantly upgraded, diary
entries will start afresh, which means
you won't see any diary data from
your old app if you update, but if you
need to retain your existing diary
entries or need any of the removed
features, consider not updating the
app on your device for now
New features
Full menus (including photos) for
Burger King, Costa Coffee, Krispy
Kreme, McDonald's, Subway,
Wagamama, Pizza Express, Nando's,
KFC, Domino's - and more. Food
products (including photos and
portion sizes) for popular UK brands
such as Cadbury, Walkers, Doritos
and KitKat, and more will be added
over time.
There is also a new recipe area,
where you can build your own
home-made recipes that easily show
the nutritional info per serving.
The app has been expanded with
greater access to foods from African,
Arabic, Caribbean and South Asian
communities in the UK (from the
Carbs & Cals World Foods book). In
addition, the carb content of foods
is displayed as blood glucose icons,
visually highlighting each portion's
possible effect on someone's blood
glucose level.
The subscription model has
also been updated so that regular
updates can be supplied along with
new features and an expanding the
food database. The Starter Plan -
with limited foods and features - is
available for free. The Unlimited
Plan, with the full range of foods and
features, is available on a monthly or
yearly fee.
Removed features
The exercise area is gone for now,
but it will be back in a later update.
Likewise, country databases (other
than that of the UK) are gone for
now, but they will be back in a later
update. The preciously available diary
download has also been removed for
the time being, but may be added
back in later, depending on demand.
Ditto, the backup feature has been
removed for now, as research is
being undertaken to initiate a more
effective way to backup and sync
between devices.
What's next
Chris Cheyette and Yello Balolia, the
founders and authors of Carbs &
Cals, "This is the first of many regular
updates we have planned. A sneak
peek of the features and content
we hope to add to the app in the
coming months include lots more
of familiar brands - such BirdsEye,
Coca-Cola, Heinz, Kellogg's, and
Quaker - will be added to the food
database. In addition, we'll be adding
more restaurants, ingredients, plantbased
foods to the database, as well
as your food and drink requests and
suggestions. We will be adding in
recipes from the Carbs & Cals books."
Android users
Android users will get an update
too, which will contain data on more
popular restaurants (such as Pizza
Express, Nando's, KFC and Domino's).
The Targets area will be reinstated
so that users can set up and track
your daily nutrient targets, complete
with graph.
www.carbsandcals.com
Carbs & Cals Five Bean mix screen.