Trace Elements is developed and published by Code Cowboys LLC, a Michigan-based software studio. We built Trace Elements with a simple principle: your health data belongs to you, and only you.
Trace Elements does not collect, transmit, store, or share any personal information or health data. Everything you enter into the app stays on your device.
We do not collect:
All data you enter into Trace Elements is stored locally on your device using your device's built-in storage. This data:
If you use your device's built-in backup features (such as iCloud or Google Backup), your app data may be included in those backups according to your device settings and the policies of those services. On Android, the app marks its database and settings as eligible for the system's Google backup and device-to-device transfer, so that your history can be restored when you set up a new phone; whether that backup runs is controlled by your device and Google account settings, not by the app. We have no control over or access to those backups.
Settings → Backup & Restore offers an optional, user-initiated backup to your own cloud account. Nothing is uploaded unless you tap the button.
drive.appdata permission: a hidden folder in your Drive that only Trace Elements can see. The app writes one file there, your backup, and can read back only that file. It cannot see anything else in your Drive.In both cases the backup goes directly from your device to your own Google or Apple account. It never passes through, and is never readable by, Code Cowboys LLC. To stop: use "Sign out" in the app or remove Trace Elements under your Google Account's connected apps; on iPhone, turn off iCloud Drive for Trace Elements in iOS Settings. Deleting the backup file from Drive's app data or from iCloud removes it entirely.
Trace Elements does not integrate any third-party analytics, advertising, crash reporting, or data collection services. We do not use:
Trace Elements works fully offline using its built-in food list. The app makes a network request only when you actively choose to look up a food, dish, or product that isn't already in your local database. Before any such request, the app shows a dialog naming the service it will contact and exactly what will be sent, and nothing is sent unless you confirm. In that case the app contacts the relevant public service directly:
The Pro menu scan can also ask the AI model built into your phone (Gemini Nano on Android, Apple Intelligence on iPhone) to estimate a dish's typical ingredients and portions. That runs entirely on your device: the dish name, the menu text, and the answer never leave it, and phones without such a model simply skip the step. After a barcode or menu scan, ingredients that still lack a value may be looked up by name through the same in-app Google lookup; the scan's consent dialog discloses this before you scan. These requests send only the food or dish name, the ingredient names, or the barcode number. Your daily logs, settings, and saved data are never included and are never transmitted. We do not operate these services, do not receive their responses, and have no involvement in or record of these lookups; each is governed by the privacy practices of the service you contact. If you never trigger a lookup, the app makes no food-data network requests at all.
Barcode scanning uses your device's camera, with your permission, solely to read the barcode in front of it. Camera frames are processed on your device and are never stored, recorded, or uploaded — only the decoded barcode number is used, as described above.
Menu scanning (part of Trace Elements Pro) takes a photograph of a restaurant menu with your camera. The photo is read by text-recognition software running entirely on your device, is deleted immediately after the text has been recognized, and is never stored, uploaded, or shared. The recognized menu text also stays on your device; only the name of the dish you select from the results may be sent, as described above. You can deny or revoke camera permission at any time; every scanning feature is optional.
Optional purchases (the Trace Elements Pro subscription and one-time tips) are processed entirely by the app store you installed from — Google Play on Android, the App Store on iPhone. Code Cowboys LLC never receives or stores your payment details. The app communicates with the store's own billing service on your device to complete purchases and check subscription status; that communication is governed by the store's terms and privacy policy. We receive no personal information from it.
Trace Elements does not collect any data from any users, including children under the age of 13. The app is safe for use by all ages.
Because we do not collect or store any of your data, there is nothing for us to delete on our end. To remove all app data:
If we make changes to this Privacy Policy, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this page. Because we do not collect contact information, we cannot notify you directly of changes. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:
Code Cowboys LLC
Email: [email protected]