Help

Logging a meal

How do I scan a meal?

Open the camera in Luca, fit the meal inside the square frame and take the photo. In a few seconds you get an item list with an estimate of calories, protein, carbs and fat. If no meal is in view the camera gently says so, and when Luca is unsure it asks one quick question about the portion. Check the result, change anything that is off, and log it.

The estimate looks wrong. What do I do?

Edit it. Every item and every number in a result can be changed. The quickest way is Fix with words: type a sentence such as "the rice was brown, no butter" and Luca updates the result. You get up to 5 fixes per meal and they do not use a scan. Photo estimates are approximate: a photo cannot show cooking oil, dressings or how full a bowl is. Luca learns your usual portions from your corrections, on your phone.

Estimates are usually closer when the whole plate is in the frame, the light is good, foods are not stacked on top of each other, and you add what cannot be seen.

Can I log without a photo?

Yes. You can say what you ate (Luca records up to 20 seconds and sends the audio to our server to be turned into text), type a short description, scan the barcode of a packaged food, or pick a recent or favorite meal and log it again with one tap.

I forgot to log yesterday. Can I add it?

Yes. Swipe back through earlier days on the home screen and add a meal to a past day. Your streak accepts a meal added for yesterday or the day before.

Where do the calorie and macro numbers come from?

Luca's AI works out what the food is and how much. Calories and macros are then calculated from a nutrition database where the food is recognised. When a food is not recognised in the database, Luca uses its own estimate for that item and treats the result as less certain. Because the portion is estimated, the result is still approximate.

A barcode was not found, or the numbers differ from the pack

Packaged food data comes from Open Food Facts, an open database that volunteers add to. Some products are missing and some entries are out of date. If a barcode is not found, photograph the nutrition label and Luca reads the numbers from it, or type them in. Reading a label does not use a scan. If the numbers differ from the label in your hand, trust the label and edit the entry.

Plans

How many scans do I get on the free plan?

1 AI scan a day. A scan is one AI estimate from a photo, a spoken description or a typed description. Barcode scanning, label reading, Fix with words and manual entry do not count. The count starts again each day.

What is Luca Pro and what does it cost?

Luca Pro gives unlimited AI scans (fair-use limits apply). In the US it is $6.99 a week, $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year; prices vary by region. It is an auto-renewing subscription billed through Apple.

How do I cancel Luca Pro?

On your iPhone open Settings, tap your name, tap Subscriptions, choose Luca and tap Cancel Subscription. You keep Pro until the end of the period you paid for. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.

How do I get a refund?

Apple handles payments and refunds. Request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Friends

How do I add a friend?

Each person has a 4-character code. Share yours, or enter a friend's code, and the other person accepts. No phone number, contact list or email is used. You pick a display name and one of twelve avatars of Luca the poodle and Mino the cat.

What kinds of challenge are there?

Three: longest streak, most days logged, and most goal days, which counts the days you reached your own goal. Challenges never compare what or how much anyone ate.

What is a streak freeze?

One streak freeze a week covers a day you miss, so a single missed day does not end your streak.

What do friends see about me?

Your display name, your avatar, your streak, whether you logged today, whether you reached your goal today, and your badges. They never see calories, macros, meals or photos.

iPhone

How do I turn Apple Health on or off?

Apple Health is optional. You can change what Luca may read or write at any time in the Health app: tap your picture, then Apps, then Luca.

How do I add a Luca widget?

Touch and hold an empty area of your Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget, and search for Luca. For the Lock Screen, touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, and add Luca from the widget list.

How do I change or stop reminders?

Change the reminder in Luca's settings, or turn notifications off for Luca in iOS Settings under Notifications.

Your data

Do I need an account?

No. Luca has no sign-up. It uses an anonymous identifier, so there is no password to forget.

How do I delete my data?

Use Delete all data in Luca's settings, or write to support@ege.md. The steps are on the delete-your-data page of this site.

Is Luca medical advice?

No. Luca gives estimates for general information. It is not a medical device and it does not give medical or dietary advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or have or had an eating disorder, talk to a qualified professional about whether tracking food is right for you.

Still stuck?

Write to support@ege.md. Luca is made by one person, so replies can take a day or two.