Help & Guides

CarbCam estimates carbohydrates from a photo — fast, private and built for everyday diabetes management. Here you’ll find everything you need to get started and for daily use.

Quick Start

Three steps from camera to carb estimate:

1

Take a Photo

Open the Scan tab and photograph your meal — or choose an image from your gallery.

2

Review Values

CarbCam shows you carbs, kcal, fat, protein and FPU. Adjust if needed.

3

Save

Tap Save. The entry is added to your history and optionally synced to Nightscout.

Topics

Tour

Step by step through all tabs

How It Works

Process, FPU, accuracy

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions & Answers

Screenshots

All screens at a glance

About CarbCam

Concept, architecture, licenses

Quick Answers

Are my photos uploaded to the cloud?

Only for the AI analysis — the image is sent to the selected AI provider, analyzed there and Yes — the photo is sent to the ns.10be.de server and forwarded to the AI provider. A resized thumbnail and the result are cached. Optionally a re-encoded version is stored for your photo history (deletable in app settings). Details: Privacy Policy.

How accurate is the estimate?

Typical deviation: ±20 % for clear portions, ±30 % for complex meals. Packaged products with automatically detected barcode: ±5 %. More details under Accuracy.

Do I need Nightscout?

No. CarbCam works completely on its own. If you use Nightscout, you can display blood glucose values below your meal and sync entries as treatments — but that is optional.

What does CarbCam cost?

The app is free to install. For the AI analysis there is an affordable subscription — details at CarbCam. You can also use your own API key.

Troubleshooting

Scan doesn't work / no result

Check camera permission in your system settings. Take a bright, sharp photo with the full plate in frame. If you use your own API key (BYOK): is the key valid and does it have credit at the provider?

Nightscout connection fails

URL correct (with https://, no trailing slash)? API secret or token configured in NS settings? Server reachable in the browser? Tip: Managed Nightscout hosting on ns.10be.de takes care of the setup.

Meal not showing up in Nightscout

Is treatment upload enabled in the app settings? Does your NS web filter pass through notes? Manual refresh in the NS web view. Re-saving the entry in CarbCam forces a re-sync.

BG analysis: empty text field

AI provider quota reached or BYOK key expired? Use the “New” button in meal detail (fresh call, no cache). For repeat failures, switch provider in settings.

Quota / analysis limit reached

Subscriptions reset on the next billing date (end of billing period). Bonus credits can be purchased as a one-off. Apple Family Sharing is NOT supported for the subscription — each account needs its own subscription.

App crashes or freezes

In Settings → Debug log, export the log and attach it to the feedback form. Restart the device and update to the latest app version.

Direct contact

In-app feedback (Settings → Feedback) or by email to support@carbcam.app.

Need Help?

In-App Feedback

Settings → Feedback — your message goes directly to the developer.

Email

support@carbcam.app

Feedback History

Your feedback history is visible directly in the Feedback screen — with developer replies.

CarbCam – Help