CarbCam – AI-Powered Carb Recognition
CarbCam – AI-Powered Carb Recognition
Take a photo of your meal – CarbCam identifies the food and estimates carbohydrates, fat, protein and FPU.
1. Overview
CarbCam is an app for people with diabetes that uses artificial intelligence (Claude AI by Anthropic) to recognise meals from photos and provide a nutritional estimate – including carbohydrates, fat, protein, fat-protein units (FPU) and glycaemic index (GI).
Supported AI providers: Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, OpenAI, Zhipu GLM and Azure OpenAI – configurable in the app settings. Optional Nightscout integration for BG curves and meal sync — works with any Nightscout instance. No Nightscout yet? Managed Nightscout hosting at ns.10be.de from €4.99/month.
2. Features
Photo Analysis
- Photograph a meal – the AI identifies individual foods and portion sizes
- Results: carbs (g), fat (g), protein (g), FPU, GI per item and totals
- Supports packaged products (barcodes, labels) and freshly prepared dishes
Smart Caching
- Identical photos are answered instantly from cache – no repeated API call
- Similar images (different device, slightly different angle) are matched via perceptual hash
- Faster responses, lower costs
Photo History
- All analysed photos are stored in your history
- Available even after reinstalling the app (bound to your installation)
- Feedback feature: rate results to help improve recognition
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)
- Optionally provide your own Anthropic API key
- Your requests are then billed to your own Anthropic account
- Without your own key, the server-side key is used (subject to plan limits)
Restaurant reminder new
- Optional, default off – once enabled in the app settings, CarbCam reminds you to photograph your meal when you stay at a restaurant longer than your configured threshold
- Threshold freely configurable from 10 to 90 minutes in 5-minute steps
- Three actions directly from the notification: mute 30 min, mute 2 h, or never remind at this place again
- Privacy-friendly: location is evaluated on-device and never sent to our servers
3. Screenshots
Scan Tab
Result
History
BG Graph
4. Download
5. Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the AI estimate?
Accuracy depends heavily on the dish. For clearly identifiable single foods (e.g. an apple, a slice of bread) the estimate is often very close. For mixed dishes (casseroles, soups) the deviation may be larger. CarbCam always provides an estimate, not a replacement for weighing or measuring.
Do I need an account?
No. CarbCam works without an account and without registration. If you use Nightscout, you enter your Nightscout URL and API secret in the settings – then you see BG curves and can sync meals. CarbCam works with any Nightscout instance; if you don't have one yet, you can get managed Nightscout hosting at ns.10be.de.
What does CarbCam cost?
The app is free to install with a limited monthly analysis quota. For more analyses you book a monthly subscription (15/25/35/50/75/100 analyses) via App Store or Google Play. Alternatively you can store your own API key (BYOK) – then you pay the AI provider directly and don't need a subscription.
Are my photos stored?
Your photo is sent to the ns.10be.de server and forwarded to the selected AI provider for analysis. A downsized thumbnail and the analysis result are stored in the cache so that repeated requests can be answered faster. Original photos are not permanently stored on the server. You can delete your stored data at any time via the app.
Can I use my own API key?
Yes. In the app settings you can add your own Anthropic API key. Your requests will then be billed to your own Anthropic account. The server validates the key on every request – if it is invalid or empty, you will receive an error (no silent fallback to the server key).
6. Important Notes & Disclaimer
AI-Based Estimate – Not a Medical Device
CarbCam uses artificial intelligence (Claude AI by Anthropic) to identify food and estimate nutritional values. The results are automated estimates and may be incorrect, incomplete or inaccurate.
CarbCam is not a medical device and is no substitute for professional dietary advice, weighing, measuring or medical recommendations. The app serves exclusively as a guidance tool.
Disclaimer
- 10BE Software UG (haftungsbeschränkt) assumes no liability for the accuracy, completeness or reliability of the nutritional information provided by CarbCam.
- Use of CarbCam is at your own risk. Insulin dosing or other medical decisions must never be based solely on CarbCam results.
- No recommendation regarding diet, insulin dosing or therapy is made.
- Allergens, intolerances and special dietary requirements are not reliably detected by the AI – always verify these yourself.
- Availability of the service is not guaranteed. The service may be changed, restricted or discontinued at any time.
Privacy
Photos are transmitted to our server and from there to the Anthropic API for analysis. Our privacy policy and the Anthropic privacy policy apply. We do not permanently store original photos. Cache entries (downsized thumbnail + analysis result) are automatically deleted after 30 days.