Beginner guide
From install to
first meal log
Follow this once. After that you’ll mostly live on the Today tab — snap, review, save.
What is FitBuddy?
FitBuddy is a free, open-source Android app for tracking food and exercise. You describe a meal with a photo or plain text; an AI you configure estimates calories and macros. Region packs personalise prompts, staples, portion language, and log examples so estimates match how you actually eat — change your region anytime in Settings.
Install
Pick one channel and stick to it (signing keys differ):
- F-Droid
- OpenAPK
- GitHub APK (arm64)
Needs Android 10 or newer.
First-run setup
- Open FitBuddy → start fresh, or restore a backup if you have one.
- Optionally connect an AI provider (OpenRouter is the easiest free option).
- Set profile basics: sex, age, height, weight, activity, goal.
- On some builds you’ll see a short crash reporting opt-in (anonymous; off by default on F-Droid / debug).
- Choose your region pack — this personalises food examples and AI priors. You can change it later under Settings → Preferences.
- Land on Today — your daily calorie ring and log.
No AI key? The offline simulator still lets you explore the logging UI.
Adult calorie and macro targets are calculated on-device and do not require AI. See the calculation methodology for the formulas, activity factors, optional scale-trend rules, and safeguards.
Log food
- Tap the log / + action and choose food.
- Take a photo of the plate or type a freeform description (hints match your region pack).
- Wait for analysis, then open meal review.
- Fix the dish name, drag ingredient weights, confirm macros feel right.
- Save. Bookmark as a preset if you’ll eat it again.
You can always edit a past entry from the day log.
Log workouts
Log a session with AI (e.g. “45 min walk”) or build a structured workout with sets, reps, and weight. Simple AI logs can be upgraded into full editable sessions later.
Progress
The Progress tab shows trends over a rolling window — weight, calories, macros — drawn on-device. Optional Progress Coach can summarize patterns using your AI provider.
AI providers
Configure under Settings:
| Provider | Notes |
|---|---|
| OpenRouter | Free vision models; optional account sign-in |
| Gemini | Google AI Studio key |
| OpenAI | Direct API key |
| Ollama / compatible | Local or any OpenAI-compatible host |
Keys stay in on-device DataStore. They are only sent to the provider you selected when you run an analysis.
Backups
Export an encrypted JSON backup anytime. Optional cloud backup uses your Support ID and AES-256-GCM — details on the encryption page.
Tips
- Well-lit photos of the whole plate work better than close-ups of one bowl.
- Presets beat re-analyzing the same breakfast every day.
- Pick the region pack that matches your usual meals for better priors and portion language.
- Turn on reminders in Settings if you forget to log.
- Crash reports are optional and anonymous — opt out anytime.