Barcode scanner
Answers
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moving on to another app... after 11 years.. SMH5
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The barcode scanner is just a different way to search the database: instead of scanning, you'll have to enter keywords and then select the right entry.
Yes but it pulls ONE hit. Which in my experience gets it right >95% of the time. I only need to correct if wrong. Which for me is rare ( I may be unusual in this respect).
It takes 3 seconds and is discrete. Type-searching the database takes much longer and draws everyone’s attention to what I’m doing and usually gives me 100 dodgy hits because I don’t know what format the original contributor to the database saved the stuff as.
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The barcode scanner is just a different way to search the database: instead of scanning, you'll have to enter keywords and then select the right entry.
Yes but it pulls ONE hit. Which in my experience gets it right >95% of the time. I only need to correct if wrong. Which for me is rare ( I may be unusual in this respect).
It takes 3 seconds and is discrete. Type-searching the database takes much longer and draws everyone’s attention to what I’m doing and usually gives me 100 dodgy hits because I don’t know what format the original contributor to the database saved the stuff as.
If you use a food item more often it's always at the top of the list, thus the scanner is not necessarily faster. I usually find onions and garlic in the commonly used items list without having to search for them. For some reason a good entry for avocado refuses to end up in that list though. No idea why.0 -
That is scummy.
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Honestly? I'm most frustrated by the fact that so many people feel the need to create posts about the same damn thing that 100 other people are already complaining about. Pick one of the existing threads and complain there... no need to further muck up the forums.4
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The barcode scanner is just a different way to search the database: instead of scanning, you'll have to enter keywords and then select the right entry.
Yes but it pulls ONE hit. Which in my experience gets it right >95% of the time. I only need to correct if wrong. Which for me is rare ( I may be unusual in this respect).
It takes 3 seconds and is discrete. Type-searching the database takes much longer and draws everyone’s attention to what I’m doing and usually gives me 100 dodgy hits because I don’t know what format the original contributor to the database saved the stuff as.
If you use a food item more often it's always at the top of the list, thus the scanner is not necessarily faster. I usually find onions and garlic in the commonly used items list without having to search for them. For some reason a good entry for avocado refuses to end up in that list though. No idea why.
I freakin' hate the avocado glitch! Bah! It's the same for "salt" and a couple other ones. Plus garlic I have to remember to use it per clove, not by grams or else drama ensues in the resulting line entry of 4,265 calories
Computers make my life easier. Maybe.
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Honestly? I'm most frustrated by the fact that so many people feel the need to create posts about the same damn thing that 100 other people are already complaining about. Pick one of the existing threads and complain there... no need to further muck up the forums.
For some reason it's also bugging me that the complaint is most people's first post.
I mean, it's obviously not a requirement to post in the forums if you're on here but I'm seeing a whole lot of tantrums being had.2 -
I laughed so hard this morning when I read the e-mail. It's interesting that so many of you are upset by this move because you've found the function to be so helpful but aren't willing to pay for it.
I, on the other hand, won't be paying for it for the opposite reason. There is SO MUCH WORK that goes into using the barcode scanner on the user end, getting wrong entries, then fixing the wrong entries, searching for correct entries in the database to match them to the barcode, or creating new entries altogether. That's what makes the app so unique. It really takes all users working together to update the database so it's easier to use for the next person. But it's like digging in sand. You never really get ahead. You can only fix what you get your hands on, but the bad entries just keep coming. It was barely worth using the barcode scanner FOR FREE. I can't imagine any seasoned user paying for the inconvenience. You'll probably get a lot of new users who think "wow that's such a cool and helpful feature" and shell out the money, only to find out how frustrating it really is, and either move on to something else, or just not renew.
Also, have fun with how even more bloated and redundant the database will become. If I search something manually with all the correct words and can't find the right one within a few swipes, I'm just creating a new one. Sorry not sorry.
Personally, my whole weight journey is chronicled in the MFP app and I'm pretty attached to it at this point. I will do just fine without the barcode scanner. Peace.1 -
I wholeheartedly agree with Jeremy up above! I’m sorry, but this really is not ideal for me any longer. I will be searching and researching other apps. That feature was the main reason for me personally. I am sure all of my friends will be searching elsewhere as well. We were all discussing how this just sucks. I feel this was one of the best features and now you’re taking it away for $. Imagine that. The world revolves around money. What a disaster this world has become.4
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cmriverside wrote: »
The barcode scanner is just a different way to search the database: instead of scanning, you'll have to enter keywords and then select the right entry.
Yes but it pulls ONE hit. Which in my experience gets it right >95% of the time. I only need to correct if wrong. Which for me is rare ( I may be unusual in this respect).
It takes 3 seconds and is discrete. Type-searching the database takes much longer and draws everyone’s attention to what I’m doing and usually gives me 100 dodgy hits because I don’t know what format the original contributor to the database saved the stuff as.
If you use a food item more often it's always at the top of the list, thus the scanner is not necessarily faster. I usually find onions and garlic in the commonly used items list without having to search for them. For some reason a good entry for avocado refuses to end up in that list though. No idea why.
I freakin' hate the avocado glitch! Bah! It's the same for "salt" and a couple other ones. Plus garlic I have to remember to use it per clove, not by grams or else drama ensues in the resulting line entry of 4,265 calories
Computers make my life easier. Maybe.
This is definitely something I want to pay $80/year for. :laugh: 🙃1 -
So, I think this is more about principle.
Whether you use the barcode scanner or not, think about the fact that the owners of MFP are willing to take away functionality for people who are trying to be healthy and lose weight.
What does that say about their priorities?
Do you want to keep supporting a company like that?
If MFP needed more people to subscribe or pay for features, there are SO many other great ways to make it happen. For example, if the food database were streamlined to ONLY include foods with accurate calorie counts and accurate barcodes at the subscription level, I would ABSOLUTELY pay for that!!
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The barcode scanner just brings you to the same wrong entries you'd find if you searched manually. Then you have go match the correct one, fix it, make a new one, whatever. I'm not paying to do all that work. I won't miss it.0
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Walkywalkerson wrote: »Don't worry about it - you can enter all your foods manually and if you don't want to there are other apps with a free barcode scanner - don't sweat the small stuff 😁
Honestly, this move is going to wreak absolute havoc on the database. If I can't type in the exact brand name and description and quickly find the correct entry, I'm making a new one. Good luck dealing with that mess, MFP.1 -
jeremywm1977 wrote: »A little thing about "premium" content is it's usually content that has been developed after the application's inception, functionality that enhances the user experience.
You don't do this with something that's long-established, has always been a part of the free experience.....being blunt, that's called "*kitten* over" your loyal fanbase.
I guess the great minds at MFP can't think of any new functionality to make a premium membership worth it, so next up is systematically stripping away the popular content and making it premium.
The great minds of MFP are a private-equity firm that owns it now. MFP hasn't been a privately run company since 2015 when Mike Lee sold it to Under Armour. I believe UA had good intentions for the app but they could never take it to the next level and were losing money so they sold it to a private-equity firm in 2020. It is now just simply one of many asset holdings of a private-equity firm who I'm sure have little interest in the actual app itself as long as it generates revenue.5 -
So, I think this is more about principle.
Whether you use the barcode scanner or not, think about the fact that the owners of MFP are willing to take away functionality for people who are trying to be healthy and lose weight.
What does that say about their priorities?
Do you want to keep supporting a company like that?
If MFP needed more people to subscribe or pay for features, there are SO many other great ways to make it happen. For example, if the food database were streamlined to ONLY include foods with accurate calorie counts and accurate barcodes at the subscription level, I would ABSOLUTELY pay for that!!
It's owned by an investment firm...the only thing an investment firm cares about is revenues coming in. A private-equity firm doesn't care about your health and well-being. It's just one of many asset holdings in a portfolio. It hasn't been privately owned since 2015 when Mike Lee sold it to UA and then UA sold it to this private-equity firm at a massive loss to UA in 2020.2 -
PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »I laughed so hard this morning when I read the e-mail. It's interesting that so many of you are upset by this move because you've found the function to be so helpful but aren't willing to pay for it.
I, on the other hand, won't be paying for it for the opposite reason. There is SO MUCH WORK that goes into using the barcode scanner on the user end, getting wrong entries, then fixing the wrong entries, searching for correct entries in the database to match them to the barcode, or creating new entries altogether. That's what makes the app so unique. It really takes all users working together to update the database so it's easier to use for the next person. But it's like digging in sand. You never really get ahead. You can only fix what you get your hands on, but the bad entries just keep coming. It was barely worth using the barcode scanner FOR FREE. I can't imagine any seasoned user paying for the inconvenience. You'll probably get a lot of new users who think "wow that's such a cool and helpful feature" and shell out the money, only to find out how frustrating it really is, and either move on to something else, or just not renew.
Also, have fun with how even more bloated and redundant the database will become. If I search something manually with all the correct words and can't find the right one within a few swipes, I'm just creating a new one. Sorry not sorry.
Personally, my whole weight journey is chronicled in the MFP app and I'm pretty attached to it at this point. I will do just fine without the barcode scanner. Peace.
I'll be completely honest. When I first got the email, my first instinct was to leave. Find another app. But man, when I tried to log my foods in another app, I quickly realized that everything that I've done (losing 140lbs) is here, in mfp. all my recipes, all my foods, everything. It's so much harder to leave, so honestly I started thinking maybe I should pay for the scanner. But like you, I find almost everything I try to look up is incorrect and I end up creating new items anyway.
I am thinking I am staying here, unless something magical comes along. LOL1 -
Add to this that we are now being advertised to in a manner reminiscent of when I used to illegally watch soccer games online. A different place to close the ad every time. So f’ing juvenile.3
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Deleting your app since ypu want to charge for barcode. There's lots of other apps put there, cya1
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This is how you lose people and get bad reviews. People get greedy for money now they’re charging $80 a year just so you can scan a barcode. Totally unfair for people who have been using the app for a long time. Maybe someone sees this and changes there new rule or a lot of people will change apps that doesn’t charge. It shouldn’t be an added feature to be paying for.3
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You're taking a fundamental feature of calorie counting apps and expecting users to pay $20/mo or $80/yr for it?
On top of that, the data is all crowd-sourced... it's ridiculous that you would charge for a basic feature.
I seriously hope you reconsider this decision because it makes the app basically useless without premium.5 -
On October 1, I will be leaving MFP for another calorie counter. It’s pretty frustrating that they want to take away things in the lure to get you to pay for premium. You should be offering more to your loyal customers. I’ve been using MFP for over 4100 days. I wish everyone the best of luck with your journey, the latest weight loss I’m enjoying has come from tracking my macros more than my calories. I hope MFP decides taking a scanner, a useful tool away, may drive folks away rather than getting them to pay.3
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What program?0
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Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner5
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TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too3 -
CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too
It really works! Too bad I can’t get a date there2 -
TwitchyMagee wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too
It really works! Too bad I can’t get a date there
😂
That's why we are still here. 🤣1 -
CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too
It really works! Too bad I can’t get a date there
😂
That's why we are still here. 🤣
I just use it to try and recruit people to my Discord. 😈3 -
piggy_smalls wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too
It really works! Too bad I can’t get a date there
😂
That's why we are still here. 🤣
I just use it to try and recruit people to my Discord. 😈
That sounds like troubleI like it 🤣😂0 -
CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »piggy_smalls wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too
It really works! Too bad I can’t get a date there
😂
That's why we are still here. 🤣
I just use it to try and recruit people to my Discord. 😈
That sounds like troubleI like it 🤣😂
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TwitchyMagee wrote: »CoffeeNstilettos wrote: »TwitchyMagee wrote: »Good luck! In case anyone still cares I track my calories and other things using LoseIt. Their free version still has a barcode scanner
That's what I use to track everything too
It really works! Too bad I can’t get a date there
I track calories on Tinder and date here.1
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