Use Cases
Privacy-First Gout Tracking: What Stays on Your Device and What Does Not
Gout Radar stores your health records on your device by default and sends only a selected photo when you run a food scan — which is a deliberate choice that matters when the records in question are personal health data.
What “on-device by default” actually means
Every record you create in the app — uric acid lab values, flare entries, medication records, hydration logs, meal records, and notes — is stored in the app’s local storage on your device. There is no automatic sync to a cloud server, no background upload of your health data, and no shared account that someone else could access.
The privacy-by-design feature page explains the technical architecture behind this choice. For the full policy, see the privacy documentation.
What a food scan actually sends
When you run a food scan, the app sends one thing to the analysis service: the photo you selected. It does not send your health profile, your lab results, your symptom history, your medication records, or any other data from your device.
- The selected image is transmitted for analysis.
- The image is deleted after analysis, within 24 hours.
- The structured result — the estimate you see on screen — may be retained on the analysis server for up to 90 days.
- Your health records, labs, symptoms, and medications are never part of the scan transmission.
Notifications and what they do not contain
If you enable push notifications, the notification payload does not include health records, food names, lab values, or symptom descriptions. Notifications may remind you to log or alert you to a feature, but they do not carry personal health data through the push service.
Deletion: what it means and how to do it
There are two layers of data to understand:
- Records on your device: deleting the app removes them. They exist only on your device.
- Scan-related data on the analysis server: the structured results from your food scans may be retained for up to 90 days. To delete these, use Settings → Delete Account & Data, which runs a verified server-deletion workflow.
Signing out of the app is not deletion. If you want your scan-related data removed from the analysis server, you need to run the deletion workflow explicitly.
On-device storage means there is no automatic cloud backup. If your device is lost or damaged, your records go with it. Export a visit summary regularly if you want a personal backup of your data.
How this compares to cloud-synced alternatives
Many health apps sync your records to a cloud server, which gives you cross-device access and automatic backup. The trade-off is that your health records live on a remote server controlled by the app company, subject to their security practices, their breach risk, and their policy changes.
A device-first approach like Gout Radar’s means you do not have automatic cloud backup, but your health records do not live on a remote server. If you lose your device, you lose your records — but no one else gains access to them either.
The right choice depends on your own risk assessment: how sensitive you consider this data, how much you value cross-device access, and how much trust you place in any company’s cloud infrastructure.
The question is not whether device-first is universally better. It is whether it is the right trade-off for the sensitivity of the data you are keeping.
Frequently asked questions
Can I verify that my records are really on my device?
You can check by turning off your network connection and accessing your records in the app. If the records are visible offline, they are stored locally. Cloud-based apps cannot do this.
What happens if I use the app on a shared device?
The records stay on that device. If someone else has access to the device and opens the app, they can see the records. For sensitive health data, a personal device is generally preferable.
If I delete the app, is all my data gone?
Records on the device are removed when the app is deleted. Scan-related data on the analysis server may still exist for up to 90 days. To remove that data, run the deletion workflow in Settings before deleting the app.
Does the app share my data with third parties?
The only external transmission is the photo you select when you run a food scan, sent to the analysis service. No other health records leave your device. See the privacy documentation for the complete policy.
Track it with Gout Radar
Free to start: 3 AI scans a week and unlimited manual records. PRO unlocks unlimited scans, menu comparison, and 30/90-day visit summaries.
Gout Radar provides educational estimates and organizes records. It does not diagnose gout, predict flares, or recommend treatment. Confirm health and treatment decisions with a qualified healthcare professional.