Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to use TrackInvent?

No. No account, no sign-up. iCloud, if you have it, only serves to find your stock again on your other devices.

Does my data go anywhere?

No. It stays on your device and, if you are signed in to iCloud, in the private database of your own account. The publisher has no access to it. There is no advertising, no tracking, no usage analytics.

Why does an item stay listed at zero after "Used"?

Because an item that vanishes on its own is an item you forget to buy again. It stays visible, at zero, until you delete it or restock it.

Why can't I delete my last location?

Every item must be stored somewhere. The app guarantees that at least one location always exists, and offers to create another before you delete this one.

How do I get rid of the "(Ex.)" items?

Options → iCloud sync → Delete the examples. They go in one stroke; locations and categories stay.

I am not getting any notifications.

First check that reminders are on in Options → Notifications, then the permission in the system settings — the screen offers a button to go there when it has been denied. Remember that an item with no expiry date never triggers anything.

What is free, and what is Pro?

Free, with no time limit: items, alerts, notifications, iCloud sync, backups and CSV import — with two locations and one session. TrackInvent Pro (monthly subscription, cancel any time in your Apple ID settings) lifts those two limits and adds barcode scanning, reading the printed date, CSV export, sharing a session with other people (taking part is free), location QR labels, a session's PDF report and the shelf photo. What you already have is never blocked: the limit only applies to creating a third location or a second session — including when a subscription ends, when all your data stays accessible. To subscribe, restore a purchase or manage the subscription: Options → About → TrackInvent Pro — the same section leads to the user guide, support, the privacy policy and the terms.

Does the app read barcodes?

Yes, with TrackInvent Pro (monthly subscription). When creating an item, the scan fills in the name, category and packaging photo from Open Food Facts when the product is listed there. In the Stock tab, the barcode icon recognises an item already in stock and opens its quantity adjustment — see The stock. Without Pro, entry is by hand, or by CSV import.

I have the same product in the fridge and in the cellar, with two dates. Two rows?

No: one row, the product's. Its sheet shows its batches — one per location and per expiry date —, the list shows the total quantity and the nearest date, and each batch alerts on its own date. See The stock.

Can I count by weight or volume?

Yes. Every product has a unit — piece, kg, g, mg, L, cL, mL, m³ — and quantities take three decimals: 1.333 kg. The app does not convert between units.

Can I keep two separate stocks, home and work?

Yes: those are sessions, with TrackInvent Pro — the free version holds a single one, and two locations. Each session has its own locations, categories and products; the Stock tab's title says which one is shown, and tapping it switches. Options › Sessions to create one.

Can I share my stock with my family or my team?

Yes: Options › Sessions, swipe the session › Sharing › Invite Participants… — the link goes through Messages or Mail, and everyone sees and edits the same stock, through iCloud. Inviting requires TrackInvent Pro; taking part is free. See Sessions.

Can Siri tell me what expires?

Yes, with nothing to set up: "What expires soon in TrackInvent?", "Use the milk in TrackInvent", "Add 2 milks in TrackInvent". Your products are in Spotlight too. See Siri, Shortcuts and Spotlight.

Is there an Apple Watch app?

Not in this version. It is written — the day's alerts on your wrist, read-only — but it has not yet been tried on a real watch, and we would rather ship nothing than something we have not seen working. It will come in a later version. The Lock Screen widget is here already: Alerts.

Does the AI button send my items anywhere?

Not by default. The assistant is the Apple Intelligence model on the device: the sentence, the list and the answer never leave the phone. It needs a compatible device with Apple Intelligence turned on; otherwise the app offers to share the request with the assistant of your choice — and then you decide where it goes. If you pick Private Cloud Compute in Options › AI Assistant, the request goes to Apple's servers, encrypted and not retained.

Can I use it for something other than food?

Yes. Nothing in the app mentions food: an item, a quantity, a location, a date. Workshop consumables, reagents, spare parts — anything that is stored and expires fits.

Another question? Contact support.