Add analytic tools

[pH-7]

Add the following:

• Google Analytics
• Localytics

[IzzySoft]

Please don't – but instead keep the app open source and free of those privacy-invading trackers. If you really need analytics, how about some open source ones that respect user privacy – such as ACRA, or maybe a self.hosted Matomo?

Beside that: mind making the app available for those outside of playstore – e.g. by attaching the APK to its corresponding release?

[pH-7]

Thanks for the feedback @IzzySoft
Really appreciate it :)

[IzzySoft]

Gladly! If you could attach the APK to releases/, I could offer to make your app available via my repo. Alternatively, I could also assist you getting it listed in the official F-Droid catalog – just let me know 😃

[pH-7]

Sure thing. Good idea, I just released the latest version, including the APK file as well => https://github.com/pH-7/Food-Scanner-Android-App/releases/tag/2.5.0

[IzzySoft]

Thanks! Could you also include v1 signing (i.e. check both, v1+v2)? The current APK lacks that, and thus fdroidserver refuses to include it:

$ apksigner verify app-release.apk |grep -v WARN
DOES NOT VERIFY
ERROR: No JAR signatures

Btw: that also means the app cannot be installed on Android < 7, as older versions don't know about v2 signatures. From minSdkVersion 15 I conclude that was not your intention 😉

[pH-7]

Good catch @IzzySoft
Can you retry with https://github.com/pH-7/Food-Scanner-Android-App/releases/download/2.5.0/lifyzer-healthy-food-app-release-v2.5.apk

This one should cover v1 as well.

[IzzySoft]

Thanks – yes, it does!

Permit me two additional questions: What license is this app covered for – and what service(s) does it use to get its data from?

[pH-7]

You're welcome!

1. GPL, v3
2. It uses OpenFoodFacts database and I try to build/parse my own database as well (ref: https://github.com/Lifyzer/Data-Parser-System and https://github.com/Lifyzer/Lifyzer-Database)

Hope it helps!

[IzzySoft]

Thanks again – and yes, it does! Maybe you want to mention 2. in your Readme, and add 1. to the root of the repo (as LICENSE.txt, so Github recognizes it and puts it in the header)?

And then, I hope you don't mind some "promo". In about 12h, it should show up here 😉

(Besides: do you really need GMS in the app? Somehow taints the nice FOSS app you have here. Without that, I'd recommend you getting it published at F-Droid, but proprietary components are show-stoppers there.)

[pH-7]

Thanks again – and yes, it does! Maybe you want to mention 2. in your Readme, and add 1. to the root of the repo (as LICENSE.txt, so Github recognizes it and puts it in the header)?

And then, I hope you don't mind some "promo". In about 12h, it should show up here 😉

(Besides: do you really need GMS in the app? Somehow taints the nice FOSS app you have here. Without that, I'd recommend you getting it published at F-Droid, but proprietary components are show-stoppers there.)

Thanks for your feedback!
I will take your notes into account!

Concerning GMS, yes it is needed. It's used for Google Mobile Vision for the OCR/Barcode features.

Why would it taint the app? What's your feedback about GMS. I would be happy to know your opinion 😊

[IzzySoft]

Concerns with GMS:

1. it's not FOSS (just "free" as in "free beer") – so it taints FOSS as it's no longer completely FOSS with that.
2. it's shipping data to Google (us tin foils don't like that; I e.g. run my devices on LineageOS without GApps for that reason – so depending on G-stuff makes the app unusable for me)
3. as it's proprietary, you cannot tell for sure what it really collects and transmits (so it's not transparent).

So preferably, if it shall be FOSS it should only use FOSS libraries. There are plenty for barcodes/QR codes. OCR might be a bit thinner, but AFAIR also has candidates (though not being a dev myself, I cannot name any out of my head – none I am sure working with Android that is; of course there's Tesseract, for example).

[IzzySoft]

Maybe you want to use a badge to link to your app in my repo from your Readme? 😃

[pH-7]

Sure @IzzySoft, I will be glad to use the IzzyOnDroid badge 😊 Do you mind to open a PR for it?