What Can MAE Do?
Ingredient Scanner
Quickly scan product labels to detect allergens:
- Take a photo or use existing images
- Advanced OCR technology reads ingredients
- Instant alerts for your specific allergens
- Fuzzy matching catches allergens even when you encounter problems capturing a clear image
Learn how to use the scanner →
Allergy Newsfeed & FDA Recall Alerts
Stay informed about food safety:
- Real-time FDA recall notifications
- Filtered for your specific allergens
- Color-coded risk levels
- Links to official FDA information
Multiple Profiles
Manage allergies for multiple people:
- Create separate profiles for each person
- Track different allergen lists
- Share profiles with caregivers
- Switch between profiles easily
Reaction Diary
- Keep track of reactions
- Quickly share event/reaction information with others
- Export to csv for easy sharing with medical professionals
Epinephrine Tracking
Never miss an expiration date:
- Track EpiPens and other emergency medications
- Automatic expiration reminders
- Organized by profile so you can track medications for multiple people
- Cloud sync for easy sharing across devices (premium feature)
Learn about epinephrine tracking →]
Food Finds
Food swaps are a common challegne for allergies:
- Keep a list of the foods you love
- Rate foods you have tried so you don’t have to try them again
- Quickly share your common replacements
- UPC scanning for quick product lookup (premium feature)
- Cloud sync for easy sharing across devices (premium feature)
Allergen Reference
Quick ingredient guides for each allergen:
- Browse ingredients to watch for and common exclusions
- Long-press “Excluded ingredients” to learn why certain items aren’t flagged
Learn about allergen reference →
External Resources
Access trusted allergen databases:
- Barnivore – Check if alcoholic beverages are vegan/allergen-free
- DailyMed – Look up medication ingredients
- Educational resources about allergies
Share & Import
Collaborate with others and backup your data:
Quick Sharing
- Share profiles – Export individual allergen profiles as XML files
- Share reactions – Long press any reaction to share details
- Share scan results – Long press ingredient scan results to share findings
- Share alerts – Long press newsfeed alerts to share with others
- Share food finds – Share individual safe food discoveries
Data Export & Backup
- Settings Export – Export individual profiles (Settings > Import/Export)
- Reaction Diary Export – Export as CSV for healthcare providers (tap share button)
- Complete Backup – Create ZIP backup of all data (Settings > Data Backup & Restore)
- Cross-device transfer – Move data between devices using backup/restore
Import & Restore
- Import profiles – Add profiles from family members (XML files)
- Restore from backup – Complete data restoration from ZIP files
- Smart conflict handling – Prevents duplicate profiles during import
- Data merging – Import adds to existing data without overwriting
Cloud Sync (Premium)
- Google Drive storage – Sync data in your personal Google Drive
- Multi-device access – Same data across all your devices
- Family sharing – Share Google Drive folder with family members
- Automatic sync – Changes sync automatically when connected
Getting Started
First Time Setup
- Download MAE from your app store
- Complete the guided setup:
- Enter profile name
- Select allergens from the list
- Add any additional ingredients to avoid
- Set up epinephrine tracking (optional)
- Add contact numbers for medical professionals and other contacts
- Start using MAE immediately!
Daily Use
- Home Screen – Quick access to all features …]
- Scanner – Check products while shopping …]
- Newsfeed – Review latest recalls and alerts for your targeted allergen …]]
- Reaction Diary – Keep track of reactions …]
- Epinephrine Tracking – Never miss an expiration date …]
- Food Finds – Keep a list of the foods you love …]
- Share newsfeed items – Long press to share newsfeed items with others
- Collaborate with others – Share profiles, reactions and Food Finds with family members (requires premium subscription)
MAE Premium (Ad-Free & Sharable Cloud Sync)
Free vs Premium
MAE is completely free with core features included. The free version shows ads on a few screens to support development.
MAE Premium offers two flexible billing options:
- Monthly: $3.99/month
Premium features include:
- No ads – Focus on managing allergies without interruptions
- UPC barcode scanning – Quick product lookup in Food Finds
- Cloud backup & sync – Sync Reaction Diary and Food Finds across devices, sharing managed through drive share
How to Subscribe
- Open Settings (gear icon)
- Scroll to “About” section
- Tap “Subscribe to Premium”
- Choose your preferred plan (Monthly or Annual)
- Follow Google Play prompts
Managing Your Subscription
- Cancel anytime through Google Play Subscriptions
- Your data stays – Downgrading switches to local data only (Reaction Diary and Food Finds cloud sync stops)
- Instant restore – Re-subscribe and premium features return immediately
Cloud Sync Important Notes
- Requires Google Drive knowledge – You must understand Google Drive sharing to use cloud sync effectively
- All devices need Premium – Every device syncing must have an active MAE Premium subscription
- Shared Drive risks – If using a shared Google Drive with multiple users:
- Data inconsistencies may occur if users aren’t in identical environments
- You assume full responsibility for data privacy
- No warranty on privacy or accuracy with multiple editors
- Your responsibility – MAE provides the sync feature, but Google Drive management and data privacy are your responsibility
Privacy & Safety
Your Data is Yours
- All personal data stays on your device
- No allergen information is sent to servers
- Image processing happens locally
- You control what you share
- Back up or restore your data anytime from Settings → Your Data
Important Disclaimers
⚠️ Medical Disclaimer: MAE is an assistive tool only. Always:
- Read labels carefully
- Verify information with manufacturers
- Follow medical advice from healthcare providers
- Call 911 in emergencies
⚠️ Data Accuracy: While MAE strives for accuracy:
- OCR may occasionally misread text
- FDA data is provided “as is”
- Always double-check critical information
Tips for Success
Better Scans
- Good lighting is key
- Hold phone steady
- Focus on ingredient list only
- Use crop tool to improve accuracy
Accurate Profiles
- Keep allergen lists updated
- Add brand-specific ingredients
- Review settings regularly
- Test scanner with known products
Stay Current
- Enable notifications for recalls
- Update the app regularly
- Check expiration dates monthly
- Share profiles with new caregivers
Using Mae’s Tips System
Mae (the app mascot) provides helpful tips throughout the app:
Viewing Tips
- Tips appear automatically at the top of most screens
- Mae character shows rotating tips relevant to each screen
- Tips cycle automatically every 5 seconds
- Swipe left/right to browse tips manually
Screen-Specific Guidance
- Home Screen: Introduction, tool favorites, profile management
- Tools Screen: Available tools, favorites, search history
- Newsfeed: Alert filtering, saving, understanding classifications
- Resources: Navigation, ingredient lists, exclusions
- Settings: Alert configuration, support contacts
Managing Tips
- Disable: Long press Mae to turn off tips completely
- Re-enable: Go to Settings > Tips and Guidance to turn back on
- Space saving: Disable tips to maximize screen space for content
Need Help?
- In-App Help – Look for ℹ️ icons throughout the app
- Settings Guide – Detailed settings documentation
- Scanner Guide – Step-by-step scanner instructions
- Email Support – hello@makingallergieseasy.com
Join Our Community
MAE is more than an app – it’s a community of people helping each other live safely with food allergies. Your feedback helps us improve and add features that matter to you.
Remember: MAE helps you make informed decisions, but always use your best judgment and consult healthcare professionals for medical advice.