Useful
Good start
Can you add Russian language when you get a chance?
Response from developer
Thank you so much for your review! I’m very happy that you’re enjoying Trace Health. I’m also happy to say that your Apple Watch wish has already been fulfilled: the latest version now includes an Apple Watch app! I’m planning to add more languages over time, prioritizing them based on how Trace Health usage grows across different countries. Russian is definitely on my radar. If you have any other requests, suggestions, or feedback, please feel free to contact me directly through the app. It allows me to reply faster and makes it much easier to discuss your ideas. Thank you again for your support! Simon
Well… it USED to be free
Jump to the most recent update that turned it into a paid app. And not just a paid app, but a subscription based paid app. Somehow developers believe we are going to be out here paying for hundreds of subscription apps. No. I’ve hated subscription apps since they first started developing.
If it was a reasonably priced one time purchase app, I could understand and might even be willing to spring for it because I understand and agree with the developers getting paid for their work. But creating an app that originally is released as free, letting consumers spend months recording their symptoms, and then flipping the script on the users so what they were using for free is suddenly part of a paid tier!? That feels like an underhanded bait and switch with a lack of loyalty to the consumer. Had I known this was coming down the line I would never have updated the app and would have kept the older version.
Long story short, I likely won’t keep this past the “free” two months.
UPDATE: I’m updating to four stars because of the developers response and because the app genuinely is unlike the others I’ve tried and very comprehensive. And I believe people should get paid for the work they do so I understand creating a premium tier. I also truly appreciate the option of a one time purchase.
I’m not giving it higher reviews because I cannot recall downloading a Beta version or seeing any notices of it moving to a paid tier. So I was using it fully under the belief that it was and would be a free app. When I updated the app to the most recent version, things I had been using for free were suddenly behind a premium wall. So even though there was technically a free version, I was already using features that seemed to push me automatically into the paid tier. This requires me to either pay, or try to relocate the data I’ve already saved to a different app or recording location.
Response from developer
First, thank you for the very positive feedback about Trace Health itself. Reading that you struggled to find a good symptom tracker and had such high hopes after discovering Trace means a lot to me. Building a comprehensive tracker that remains simple and quick to use is exactly what I’ve been working toward. I’d also like to clarify an important point: Trace Health is still free today, and no payment system has even been activated yet. At the time of this review, Premium will remain completely free for another 2 months. Premium was introduced during our Launch Celebration, when users could choose to activate all Premium features for free for more than 6 months. When activating the offer, it was presented as a free, limited-time Premium upgrade—not as features that would remain free forever. There is also no automatic subscription or charge when the free period ends. The free version of Trace will remain available afterward with plenty of functionality for tracking symptoms. Many users actually chose not to activate the free Premium offer at all because the standard features already cover their needs. That said, I’ve listened carefully to users who, like you, strongly dislike subscriptions. A one-time purchase option will therefore be available when paid Premium launches, alongside subscription options. My goal is also to keep Premium among the most affordable options in this category. Trace Health is developed entirely by me as a solo independent developer. Since launching in February, I’ve released more than 30 updates, constantly listening to users and implementing their feedback. I work on Trace full-time and have spent countless days and nights building and improving it, answering feedback and providing support. I hope you can understand that making Trace sustainable is what allows me to continue doing this while keeping a useful free version available and remaining independent—with no advertising, tracking, or selling of your health data. I’m sorry the introduction of Premium nevertheless left you with the impression of a bait and switch. I hope these clarifications, together with your otherwise very positive experience with Trace, might lead you to reconsider your rating. Simon
Well… it USED to be free
Jump to the most recent update that turned it into a paid app. And not just a paid app, but a subscription based paid app. Somehow developers believe we are going to be out here paying for hundreds of subscription apps. No. I’ve hated subscription apps since they first started developing.
If it was a reasonably priced one time purchase app, I could understand and might even be willing to spring for it because I understand and agree with the developers getting paid for their work. But creating an app that originally is released as free, letting consumers spend months recording their symptoms, and then flipping the script on the users so what they were using for free is suddenly part of a paid tier!? That feels like an underhanded bait and switch with a lack of loyalty to the consumer. Had I known this was coming down the line I would never have updated the app and would have kept the older version.
Long story short, I likely won’t keep this past the “free” two months.
Response from developer
First, thank you for the very positive feedback about Trace Health itself. Reading that you struggled to find a good symptom tracker and had such high hopes after discovering Trace means a lot to me. Building a comprehensive tracker that remains simple and quick to use is exactly what I’ve been working toward. I’d also like to clarify an important point: Trace Health is still free today, and no payment system has even been activated yet. At the time of this review, Premium will remain completely free for another 2 months. Premium was introduced during our Launch Celebration, when users could choose to activate all Premium features for free for more than 6 months. When activating the offer, it was presented as a free, limited-time Premium upgrade—not as features that would remain free forever. There is also no automatic subscription or charge when the free period ends. The free version of Trace will remain available afterward with plenty of functionality for tracking symptoms. Many users actually chose not to activate the free Premium offer at all because the standard features already cover their needs. That said, I’ve listened carefully to users who, like you, strongly dislike subscriptions. A one-time purchase option will therefore be available when paid Premium launches, alongside subscription options. My goal is also to keep Premium among the most affordable options in this category. Trace Health is developed entirely by me as a solo independent developer. Since launching in February, I’ve released more than 30 updates, constantly listening to users and implementing their feedback. I work on Trace full-time and have spent countless days and nights building and improving it, answering feedback and providing support. I hope you can understand that making Trace sustainable is what allows me to continue doing this while keeping a useful free version available and remaining independent—with no advertising, tracking, or selling of your health data. I’m sorry the introduction of Premium nevertheless left you with the impression of a bait and switch. I hope these clarifications, together with your otherwise very positive experience with Trace, might lead you to reconsider your rating. Simon
This is a game changer
Now this app!!!! Everything is right there, there’s widgets, it’s fast and simple and syncs! I freaking love this app! I’m still playing with it so I haven’t seen if it has a “how are you feeling right now” feature but it is everything I have ever wanted the symptoms on health to be!
Response from developer
Sorry for the late reply, and thank you so much for this amazing review! Helping people log their symptoms quickly and easily, while seamlessly syncing them with Apple Health, is exactly what I wanted Trace Health to achieve. I’m really happy to hear that the widgets and quick logging are working so well for you. I hope you’ve continued enjoying the app over the past month! If you ever have suggestions or ideas for features you’d like to see, please feel free to contact me directly through the app. Thank you again for your support! Simon
