Common questions about Habit Trace
The short version: Habit Trace is a private, judgement-free tracker for any habit or behaviour. Here is the detail on how that works in practice.
Is Habit Trace only for tracking smoking?
No. Habit Trace is a general-purpose habit and behaviour tracker. You set the word for whatever you are tracking, and that word appears throughout the app. It can be used for everyday routines, positive habits, unwanted habits or any personal behaviour you choose to observe.
Is it a smoking-cessation or addiction-recovery app?
No. Habit Trace is not a medical treatment, an addiction-recovery service or a coaching app. It does not diagnose, treat or cure anything. It is a personal tracking tool. If a habit is affecting your health or wellbeing, please speak to a qualified healthcare professional.
Do I need to confirm my email?
No. There is no email verification step, so no confirmation email is sent. You create an account with an email and a password and can start logging right away.
What information do you collect about me?
An email address and a password for your account. When you log a habit, we store what you chose to record: the timestamp, an activity, a location, an optional mood, an optional note, and whether you resisted a craving. No name, photo or profile details are requested.
Is my data private?
Your records are scoped to your account, not publicly displayed, and not shared with other users through the app. Habit Trace does not embed advertising trackers or sell your data. It does not claim to be anonymous (an email is required), and it does not claim that records can never be accessed by the operator or never disclosed where the law requires it. The full detail is on the privacy page.
Does it use my location or GPS?
No. Locations are selected manually from tappable chips. No GPS, location permissions or external map services are used.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Habit Trace is a progressive web app you can add to your home screen. You can log without a connection, and your records sync to your account the moment you are back online.
Can I export my data?
Yes. You can export to CSV, export a full JSON backup, import a JSON backup to restore, and print a factual summary report, all from settings.
What happens if I clear all my records?
Clearing hides your records from the app and resets your counts, but it is not the same as permanent erasure: a timestamped copy is retained and tied to your account, and routine backups may also hold a copy until they are removed. Deleting a single entry is a permanent removal of that individual record. The privacy page explains retention and deletion in full.
Will I lose my records if I change phones?
Your records are synced to your account, so signing in on a new device brings them back. Local-only records kept on a single device may be lost if you clear browser data or uninstall the app without exporting a backup, which is why exporting is available in settings.
Are the insights reliable?
The insights describe associations in your recorded data, not proof that an activity causes a habit. For example, Habit Trace might note that most of your entries happen in the morning, or that an activity is your most frequently logged one. They only appear when there is enough data, and Habit Trace does not invent patterns.
Still have a question?
Habit Trace is deliberately simple. If something is not covered here, the answer is probably that Habit Trace does not do it, because the point is a calm, private record of your own behaviour.