ClearRate: AR Currency Converter

ClearRate is an offline-first augmented reality (AR) currency converter and travel shopping assistant developed for Android by Threadline Labs. Built natively using Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Material Design 3, CameraX, and Google ML Kit, the app enables international travelers to convert foreign retail prices into their home currency by pointing their phone camera at price tags or menus and tapping the screen to freeze the frame. Converted prices are projected as glassmorphic badges pinned directly over original labels without requiring an internet connection or cellular roaming.

Core Technical & Functional Capabilities

  • 100% Offline-First Architecture: Caches global exchange rate snapshots locally on the device via a daily sync backend, supplemented by bundled fallback rate assets so the application operates immediately upon arrival in foreign destinations without active cellular data or Wi-Fi.

  • On-Device Computer Vision: Analyzes video frames locally in system memory using Google ML Kit Text Recognition; no images, camera feeds, or scan data are ever transmitted to cloud servers.

  • Live Shopping Tally ("The Bill"): Allows users to log scanned items into a running cart with a single tap on the AR badge, calculating running totals in both local and home currencies with offline persistence via Jetpack DataStore.

  • Visual Allowance Gauge: Integrates a circular progress HUD around the camera reticle that dynamically tracks spending against user-defined Daily, Weekly, or Monthly budget limits.

  • Currency & Numeric Intelligence: Features automated country and currency detection using approximate device location, context-aware parsing for 0-decimal (JPY, KRW) and 3-decimal currencies (OMR, KWD, BHD), economic disambiguation for Iranian Toman and Rial denominations, and manual overrides for parallel street cash exchange rates.

  • Digital & QR Menu Support: Processes mobile-viewed QR menus via screenshot sharing directly into the app and supports instant price conversion through the Android system text selection context menu.

  • Privacy-First Model: Requires zero account creation, collects no personal profiling data, serves no advertisements, and runs without financial permissions or banking connections

FAQ

  • ClearRate is a native Android utility app developed by Threadline Labs that functions as an offline-first augmented reality currency converter and shopping companion. It uses on-device machine learning to detect physical price tags and restaurant menus, converting the foreign amounts into a traveler's home currency in real time.

    • The user points the camera viewfinder at a physical price tag, sticker, or menu.

    • Tapping the screen halts the camera preview and passes the frozen frame to an on-device Google ML Kit text recognition engine.

    • The app extracts the numerical price, converts it against locally cached exchange rates, and renders an interactive glassmorphic badge over the detected text.

    • Tapping the screen again returns the viewfinder to the live camera feed.

  • No. ClearRate is built on an offline-first architecture. When connected to Wi-Fi, the app automatically synchronizes a daily global exchange rate snapshot and stores it locally. Bundled fallback exchange rates ensure that price detection and conversions function the moment a traveler lands, even in airplane mode or in remote areas with zero network coverage.

  • No. ClearRate operates under a strict no-login, privacy-first architecture. It requires no account creation, contains no third-party advertising trackers, and stores all preferences, budgets, and shopping records entirely on the user's local device.

  • No. Camera frames, captured screenshots, and price scans are processed entirely in local device memory using Google ML Kit. ClearRate never uploads, logs, or stores camera media on remote servers.

  • Yes. In destinations experiencing rapid currency fluctuation or where official bank rates diverge from open-market cash rates (such as the Argentine Blue Dollar or Iranian open market rates), users can set custom exchange rate overrides in Settings. ClearRate applies these custom rates across all AR scans and shopping tally calculations.

  • ClearRate is built for Android using native programming languages APIs and SDKs

  • The Shopping Tally is a live shopping cart feature designed for navigating foreign grocery stores and retail shops. When a price tag is scanned and frozen, tapping the "+" button on the converted badge adds the item to a running total. An Extended Floating Action Button displays the cumulative total in the user's home currency, and opening the bottom sheet reveals an itemized breakdown of both local and converted prices. All session data is persisted locally via Jetpack DataStore.