Thirsty apps: As Summer approaches and the weather gets hotter, many of us will be focused on staying hydrated. The divide between tap water drinkers and bottled water consumers continues to widen, with many gadgets and gizmos being developed to help promote safe home water consumption. These were celebrated as part of World Water Day, which took place in March.
According to the EWG, over 50 per cent of thousands of Americans believe tap water is unsafe, and 40 per cent won’t or can’t drink it. In addition, in Ireland alone, figures from Statista reveal the Bottled Water market is projected to grow by 3.9 per cent between this year and 2028.
With water quality becoming a growing area of interest to consumers, we examine some of the best innovations for testing whether or not water is drinkable.
Water Reminder
This healthcare app was created to help people boost their water consumption for wellness reasons. Free to download, Water Reminder is easy to use, with its main function being to remind people to drink water at certain times of the day. Through this nifty, albeit basic app, you can set up smart reminders, select cup sizes, and track and chart how much water is being drunk. One of the best parts of this app is that it provides audible notifications, meaning it’s a little less intrusive than others on the market. It also features a hydration calculator, so you can generate an estimate as to exactly how much water you should be drinking a day. Water Reminder is available on Android and iOS.
Waterminder
This nifty little app is focused on helping people set and maintain hydration goals. What’s really great about this app is that you can connect it to your smartwatch. This means you can log drinks directly from your wrist and also receive notifications when you need to top up the levels of water you are drinking. Waterminder has a free and paid version available on iOS and Android. Another smarter feature is its two-week hydration history, which charts liquid consumption. You can also customize the home screen, helping you create long-lasting healthy habits and track progress.
Hydrocoach
For those needing to be encouraged to drink more water, look no further than Hydrocoach. Taking a more scientific approach than most apps, it estimates how much water you should consume based on vitals such as weight, sex and lifestyle. It records how much you are drinking and how much more you still need to consume, providing pop-up notifications to remind you to get to the sink. What separates this app from the rest is that it doesn’t just focus on water but tea, coffee and alcohol. It also provides a breakdown as to how much aqua is in each and provides insights into your hydration levels on a weekly basis. With over two million downloads, it’s free to use for those with Android and iOS.
Cloud Water
Billed as ‘the smartest water filter in the world’, Cloud Water is an app-powered device that converts tap water into more tasteful ways of hydration. From filtering water and tracking consumption through its app, it includes interesting features to get even the most novice water drinker downing it more. With real-time quality monitoring, it syncs to the device and relays data to the app so users can monitor when it’s purified, track how many gallons their household consumes each month and even set goals to boost hydration across the home. Available on iOS and Android, it’s a paid-for app that requires the device to function. It also notifies you when to replace the filter so you don’t make unnecessary purchases.
Water IIama
It’s not just the name of this app or the interface that makes this app cooler than most, but it’s ease of use. Equipped with fun animal characters, Waterllama is an easy to use app that enables people of all ages to track their liquid intake. Easily connected to all smart watch devices, it encourages you to set hydration reminders and document the type of liquids you consume (so it’s not just water-based!) It also provides advice on hydration habits and sends reminders through smart devices to encourage you to keep logging drinks. It features everything liquid-based, from fizzy drinks to milkshakes to alcohol and, you guessed it, water. Unfortunately, it’s currently only available on iOS, with free and paid-for versions.
Aqualert
Available in free and paid versions, Aqualert is a customisable water consumption-only consumption-only app for users. Rich in detail and data, it enables users to track consumption, receive alerts and set up shared water consumption challenges with family and friends. Its ability to calculate water requirements and track activity alongside it gives it an edge over the others. This makes it a great option for those who are into exercise. Another nifty addition is its bedtime mode, which switches off notifications whilst you are trying to catch up on sleep. Aqualert is available on Android and iOS, and it can even calculate how much water intake you need for hot and cold days
