Is there an Apple Watch app to remind you to drink water that works without an iPhone connected?

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Like the topic says, is this possible? I've tried and paid for WaterMinder but the notifications stop once the watch isn't close enough to the iPhone. I need something that can customize reminders to drink water and work even if the iPhone isn't nearby.

Edit: I was a bit naive but it's clear it needs to be stated that this is to address a health condition since not everyone reads the thread and it's necessary info to have the question answered seriously.

Deleted member 9330 · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
Like the topic says, is this possible? I've tried and paid for WaterMinder but the notifications stop once the watch isn't close enough to the iPhone. I need something that can customize reminders to drink water and work even if the iPhone isn't nearby.

As far as I know, only built-in Apple apps are allowed to have Watch-only notifications. Third party apps rely on the iPhone for set-up and scheduling.

You can confirm this by going to your Watch app and going to Notifications. All the apps in the first group are allowed to give you Watch-only notifications, and they're all Apple apps. The second group is other apps, and they're all binary toggles because they just mirror what you set up on the phone

xxracerxx · May 16, 2019

Write DRINK WATER on the back of your hand.

Horp · May 16, 2019

xxracerxx said:
Write DRINK WATER on the back of your hand.

Next thread by OP
Is the an Apple Watch app that reminds me to flip over my hand?

xxracerxx · May 16, 2019

Horp said:
Next thread by OP
Is the an Apple Watch app that reminds me to flip over my hand?

Ahhh, but that is the beauty of it. The back of your hand is right next to their watch.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

xxracerxx said:
Write DRINK WATER on the back of your hand.

God I wish it was that simple. It would save $200 from buying this Apple Watch. It's not for me; it's for a child with health issues who will ignore the writing on the back of their hand.

SomeOneInaHat · May 16, 2019

I've never used a smart watch, but is it possible to just set a routine calendar notification. Like google calendar, or whatever Apple's calendar is.

xxracerxx · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
God I wish it was that simple. It would save $200 from buying this Apple Watch. It's not for me; it's for a child with health issues who will ignore the writing on the back of their hand.

Darn kids! I am sure you will find something and if not, could you just set a series of alarms to go off with the reminder in the Clock app?

SomeOneInaHat said:
I've never used a smart watch, but is it possible to just set a routine calendar notification. Like google calendar, or whatever Apple's calendar is.

Or this is even better.

PhoncipleBone · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
God I wish it was that simple. It would save them $200 from buying this Apple Watch. It's not for me; it's for a child with health issues who will ignore the writing on the back of their hand.

Did you already buy the watch? If not I think Fitbit has a reminder but not sure

Darknight · May 16, 2019

SomeOneInaHat said:
I've never used a smart watch, but is it possible to just set a routine calendar notification. Like google calendar, or whatever Apple's calendar is.

I'm exploring that now, but I was hoping to utilize the water tracking functionality that some of these apps allow to track the amount of water.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

PhoncipleBone said:
Did you already buy the watch? If not I think Fitbit has a reminder but not sure

Fitbit unfortunately doesn't have it. Already explored that route.

Deleted member 9330 · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
I'm exploring that now, but I was hoping to utilize the water tracking functionality that some of these apps allow to track the amount of water.

Yeah, I think the other ideas have it. WaterMinder will still work for tracking when away from the Watch, just no notifications. Set up some alarms and have your kid still track using the app

Koo · May 16, 2019

Maybe there is a fitness/weight loss app with water tracking built in that could be useful?

PhoncipleBone · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
Fitbit unfortunately doesn't have it. Already explored that route.

Ok. Wasn't sure but worth a shot

Edit: Darknight what about the Reminders app? Set up the reminders with the note to drink water. That should work away from phone possibly.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Zeyphersan said:
Yeah, I think the other ideas have it. WaterMinder will still work for tracking when away from the Watch, just no notifications. Set up some alarms and have your kid still track using the app

Ya, I think this is what I'll have to do. It would have been nice and easy to just tap the notification to take you directly to WaterMinder, but at least you can put the complication on a watch face to take you there. Hopefully that's good enough. Heh, now I just have to swap Apple IDs to not be my wife's I noticed the reminders that I've been experimenting with have been setting off her phone too.

PhoncipleBone said:
Ok. Wasn't sure but worth a shot

Ya, it was a good suggestion. It would seem to make sense given the perception of Fitbits. I was assuming Apple would be the next logical choice since I know they've been making some efforts to make the watch function more without a connection and the wealth of app support, but I guess it's not quite there yet with third party apps.

I think a lot of the suggestions here have given me a good idea on what to try though so I'm hopeful this works out.

On a different note, I just now got reminded to breath. Heh what's this Breath App on the Apple Watch?

JackSwift · May 16, 2019

Is this really a thing you need a reminder for? Can't you just be like "hmm, I'm thirsty, better drink some water"

xxracerxx · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
It would have been nice and easy to just tap the notification to take you directly to WaterMinder,

Can Shortcuts do that for you?

Mgs2master2 · May 16, 2019

JackSwift said:
Is this really a thing you need a reminder for? Can't you just be like "hmm, I'm thirsty, better drink some water"

sometimes it can be helpful tbh. When im too focused on a task i get the heart rate notifications and breathe notifications. It does serve as a cue to take a second relax and approach the task with a more relaxed stance. A drink notification can possibly do the same for those who don't get enough intake for several reasons.

Deleted member 9330 · May 16, 2019

xxracerxx said:
Can Shortcuts do that for you?

Shortcuts can be made to log water, but not trigger notifications

Darknight said:
Heh, now I just have to swap Apple IDs to not be my wife's I noticed the reminders that I've been experimenting with have been setting off her phone too.

Whose phone is it paired to? The Apple Watch really is meant to be like a person's phone. Meaning it's going to get all the calls/texts/notifications from the paired iPhone.

Darknight said:
Heh what's this Breath App on the Apple Watch?

Mindfulness/moments of meditation.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

JackSwift said:
Is this really a thing you need a reminder for? Can't you just be like "hmm, I'm thirsty, better drink some water"

My kid doesn't get thirsty and even the times they do, the amount consumed at those moments of thirst isn't enough to be at the level of where they should be at. So yes, a reminder is extremely necessary at this point.

xxracerxx said:
Can Shortcuts do that for you?

I'm new to Apple Watch, what are shortcuts and how do they differ from complications?

Zeyphersan said:
Whose phone is it paired to? The Apple Watch really is meant to be like a person's phone. Meaning it's going to get all the calls/texts/notifications from the paired iPhone.

It's paired to my wife's old iPhone which I dug out to set up the watch. The original plan was to pair it to my kid's iPad, but we found out that wasn't possible, so the next plan was to just set it up with her old iPhone. I had planned to wipe it and setup my kid's Apple ID on it, but I figure to experiment, I just used it as is and once I figured out what app to use, I would set it up properly. The idea was to have it work disconnected from the iPhone while the kid was at school or whenever they were out and it would just sync back up the data whenever they came home so they wouldn't have to be carrying a phone around with them. It was a bit difficult trying to find out what worked with and without the phone connected so I just sort of dove in to try it out thinking I'd find a solution that worked one way or another.

Deleted member 9330 · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
The idea was to have it work disconnected from the iPhone while the kid was at school or whenever they were out and it would just sync back up the data whenever they came home so they wouldn't have to be carrying a phone around with them. It was a bit difficult trying to find out what worked with and without the phone connected so I just sort of dove in to try it out thinking I'd find a solution that worked one way or another.

Long-shot, but does the school have Wi-Fi? The watch can connect to most 2.4Ghz networks that don't have a capture page, and while on Wi-Fi as long as the phone is on a network as well (doesn't have to be the same one).

About Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular on your Apple Watch - Apple Support
How to use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support
Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Zeyphersan said:
Long-shot, but does the school have Wi-Fi? The watch can connect to most 2.4Ghz networks that don't have a capture page, and while on Wi-Fi as long as the phone is on a network as well (doesn't have to be the same one).

About Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular on your Apple Watch - Apple Support
How to use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby - Apple Support
Notifications on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

It does, but it's meant for the school staff only. Good to know that it can talk over the Internet that way though. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go one level deeper and get the cellular version of the Apple Watch yet.

Camstun187 · May 16, 2019

justin haines · May 16, 2019

I used water minder on watch and liked it but didn't think I needed it but I'm going to use it again, it was helpful

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Camstun187 said:

So I'm supposed to trust a YouTube video over multiple doctors who have stated the amount of water that needs to be drunk for their health condition?

BigDes · May 16, 2019

OP I'd advise you put in as much detail as you are comfortable with as to why you are looking for this app into the opening post

If only to cut down on the bullshit hot takes

Camstun187 · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
So I'm supposed to trust a YouTube video over multiple doctors who have stated the amount of water that needs to be drunk for their health condition?

Have you even watched it?

Kareha · May 16, 2019

Why do you need reminding to drink water?

signal · May 16, 2019

Kareha said:
Why do you need reminding to drink water?

Darknight said:
My kid doesn't get thirsty and even the times they do, the amount consumed at those moments of thirst isn't enough to be at the level of where they should be at. So yes, a reminder is extremely necessary at this point.

We're still under 30 replies familia let's enjoy the act of reading.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Camstun187 said:
Have you even watched it?

Yes and it has nothing to do with the health condition my kid has. So it's a bullshit response trying to replace multiple doctor recommendations. But hey if I followed that video, my kid will be even worse off so thanks for the help of trying to pass off a video as the right thing to do over what doctors have told us to do.

Infinity Times Two · May 16, 2019

I guess you can

Step 1. Set up.a regular reminder from the Reminder app
Step 2. Set up a Siri shortcut that logs water intake to HealthKit.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Infinity Times Two said:
I guess you can

Step 1. Set up.a regular reminder from the Reminder app
Step 2. Set up a Siri shortcut that logs water intake to HealthKit.

I just did Step 1 but can you explain how #2 works and how I set that up on the Apple Watch?

Infinity Times Two · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
I just did Step 1 but can you explain how #2 works and how I set that up on the Apple Watch?

You set it up on your iPhone, in the Shortcuts app and attach a Siri command to it, and then you should be able to trigger the Siri command from the Apple Watch.

PopsMaellard · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
I just did Step 1 but can you explain how #2 works and how I set that up on the Apple Watch?

https://shortcutsgallery.com/shortcuts/log-water/

I don't think that this is going to work for your context though, unless your child is motivated enough to consistently go through the process of seeing the reminder pop, drink, and tap the Siri shortcut to log it.

Honestly, something like the Hidrate Spark might be your best and even cheaper option. It logs water and physically glows to remind you to drink. It'll glow even when out of range of the phone it's paired with.

Edit: seems the Spark might pair specifically with the Watch as well and not need a phone consistently, just occasional communication if you want it to dump the data into HealthKit.

Edit edit: just saw your post about the pairing situation.

Camstun187 · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
Yes and it has nothing to do with the health condition my kid has. So it's a bullshit response trying to replace multiple doctor recommendations. But hey if I followed that video, my kid will be even worse off so thanks for the help of trying to pass off a video as the right thing to do over what doctors have told us to do.

You're not easily offended, I see

PopsMaellard · May 16, 2019

Camstun187 said:
You're not easily offended, I see

OP is trying to help his kid with what sounds like reasonably serious, debilitating medical condition, and people are popping in this thread being like "lmao just drink when ur thirsty dumbass" and linking to an Adam Conover video in which he essentially says the same and explains things that have nothing to do with OP's child literally not feeling thirst.

MrKlaw · May 16, 2019

if your child has a medical condition I hope the school would allow you to connect your phone to their wifi (so it can share the password to the watch) and allow notifications that way. If you leave the phone at home the watch is only using wifi for syncing notifications so should be no issues with 'browsing the web' or excessive bandwidth which the school may be concerned about.

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Infinity Times Two said:
You set it up on your iPhone, in the Shortcuts app and attach a Siri command to it, and then you should be able to trigger the Siri command from the Apple Watch.

I'll give it a try and see how it works and if it's a good fit. Thanks for the suggestion. It's definitely something I haven't stumbled upon before so I was completely unaware of this prospect.

PopsMaellard said:
https://shortcutsgallery.com/shortcuts/log-water/

I don't think that this is going to work for your context though, unless your child is motivated enough to consistently go through the process of seeing the reminder pop, drink, and tap the Siri shortcut to log it.

Honestly, something like the Hidrate Spark might be your best and even cheaper option. It logs water and physically glows to remind you to drink. It'll glow even when out of range of the phone it's paired with.

Edit: seems the Spark might pair specifically with the Watch as well and not need a phone consistently, just occasional communication if you want it to dump the data into HealthKit.

Edit edit: just saw your post about the pairing situation.

I see you edited but just to add the info anyway, yes the kid is too young for a phone but I had considered just putting it in her backpack. The only problem is when she's out of range and since I don't know exactly how she moves about school, I would be concerned about how often she is out of range and would miss the reminder so giving her the phone seemed like not a good solution at this point.

As for the smart water bottle, we tried one already and the problem was more out of sight, out of mind. The one we had even has a slight vibration to it to notify you but it was so often not nearby that my kid just missed it all the time. The glowing on the one you mentioned seems like it would also draw attention from other kids and be distracting in class which is something we'd like to avoid. It's a good suggestion but probably better for someone a bit older.

Camstun187 said:
You're not easily offended, I see

I'm not most of the time but you'll have to excuse me if I take my kid's life and health a bit seriously especially when there is serious well being and quality of life issues that I'd like to think doctors are telling me better ways to treat the situation than a YouTube video. Especially since we know for a fact that the amount of water intake has a noticeable effect on the condition and when it slips up, it causes problems. So I'm trying to solve the slip ups. But hey maybe this Adam guy knows better...

Camstun187 · May 16, 2019

PopsMaellard said:
OP is trying to help his kid with what sounds like reasonably serious, debilitating medical condition, and people are popping in this thread being like "lmao just drink when ur thirsty dumbass" and linking to an Adam Conover video in which he essentially says the same and explains things that have nothing to do with OP's child literally not feeling thirst.

OP didn't explain any of this in the OP

Darknight · May 16, 2019

MrKlaw said:
if your child has a medical condition I hope the school would allow you to connect your phone to their wifi (so it can share the password to the watch) and allow notifications that way. If you leave the phone at home the watch is only using wifi for syncing notifications so should be no issues with 'browsing the web' or excessive bandwidth which the school may be concerned about.

This is actually a good point that I didn't consider. I think for now I want to try the path of least resistance especially since there are only a couple weeks left of school. Also, summer camps will be starting afterward and they might not have WiFi access at all the various camps so it might be best to see if something that works stand alone can work. If not I might try your suggestion when the new school year starts. We have a good relationship with the principal so hopefully it wouldn't be much of a problem if it comes to that.

Argyle · May 16, 2019

Camstun187 said:
OP didn't explain any of this in the OP

You couldn't be bothered to read the 21 other posts above yours?

Darknight · May 16, 2019

Camstun187 said:
OP didn't explain any of this in the OP

I was trying to keep personal info to a minimum since I didn't think it had anything to do with getting an answer to my question. Despite that, I did allude to it being health related a couple times before you posted that video and even ignoring that, I said it explicitly to you in my first reply to you.

Infinity Times Two · May 16, 2019

Darknight said:
I'll give it a try and see how it works and if it's a good fit. Thanks for the suggestion. It's definitely something I haven't stumbled upon before so I was completely unaware of this prospect.

https://shortcutsgallery.com/shortcuts/log-water/

Open this link on your iPhone and it can import a Water logging shortcut into the app.

Camstun187 · May 16, 2019

Argyle said:
You couldn't be bothered to read the 21 other posts above yours?

No, I couldn't.

Kareha · May 16, 2019

signal said:
We're still under 30 replies familia let's enjoy the act of reading.

I did read it but I still don't understand why you need a piece of technology to tell you to drink some water. Even if their child doesn't drink as much, instead of a watch, the parents could just go get them a glass of water like a normal parent.

Deleted member 9330 · May 16, 2019

Kareha said:
I did read it but I still don't understand why you need a piece of technology to tell you to drink some water. Even if their child doesn't drink as much, instead of a watch, the parents could just go get them a glass of water like a normal parent.

So you didn't read it, got it

Kareha · May 16, 2019

Zeyphersan said:
So you didn't read it, got it

I think I know when I've read something or not idiot.

MrKlaw · May 16, 2019

Kareha said:
I did read it but I still don't understand why you need a piece of technology to tell you to drink some water. Even if their child doesn't drink as much, instead of a watch, the parents could just go get them a glass of water like a normal parent.

This is a good point the OP clearly didn't think about. OP - is there an option where you sit within 6ft of your child all day while they're at school and remind them yourself?

Deleted member 9330 · May 16, 2019

Kareha said:
I think I know when I've read something or not idiot.

Based on this conversation I can actually very confidently say you didn't read the posts in this thread

whatsinaname · May 16, 2019

How old is the kid? Have you looked at the gululu gamified water bottle?

Is there an Apple Watch app to remind you to drink water that works without an iPhone connected?

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