When reminders arrive, and when they stay quiet
A reminder that comes at the wrong moment teaches you to ignore reminders. Sippy plans a day's nudges around your routine instead of on a fixed timer.
The anchors
- A quarter of an hour after you wake up — the easiest glass of the day to remember.
- Thirty minutes before breakfast, lunch and dinner. Habits stick when they hang off something you already do (Lally et al., 2010), and water before a meal is a small help to people who are dieting (Dennis et al., 2010). The meal times are yours to set, and the meal reminders can be turned off.
- One extra reminder at a time you choose, if you want it. With PRO, the weekly tips card will even point at the stretch of your day where you drink least and offer to put it there.
The pace check-ins
The rest of the day's nudges fill the gaps, spread evenly rather than crowded into the morning. For today, one only goes out if you are at least 200 ml behind what drinking evenly would have you at by then — and because every drink replans the day, that stays true right up to the moment it fires.
The limits
- At most seven reminders a day, or about four on Gentle.
- At least an hour between any two.
- Nothing for 45 minutes after you log a drink.
- Nothing in the last two hours before bed.
- Nothing at all once the goal is met, or on a rest day.
Why not more
Fewer, better-aimed prompts beat many fixed ones (Head et al., 2013), and a notification you dismiss five times a day is a notification you will eventually switch off. The point is that when Sippy does speak, it is worth looking.
FAQ
- Can I choose the exact times myself?
- You set the pieces: wake and bed times, the three meal times, and one extra reminder at a time you pick. The pace check-ins between them are worked out for you, so they can take account of what you have already drunk.
- Does it remind me at night?
- No. The last two hours before your bedtime are quiet, and nothing is scheduled while you are asleep.
- What if I work nights?
- Set your wake and bed times to the hours you are actually up. A meal time earlier on the clock than your wake-up is treated as the next day's.
Sippy is a reminder and a record of what you drink, not medical advice. Its suggested goal follows published guidance for healthy adults, and the app is for ages 14 and up. If you have heart, kidney or liver disease, low blood sodium, take diuretics, or have been told to limit fluids, ask your doctor before setting a goal.
Drink water, grow cute cats
Sippy nudges you only when you are behind, logs a glass in one tap from the Lock Screen, and grows a cat farm — or a tiny forest — as the goal days add up. Free, no ads, and nothing leaves your iPhone.
Download on the App Store