HidrateSpark TAP Smart Water Bottle review: Best budget smart water bottle

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Many smart water bottles usually cost more than $50, but the HidrateSpark Tap offers almost the same features for a fraction of the price.

There are several smart water bottles to choose from, but if you want one that tracks your water intake, integrates with Apple Health, and doesn’t burn a hole in your wallet, then the HidrateSpark faucet might be the best option for you.

The HidrateSpark Tap houses a traditional water bottle design that includes a straw and inhale drinking mechanism for ingesting water. The bottle is made of plastic and holds 24 ounces of water.

The lid, straw and body are all removable and can be easily taken apart and put back together. With a simple push of the straw into the lid, and a twist of the wrist to screw the top into the plastic body, the water bottle is formed.

The bottom part of the water bottle is where all the technology is. It contains a light sensor and NFC chip that helps you record how much water you drink.

Underneath the bottom are buttons that have different controls from either how often you are reminded to drink water by the LED lights built into the base, choosing the color of the lights, and turning the lights off. The light goes off every hour.

The NFC tag acts like any other NFC chip in that you tap your phone on it and your phone will perform the actions it is programmed to do.

The first time you tap your phone, it will prompt your device to download the Hidrate app to connect your water bottle. After that, every time you tap your phone to the tag, a notification will appear on your device.

Tapping the notification will launch the Hydrate app and record your water intake. You must tap on the notification so that your water intake can be recorded.

The water bottle is dishwasher safe, you just need to take it apart and place it on the top shelf. Remove the bottom that houses the NFC chip and lights before you put it in the dishwater, as it is the only piece that is not dishwasher safe.

The design of the bottle is simple, lightweight and doesn’t stray too far from a traditional water bottle. It brings technological components to a traditional design without disrupting how you would normally use an everyday water bottle.

The Hidrate app is the corresponding app for the water bottle that you can download before or after setting up the HidrateSpark faucet. It’s free to download, and you can find it either by name in the App Store or by tapping your phone on the NFC tag and being directed to it.

You can create an account from scratch or choose to sign in with your Apple ID. This account will allow you to house the water bottle and the amount of water you drink.

When you open the app, you’ll see how far you are toward your drinking goal for the day. You can set it to a customizable goal set by you or one predetermined by the app. You can either manually enter how much water you drank or tap your phone on the NFC chip.

When you record how much water you drank, you’ll also earn awards along the way. You can see what achievements you have received by tapping the trophy icon on the right side of the screen above the cup icon.

By tapping on the History tab at the bottom of the screen, you can see the history of how much water you’ve logged in the past. You’ll see your hourly goals, overviews, drink log and a breakdown.

The Bottles tab lets you add and customize the details of your water bottle by naming it, locating it via Apple Maps, and controlling the same functions as you would by pressing the buttons underneath the bottle.

By tapping the water icon next to “Find Bottle” you can change the type of drink you fill your bottle with. Here’s what you can choose from:

• Water
• Coffee
• Gulf immune support
• Golf electrolyte
• Tea
• Wave Energy

While you can fill the bottle with coffee, a warning will appear saying that the water bottle doesn’t like hot liquids – if you do choose that option.

You can add another water bottle to your account from here if you have one.

The app will give hourly notifications on your phone to encourage you to drink more water with quirky and fun little sayings of encouragement.

The app also offers a Home Screen widget that will show you how much water you’ve logged throughout the day — just like it does in the app’s Home tab. It will automatically reset daily.

One of the best features this water bottle offers is that it connects directly to Apple Health and inputs data when it records how much water you’ve downed.

• Go to the Hydrate app
• Tap the Settings tab at the bottom right of the screen
• Select Objective from the list
• Select Apple Health under Connect to Apps

Any water you take in – either by manually entering it or tapping your phone to the NFC chip on the bottle – will automatically be copied and recorded in the Health app as well. Any other health-based apps (such as diet or exercise) connected to the Health app will also receive the data.

You can stop receiving and sharing information from and with the Hydrate app within the Water section of the Health app. You can do this by going to the Data Sources and Access tab at the bottom of the page.

• Good price for the water bottle
• Easy to use and understand
• Comes in several colors
• Seamlessly connect to the application
• Dishwasher safe

• Does not automatically add water when tapping the NFC tag
• It may sometimes take a minute for the phone to recognize the NFC tag
• The bottom light can get annoying at times
• Do you really need a smart water bottle?

The HidrateSpark Tap Smart Water Bottle is a great smart water bottle to have for a very reasonable price. The way it connects to your phone and the customization you have on it is a steal for the price you pay.

Additionally, since you can connect it to the Health app on your iPhone, you can see your water intake stats right from the app. The water you log into the Hidrate app will also be imported into other health apps you also have on your device.

The bottom light can get annoying at times, and the water you drink doesn’t automatically log into your phone – you have to tap the notification that pops up, and then it will log. But these are relatively minor irritations that do not ruin the use of the product.

The HidrateSpark Tap Smart Water Bottle is a great buy for anyone who wants to take a better focus on their health and want or need to want or need to gamify drinking more water daily.

The HidrateSpark Tap Smart Water Bottle is available for $20 on Amazon. You can buy it in aqua, blue, purple, pink or black.