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

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Many smart water bottles typically cost over $50, but the HidrateSpark Tap offers almost the same features at 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 Tap might be the best option for you.

The HidrateSpark Tap houses a traditional water bottle design that includes a straw and an inhalation sipping mechanism to hold water. The bottle is made of plastic and holds 24 ounces of water.

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

All the technology is in the lower part of the water bottle. It includes a light sensor and an NFC chip that allows you to log how much water you drink.

Under the bottom are buttons that have different controls, how often the LED lights built into the base will remind you to drink water, choose the color of the lights, and turn the lights off. The light goes out every hour.

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

When you first tap your phone, it will direct your device to download the Hidrate app to connect your water bottle. After that, every time you tap the tag with your phone, a notification will pop up on your device.

Tapping the notification will launch the Hidrate app and record your water intake. You must tap the notification to have your water intake logged.

The water bottle is dishwasher safe, all you have to do is take it apart and place it on the top rack. Remove the base that contains the NFC chip and the light before putting it in the dishwasher as this is the only part that is not dishwasher safe.

The bottle’s design is simple, lightweight and doesn’t stray too far from a traditional water bottle. It brings technological components into a traditional design without disrupting the way you would typically use an everyday water bottle.

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

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

When you open the app, you can see how far you are from your drinking goal for the day. You can set this to a customizable goal set by you or given by the app. You can either manually enter how much water you’ve drunk or tap the NFC chip with your phone.

Keeping track of how much water you’ve drunk also gives you awards along the way. You can see what achievements you’ve earned by tapping the trophy icon on the right side of the screen above the mug icon.

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

The Bottles tab allows you to add and customize the details of your water bottle by naming it, finding it through Apple Maps, and controlling the same features you would control by pressing the buttons below 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:

• water
• Coffee
• Wave Immune Support
• Wave Electrolyte
• tea
• wave energy

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

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

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

The app also offers a home screen widget that shows you how much water you’ve logged throughout the day – just like the app’s Home tab. It is automatically reset daily.

One of the best features of this water bottle is that it connects directly to Apple Health and imports data as it logs how much water you’ve drunk.

• Go into the Hidrate app
• Tap the Settings tab at the bottom right of the screen
• Select destination from the list
• Select Apple Health under Connect to apps

Any water you record – either by entering it manually or by touching the NFC chip on the bottle with your phone – is automatically copied and also recorded in the Health app. Any other health-based apps (like diet or exercise) you have that are connected to the Health app will also get the data.

You can opt out of receiving and sharing information from and with the Hidrate app in 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 multiple colors
• Connects seamlessly to the app
• Dishwasher safe

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

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

Plus, since you can connect it to the Health app on your iPhone, you can view your water intake stats right in the app. The water you register with the Hidrate app will also be imported into other health apps that you also have on your device.

The bottom light can get annoying at times, and the water you drink doesn’t automatically log you on your phone – you have to tap the notification that pops up and then it logs it. However, these are relatively minor annoyances that don’t ruin the use of the product.

The HidrateSpark Tap Smart Water Bottle is a great purchase for anyone who wants to be more focused on their health and wants or needs to drink more water on a daily basis.

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