Alexa skill

masyukun

Any plans to add a Cronometer Amazon Echo (Alexa) skill?

Sometimes I forget to log a snack because the computer isn't nearby, or my hands are busy at work.

Tricky

Great idea!

logicalparadox

+1!! This would be huge. The biggest barrier to using any kind of app like this is the effort and time it takes to input your food and biometric entries on a consistent daily basis and not forget anything. If all I had to do was say Alexa tell chronometer I just had 3 eggs or Alexa tell chronometer I weigh 180.6 lbs, etc, that drastically improves the likelihood I will keep my diary updated and complete. Compare that to having a snack and then having to pull your phone out of your pocket unlock it open the app wait for it to sync (which usually takes about 3 to 5 Seconds for some reason) and then make your entry through a series of taps to navigate menus and searches for items. The ease of verbally adding something even if it's just a note for you to remember later is pretty awesome

Hilary

This is a great idea! It has been requested in the past and is on our (Very long) list of feature ideas for our developers to look into implementing! We have some big changes to Cronometer coming soon; our programmers are busy working on these big updates, but I will keep your suggestions in mind for the future!
We are always looking to make the app more user friendly, so suggestions from our users are imperative!

heather80

+1 on this. I don't want to open the app just to log one food item especially when I am in the kitchen.

Pangloss

I also like this idea, not only for Alexa, but also for Google Assistant. However, as I can imagine the complexity involved in translating irregular voice instructions into any sort of an ordered and meaningful data entry flow, it may be more practical for now to simply provide a time-stamped text note in the appropriate meal area that details the food consumed. That would at least allow the user to go back later and manually enter the items, and could be very useful. Maybe such text notes could be flagged so the user knows the day is incomplete.

K019

Curious if there’s been any movement on an Alexa skill? Would be so helpful!

Karen_Cronometer

Hi K019,

We haven't been able to fit this one it yet. Thanks for your feedback - it helps us prioritize what projects we plan for future development.

Cheers,

K019

@Karen_Cronometer I'll look forward to it! Thanks for the reply.

YAC

ANother +1 here

Adnama

I also really need a Siri shortcut or Alexa skill that lets me log my food verbally.

PuterMan

Of course there are also those of use who detest Alexa, Siri, Cortana and all other systems of that ilk. More damaging radiation where we already have quite enough! (I am old am grumpy so don't bother taking me to task )

Adnama

Of course such a skill would be optional - Luddites could always choose not to enable it. I really need a verbal interface because I'm blind and using Cronometer with the VoiceOver screen reader on the iPhone. It really takes me a significant amount of time to make a bunch of swipes and taps for every food item and then for every single serving I have to select grams because Cronometer can't remember that I always use grams.

PuterMan

@Adnama I did not say it should not be implemented and yes it would be optional. Far from being a Luddite I am a computer programmer so perfectly at home with computer technology. But why Alexa, Siri and the like - another interface to get it wrong (and they do) when the facility for those such as yourself could be built directly into Cronometer instead of depending upon a third party interface. That would be a far better solution in my opinion. I have noticed that Cronometer remembers your input mode (g, cup etc) on the mobile version but not on the desktop so much unless you have selected the item once. Definitely defaulting to grams would be infinitely preferable to 'cups' or 'oz' for those of us who do not live in the US.

PuterMan

@Adnama P.S. Had you mentioned the perfectly valid reason that you need the voice input I may not have responded the way that I did. If you were in any way offended I do apologise.

Adnama

My blindness may mean it takes me a little longer to use the interface, but if I were sighted and busy cooking and weighing food I wouldn't want to stop and enter everything on the phone either. The spoken interface would still be very useful.

robartsd

Spoken interface is ideed helpful to the sighted. My wife regularly reads off weights for me to record while she cooks.

Skills needed:

• "New Recipe: recipe name"
• "Add ingredient: food name, amount"
• "Record food: food name, amount"

The biggest challenge I see is selecting the right database entry (can be a challenge for the sighted using the current interface), so a list of foods found might need to be spoken back for the user to select from.

PuterMan

@robartsd I always make the recipe entries afterwards and while cooking record them using an extremely old fashioned method call pen and paper.

blbart

I am still hoping for an Alexa skill. I don't think I would use it to add recipes but adding food to my diary by voice would be a great ability.

Pangloss

Even the ability to use Alexa or Google to add a note would be very helpful as it would provide a timestamped memo that could be used later to add actual detailed entry later.

As a paid subscriber I'd also love the ability to send an e-mail to my account that would result in a timestamped note.

cattledogit

Bumping this because AI tools should now make it much easier to develop access to Cronometer's database from its app using voice input.

By far the biggest reason that I only use Cronometer in spurts averaging about half of all days is because, even though most of my foods are in Favorites, I defer entering servings into the app at the start of the day until I'm too far behind on a day to remember everything. Everything else involved, including weighing servings, feels psychologically faster and easier than actually entering the servings into the app.

(I have an android phone and don't use alexa)