Try our new Water Tracking feature!

Tamsin

We have just released a beta build containing a long time requested feature - Water Tracking!

To make tracking your water intake quick and easy, we’ve added a water tracking widget to the diary (swipe right on the widget at the top off your diary page) and ‘Add Water’ buttons to the main + menu and quick add menus.

For users that track using our website, you can take a look at beta.cronometer.com, where you will see a '+ water' button at the top of your diary, and a water tracking widget below the calendar.

We’d love to hear your feedback on the design and functionality!

If you're not a beta user and you'd like to try this and upcoming new features, email beta@cronometer.com to join. Include which device type you use (iOS or Android) and your Apple ID/ Google Play Store email address.

Happy tracking!

billhooper

Hi!

I'm viewing the 4.10.1 build in TestFlight in my iPhone app, and I don't see any option to add water, just the typical icons - Suggest Food, etc.

When I log in on my browser version at beta.cronometer.com, I do see the Add Water icon and feature.

In the browser version, I like that you include the fluid ounces, and I wish that ounces were the top, bolded label, not grams. I'm in the US so I use ounces.

Similarly, for web browser version, under Nutrient Targets, General, I'd prefer water be listed in Fluid Ounces, not Grams.

Thanks!

Tamsin

Hi @billhooper you should now have access on mobile, let me know if you don't. Thanks for your feedback!

billhooper

Okay yes I see the icon now!

MoonlitMuse

Hey guys! When I got the initial invite to beta test, I went through the testflight app, used the code, etc. and all was good. Then I changed phones and while everything seems like I should be getting the water feature (i.e. testflight is on the new phone, it shows Cronometer (Version 4.10.1) and says it expires in 30 days. And the app itself has the little yellow dot by it, but it's looking like the standard version without the water button. Any ideas on how to fix it?

Crono_Matt

Hello MoonlitMuse
I have recently updated the beta version of Cronometer, and it was accepted by the app store yesterday. You should now see it listed as version 4.12.1. Please let me know if you are still experiencing any issues.

A1ANorth

@Crono_Matt I got the email notification to test “load-as-you-scroll.” I updated through TestFlight, but I don’t see any water features in the diary, or the target split at the top of the diary page. What am I missing?

Thanks!

Crono_Matt

If you go to the 'more' tab at the bottom, then 'display' - is there a toggle there to 'Show water tracking'?

A1ANorth

There is not.

Crono_Matt

Ok thank you for the feedback. I am in contact with one of our developers about this and will get back to you.

A1ANorth

Thanks!

Crono_Matt

We are aiming to send out a new build by the end of the week. I apologize for the delay.

A1ANorth

@Crono_Matt,
I sent below through TestFlight, but so the group can weigh in:

I believe this is working as intended. However what users are looking for is a water entry on the diary page that sums up water consumption for the day. Without having to look under each meal/category to figure out how much water they have had.

billhooper

I agree with A1ANorth

before I could add water from the main diary page. Now I have to scroll many screens to both see and add water. That’s way too much work.

I think water should be displayed and easily addable to the main diary page. Not sure why you guys lost the add water icon near Add Food, but that was better before.

and yes I’d like to be able to view water on the first diary page as well

thanks

A1ANorth

@Crono_Matt,

Why can't we have something like this?

The units and a goal could be configurable...

A1ANorth

For the group, if you see the bottom of my image above, I added a "meal category" for water. To make my life easier, I add all my water there, that way I can quickly see how much I've had. I track by cups, but you could do ounces or whatever. Be nice if the summary at the category line or top of the page would sum it for me...

Crono_Matt

Thanks for the valuable feedback! Here's my understanding of the main pain points:

1. • Difficulty in easily summarizing daily water consumption on the main diary page.
2. • Inconvenience in adding water to diary, as it now requires scrolling through multiple screens.
3. • The absence of a readily accessible "add water" icon on the main page, which was available previously.
4. • The need for a dedicated category for water in the diary for more efficient tracking.
5. • A desire for a summary feature that automatically calculates the total water intake for the day in their preferred unit of measurement (e.g., cups or ounces).

I'll address each point. Please let me know if these suggestions are helpful:
1 and 5 - We've introduced a new water tracking widget, accessible as the 5th widget when you swipe left on the main diary menu. This widget displays water consumption in cups, fluid ounces, and grams (mL).

2 - To add water to the diary, tap the big plus menu and select the "add water" icon. If the icon isn't visible, you can long-press any icon in the menu until it starts shaking. Then, you'll see a "+" in the top left corner of the menu. Tap the "+" to add water tracking to the menu.

3 - You can create a water diary group, as suggested by A1ANorth. Swipe right on the diary group header, tap the overflow menu (three dots), select 'Edit group quick add default,' and choose water from the list. Now, tapping the "+" on that group will automatically add water.

4 - You can modify the summary column in the diary groups to display water. Go to "More" -> "Display" -> "Summary Column" and select water. Water entries will now show in the diary.

You can also add water to your nutrient targets by going to "More" -> "Targets" -> "Nutrient Target" -> "Selected Highlighted Nutrients" -> tap a nutrient and replace it with water.

Another option is to add water to the diary using the new voice logging feature.

I want to ensure I understand your needs correctly. Does this help? Would you like the ability to rearrange the order of widgets at the top of the diary to avoid swiping multiple times to reach the water tracking widget?

A1ANorth

@Crono_Matt,

Personally, I think entering water is easy enough. I think the problem most of us have is easily tracking how much water we’ve consumed. I think you get that in your post, but it’s long and I probably haven’t digested it completely yet; so forgive me if I’m plowing over plowed ground.

Maybe Cronometer should not think of water as a “food?” And, also think of water as a macronutrient.

Again, we want to see water consumption easily, up front, without having to scroll right multiple times. Or, add up our water consumption ourselves.

Thank you again for graciously listening and your patience!

Crono_Matt

@A1ANorth
Thank you for the feedback. As I perceive it, the challenge stems from the limited space available on phone screens. Incorporating water tracking into the consumed/burned/remaining circles might make the interface appear overcrowded, especially on smaller screens. One potential solution could be implementing this feature specifically for larger iPad-like screens.

In the interim, I will propose the idea of making these widgets customizable. This way, you won't have to swipe five times to access water tracking.

A1ANorth

@Chrono_Matt,

I get the graphic space at the top of the page, but that can use more than a single line for display.

Maybe a simple fix would be make a permanent Water category, that “water” entries fall into that sums water like the other meal categories sum macronutrients?

Thanks!

MoonlitMuse

I agree with @A1ANorth on this. I figured out a while ago that I'd just have to make a separate 'water' category, but it ends up also having all my imported info from Garmin because I'm utilizing all the other categories as well (Breakfast, AM snack, Lunch, Post-Workout, PM Snack, Dinner, Supplements). It's not a huuuuuge deal, but it can sometimes get buried.

Thanks for the direction on how to re-add the water and voice logging to the add screen!

Crono_Matt

Thanks for the responses!

@A1ANorth you said "Maybe a simple fix would be make a permanent Water category, that “water” entries fall into that sums water like the other meal categories sum macronutrients?"
The water widget accumulates all the water in all foods, not just the water you've consumed by drinking. If there were only one water category, it wouldn't accurately represent how much water you've actually consumed (including both drinking and eating).

If you tap on the progress bar, it will lead you to a summary page that lists all the contributors to your water score.

What changes do you believe would enhance the accessibility of this information? Are you proposing the permanent water category diary group should encompass all water entries (food and beverage) from every group in the diary and only display water entries added via the "add water" button? Would you consider this proposed change be an improvement over the current progress bar in the widget?

A1ANorth

@Crono_Matt,

Thanks for that reminder, I remember reading that in the past. Could the same widget sum appear in the water category?

That said, I personally am concerned with only counting water that I drink. I am not interested in counting water from the apple that I ate. Even though I acknowledge it’s valid.

I don’t know how the group feels about that.

Luke8

Hey, my water widget and the add water button in the + menu disappeared a few days ago and they aren't even in the settings...

Did you remove this feature?

Crono_Matt

Thank you for letting me know. What version of the app are you using? You can see the version in more -> about -> version.

When did you first notice it was missing?

Luke8

On November 5th. I sent you a support email right when it happened.

App version is 4.13.1

Crono_Matt

I had a conversation with one of our developers who mentioned that when we release a new version of Android to the public, the beta version gets overwritten. They are currently working on creating a refreshed beta build, so you can expect to have water tracking back soon.

TimeOffSite

the add water feature is gone for me. 4.16 and 4.17 don’t have it for me on iPhone.

Crono_Matt

Thank you for your interest in the water tracking feature! Based on feedback from our beta testers, we are currently working on a new iteration of this feature and plan to release it in the near future. Consequently, the feature is temporarily unavailable. We are eager to roll it out, given the significant interest it has generated.

twisesq

Hi Crono team! I've been using the beta water tracking feature on the web, and it worked so well up until today!! The new user interface with the glasses of water that seem to hide the "water" entires in the diary is a regression - please bring back the old method. The glasses of water approach is how some of the other apps in this space operate, and it's just too difficult to account for different volumes of water one drinks during the day (glasses vs. bottles, etc.). It was also nice how the old method factored in H2O in food entries.

Crono_Matt

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out and sharing your feedback on our recent water tracking feature update. We truly appreciate your detailed insights, and we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the changes.

We understand your concerns regarding the new user interface with the glasses of water and its impact on your tracking experience. Your feedback about the difficulty in accounting for different volumes of water consumed throughout the day, as well as the inclusion of H2O from food entries, is valuable to us. To address this, one of our key goals is to separate H2O tracking from food entries, allowing for a clearer distinction between water intake and other nutritional factors. Rest assured, you'll still be able to view total water intake from both foods and the water widget, with 'water' as a highlighted nutrient.

Thank you once again for your valuable feedback and for being a part of our journey to improve hydration tracking for everyone. We'll keep you updated on any developments and enhancements to the feature.