Even a dehydration-induced two-month-long kidney disease in the summer of 2012 couldnt get me to change my habits.

I was hoping the Water.io Smart Water Bottle could do that.

Water.io Smart Water Bottle

The Smart Water Bottle is better for tracking hydration than pushing you towards it.

Smart Water Bottle

Photo: Dua Rashid

The app utilizes that intel to store and inform you about your recommended daily water intake.

you might tilt the bottle to find out if youre on track at any point during the day.

The LED ring on the cap will flash green if you are and orange if youre not.

Smart Water Bottle 4

Left: Progress circles on the in-app calendar. Right: Exact water intake with time stamps on a particular day. Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

To review your progress so far, head to the app.

I manually adjusted the goal on the app and raised it to 1.6 liters.

Id check the green/orange on-track/off-track status often throughout the day and mostly find it on green.

Smart Water Bottle 3

Left: You have to navigate to the app for the progress tracker. Right: Helpful in-app features. Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

This bottles biggest flaw is that it doesnt inform you how far behind on your goal you are.

There are free hydration-tracking apps for that.

And this specific metric is so lenient that it doesnt benefit anyone.

Smart Water Bottle 2

Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

It flashed green for me on days when I couldnt meet even half of my total goal.

But I noticed quickly that taking a few sips would make it green again, which was deceiving.

It doesnt merit a green light if Ive just started my daily water intake.

Smart Water Bottle 2

Badges and leaderboard. Photo: Dua Rashid / Gizmodo

I was pretty underwhelmed after looking forward to it for days.

With a celebration so invisible that itd easily go unnoticed, its not very encouraging.

Interestingly, I didnt exactly meet my goal on even this day.

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I guess it awards you even when youre close.

Ten days is a good enough battery life on a gadget if its offering sufficient value, though.

But with magnetic charging on this bottle, youd need its specific proprietary cable.

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It features a sleek, robust body and an extremely lightweight build.

My review unit included the $10 handle (sold separately) that I found pretty useful.

The companion app has a slightly janky interface and is prone to crashing.

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But if you’re free to get past its low-quality UI, its packed with features and rewards.

you could manually add hydration outside the bottle, such as coffee, wine, etc.

There are dozens of badges to help motivate you and a leaderboard to celebrate the most efficient water drinkers.

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I was happier than Id like to admit when I received my first (and only) badge.

Is it worth it?

Water.ios Smart Water Bottle desperately needs a progress tracker on the bottle itself.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a guided tour of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before leading a board meeting on March 17, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Its on-track/off-track status updates also need to be far smarter.

Water.io gamifies hydration for you, and its admittedly enjoyable.

However, online hydration trackers and apps can do the same without spending $70.

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