Keep your water target visible through the working day.

Screen work can make the next task feel more urgent than everything around it. Hydrate turns a target, cup size and working hours into visible progress, cups remaining and an approximate reminder pace you can keep in view.

Treat 6–8 cups as guidance, not a personal prescription

The NHS presents 6 to 8 cups or glasses of fluid a day as a general guide, not a fixed amount for every person. It also says some people may need more, including during pregnancy or breastfeeding, in hot environments, during long periods of physical activity, and when ill or recovering from illness.

UP TIMER does not set a medical hydration target. The target field is a user-selected control. Choose a value appropriate to your circumstances, and follow advice from an appropriate health professional where a medical condition, medication or other factor affects fluid intake.

Connect the target to the cup or bottle you actually use

A volume is often easier to keep in view when it is translated into the cup or bottle size you actually use. Enter the target and your usual cup size, and Hydrate can show cups remaining alongside your overall progress.

That makes the display more personal to the way you drink. Someone using a 250 ml glass and someone using a larger bottle can work towards the same selected target while seeing different numbers of portions remaining.

Set the working hours you want Hydrate running

Set the number of working hours you want Hydrate running. UP TIMER uses that period, together with your selected target and cup size, to calculate an approximate reminder pace for the part of the day in which you want the timer active.

The pace is a planning aid, not an instruction to drink on a rigid schedule. Pause, reset or change the settings when meetings, travel, exercise, heat or other circumstances make the original setup less useful.

Use progress as information, not pressure

Visible progress reduces the amount you need to remember. Use Add cup when it reflects what you have actually recorded. If a prompt arrives at the wrong moment, acknowledge it and adjust the setup rather than treating the timer as an instruction that overrides context.

What acknowledgement records

Acknowledgement records that the water prompt received a response. It does not prove that a drink was taken, how much was consumed or whether the selected target was appropriate.

Know what the timer can and cannot tell you

The NHS notes that water is a healthy and inexpensive choice, while other drinks also count towards fluid intake and some fluid comes from food. General guidance cannot account for individual medical needs. Seek advice from an appropriate health professional where fluid intake is clinically relevant or you are unsure what is suitable for you.