Staying well hydrated can help with concentration, fatigue and general health and well-being. So it’s not surprising that someone has found a tech-based way to help with hydration. The HidrateSpark Pro is a smart drink bottle that can sense how much water you’ve consumed, provide alerts when you’re behind your target and incentivises you to drink water regularly through gamification.
Quick Summary
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to set up Intuitive app Looks great | Proprietary charging cable with USB-A |
Price: Around $115
Online: https://hidratespark.com/
Starting out
I’ve been using the HydrateSpark Pro for about three months. I purchased my device from a local retailer during the Christmas 2024 sales for about $90. That’s about $25 off the current recommended price. It’s become part of my kit and rarely leaves my desk.
Initial set up was straightforward. The bottle has two components – the main section and the sensor that is screwed into the base. That needs to be removed and connected to the charger. The charging cable connects magnetically to the sensor section to charge it. A small array if LEDs on the base lets you now when the battery is fully charged.
Once the sensor is charged and the device is connected to its app over Bluetooth you are prompted to calibrate the bottle. This simply involves ensuring the bottle is empty and placing it on a flat surface so the sensor can weigh the bottle. Once that’s done, the app prompts you to fill the bottle and place it on a flat surface to complete the calibration.
During the initial set up, you can also tell the app your daily drinking goal. I set mine at 1200ml – two full bottles. While the recommended daily water intake is a little higher, I also drink other things during the day that I dint bother logging – cups of tea, post-workout shakes, etc.
Everyday use
The thing about a drink bottle is that it’s not a particularly complex device to use. The HidratePro Spark is a solid tube of stainless steel. As it’s solid, drinking means sucking your water (or whatever else you fill it with) through the metal straw that is connected to the mouthpiece at the top.
The mouthpiece folds down and there’s a small strap at the top to make it easy to carry the bottle.
The real ‘magic’ for this bottle comes from two pieces: the sensor that locks into the bottle’s base and the app.
The base includes a Bluetooth radio that sends your drink data to the app. It’s able to monitor your water consumption as it weighs the amount of water you drink. That’s why the initial calibration process is so important.
The app maintains a log of your drinking throughout the day and you can easily manually add drinks if you consume something that’s not in your bottle.
The app also tries to incentivise you to drink by offering Trophies for achieving different milestones. Some trophies are environmentally focussed such as awards for saving plastic bottles. Others are a little whimsical such as “Drank enough water to fill a fish tank”. But there are also trophies for maintaining streaks, using the manual add feature and others.
Battery life runs into weeks. Since I started using my bottle in December 2024, I’ve only had to charge it three or four times. There’s a handy battery indicator in the app.
One of the more useful features of the HidratePro Spark is the LED lighting on the base. You can choose, within the app, from a number of different lighting effects that will illuminate the base of the bottle. You can set the bottle’s base to illuminate when you’re behind your consumption schedule, have achieved your daily goal and when a sip has been recorded.
Should you buy a HidratePro Spark?
I’m not going to lie – this is an expensive solution to a problem few people think they have. My old drink bottle cost about $20, is insulated and carries the same 600ml of water.
But if you don’t drink as much water as you should – there’s a general consensus that we should consumer about two litres per day – then having a bottle that reminds you can be handy.
But at over $100 – you can set a reminder on your phone to have a glass of water every hour or two for no cost.
Anthony is the founder of Australian Apple News. He is a long-time Apple user and former editor of Australian Macworld. He has contributed to many technology magazines and newspapers as well as appearing regularly on radio and occasionally on TV.