A water intake tracker you see every time you check the time

Why track water at all?

Your body is mostly water, and many health bodies suggest that most adults get enough fluid from a mix of drinks and food across the day, more in hot weather or when you exercise. Needs vary a lot from person to person, so treat any number as a personal goal, not a rule. If you have a medical condition that affects fluids, follow your doctor's advice rather than a generic target.

The reason to track isn't to hit a magic figure. It's that most people underestimate how little they drink on busy days. A visible count makes the gap obvious: if it's 3pm and only two dots are filled, you know without doing any maths.

How to actually build the habit

Water is the easiest habit to stack onto things you already do. These small tricks help far more than a louder reminder:

Tick the steps as you go

1. Keep a glass by the sink. Fill it every time you pass the kitchen or brush your teeth.
2. Pair it with meals. One glass before breakfast, lunch and dinner already gives you three dots.
3. Start the day with one. A glass right after waking is the easiest win of the day.
4. Use one bottle you like. If your bottle is 500 ml, set the glass size to 500 so each dot means one refill.
5. Front-load the day. Aim for most of your glasses before late afternoon so you're not drinking a litre right before bed.

Set up your water habit in DailyWall

The paper comes with its own 3 water-themed washi tapes and 3 stickers, so it's easy to spot among your other notes.

Tick the steps as you go

1. Open DailyWall, tap + and choose Set up a habit.
2. In the Health category, choose Drink water.
3. Set glasses per day anywhere from 1 to 20 (8 is the default).
4. Choose your glass size: 200 ml, 250 ml, 330 ml or 500 ml.
5. Pick the days (every day is the default for water), a time of day, and whether you want a reminder.
6. Choose a paper look and, if you like, an end date for a 30-day water challenge.

What it looks like on your Lock Screen

Because your DailyWall wall is your Lock Screen wallpaper, the water paper sits under the clock with its row of dots. Each time you drink, open the app and tap + on the paper to fill one dot. When you close DailyWall, the Shortcuts automation refreshes the wallpaper, so the next time you glance at your phone you see "3 of 8" instead of an empty row.

It's a quiet kind of reminder. There's no badge or alert demanding attention; the half-empty row of dots does the nudging. If you haven't set up the Lock Screen wallpaper yet, our guide to putting notes on your iPhone Lock Screen walks you through the one-time setup.

Missed a day? Nothing breaks

Some days you'll forget, travel, or simply be too busy to tap the dots. In DailyWall, that day's water paper isn't carried over and there's no streak to lose. It stays faded on its own day, and tomorrow a fresh paper with empty dots is waiting.

If you keep missing, the goal is probably too high or the reminder time is wrong. Lower the glasses, or move the reminder to a moment when you're actually near water, like lunch.

A 7-day water starter plan

Tick the steps as you go

1. Day 1: Set the habit to 4 glasses. Put a glass by the sink.
2. Day 2: Drink one glass as soon as you wake up.
3. Day 3: Add one glass with each main meal.
4. Day 4: Raise the goal to 6 if days 1–3 felt easy.
5. Day 5: Carry a bottle when you leave the house.
6. Day 6: Check your Lock Screen at 3pm. Behind? Have a glass now.
7. Day 7: Settle on the number that felt natural, and keep it.