FAQ

Each Activity has a different Category. For simplicity, we have eight (8) total Categories:

Red = Love or Social. This is one of the five (5) “lifestyle vital signs” recommended by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Love or social activities may include: quality time spent with family or friends, caring for a member of your family, writing to a loved one, talking on the phone or by video with a loved one, spending time with a beloved pet, or a romantic date.

Orange = Exercise. Any physical activity should count… as long as you feel a boost in heart rate and it makes you sweat (even just a bit). Think of gardening, soccer, football, basketball, a light morning jog or even doing yoga. Whatever means exercise to *YOU* should count. We even count long distance walks from the car to the workplace.

Yellow = School or Work. Hard to have a successful, healthy life without work! Being productive matters. Capture anything you do that exercises your precious, one-of-a-kind brain. Think: writing, reading, creativity, productivity… Computer work, desk work, phone work, homework, class work… #werkwerkwerk. And make it count.

Green = Nutrition. Count grocery shopping, putting stuff in a blender, cooking, food-based gardening… whatever your heart desires that is related to your gastro-nourishment… Coffee. Cups of water. Even medications are included here…

Dark Blue = Sleep. Naps count… as does your normal 7-9 hours… Hopefully you’re getting those during the night! If you’re on shift work, this activity will become especially important for you. Choose from dream-y icons, to love-y ones… to the “I need to hit the bed hard” ones. Getting down to sleep business. Magical, wonderful sleep…

Light Blue = Relax or Self-care. One of our more diverse categories… what reduces your breathing rate? Makes your heartbeat chill? Reading a good book? Then it belongs here. Formal breathing exercises or meditation? Then it counts here… This is our “stress management” section. We know this is important… another one of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s “lifestyle vital signs”. Heart disease is still the #1 killer in the United States, and stress is a leading cause of heart disease… so make sure you use the light blue! And relax… P.S. Nature is one that should definitely count. Use the “bonzai tree” icon and #GetOutside!!

Purple = Fun. Please have fun. In life… Concerts, video games… whatever floats your boat, as long as it brings a genuine smile to your face. Having trouble having fun? Think of what brought you joy as a child… your favorite Xmas gift? Favorite stocking stuffer? Favorite board game?! We recommend dancing.

Pink = Miscellaneous or Spontaneous. Clearly the above categories are not all-inclusive of this wonderful thing we call life. Errands, transportation, the daily grind of getting here-to-there… all takes *Time*. Place them here, in the pink category. *ALSO*, no one wants 24/7 x365 days of purely planned events… even the most passionate Owaves user deserves some free time… to be spontaneous and make up for lost time. Use pink to represent free time. Spontaneous time. Elbow room time…

With “Create-a-Button”!

Create-a-Button is our #1 most popular feature. Personalize your Owaves experience by including your favorite emojis. You can also make infinite combinations using up to three (3) alphanumeric characters… For example “ENG” for English class and “MTH” for math class. You can even have fun using different languages!! 开玩笑

1. Double-tap anywhere on the white space surrounding the O to enter Edit mode
2. Select an Activity Category (single tap)
3. Press the “+” button
4. Type!

To delete an Activity Button that you created, simply press & hold (like you would do for an app on your iPhone). You should see a wiggly “X” icon appear. Tap the “X” to delete. Note: you cannot delete the default Owaves’ Activity Buttons.

To re-order an Activity Button that you created, also requires a press & hold (like you would do for an app on your iPhone). Simply drag and drop the Button(s) to the new position you would like. Tap anywhere on the surrounding blank white space to de-select and undo the wiggle — which will set the new position of your Buttons.

Yes! Simply tap the “+” button in your Activity Menu. Your keyboard will appear, and allow you to enter in any single emoji or combination of up to three (3) alphanumeric characters.

See “How do I create my own Activity Icon” for further instructions.

Unfortunately, we currently do not have the option to create your own category. However, we are considering this in our roadmap as we further develop the app.

Customizable colors are currently unavailable but we hear you and are working on it! 

Precision titles refer to the more specific default titles we’ve created for activities in version 2.9.2.

Double-tap on the white space surrounding the O to enter Edit Mode. From Edit Mode, you will be able to add activities and plan your day. Once you’re finished planning your day, double-tap on the white space again to exit Edit Mode.

To set an Alert, tap on the activity. This should bring you to Event Details which shos the Alert option. Click on the Alert to set the time of the alert. 4 options should pop up: None, At start time, 10 minutes before, and 1 hour before. If there are any issues, always be sure to check your iPhone’s settings, and set everything to GREEN. Screenshots below:

Yes! To use Owaves as a morning alarm clock, find the Activity for your next day’s plan that immediately follows your morning Sleep segment. Then tap the Alert option (as described above) to set an Alert “At start time”. This will act as a morning notification alarm.

You can also enter a text or photo Note in the Moments section of this same following Activity to receive daily motivators… for example, insert a motivational quote or inspirational photo. The accompanying text and photo will appear with your alarm Alert!

We also recommend using Owaves as an evening alarm clock, to remind you when to go to sleep and start your nighttime ritual. To do so, simply repeat the steps above for the Activity that immediately precedes your nighttime Sleep segment.

Besides setting the time of your Alert, you can also customize the Text and Photo Note that will accompany your Alert. Simply click on the desired Activity, and choose the “Notes” button from the Moments drawer for a text-based Notes, and/or choose the “Camera” button for a photo-based Note. Your photo will show up as part of the Alert!

You can attach a photo to the desired activity by clicking on the desired Activity and tapping on edit on the top right corner. From there, you can attach a photo by taking a photo or choosing an existing photo. When your selected Activity is due, your clock (or “O”) will display your Photo Note in the center. It will remain there for the duration of your selected Activity. This is great for motivational content around exercise or Nutrition! Your photo-attached notes are also available on the Apple Watch.

Sometimes we need a fresh start..

To clear your current day plan and star over:

Step 1) Go to Edit Mode by double-tapping the white space around the O
Step 2) Press the circle button with the slash in it located in the top-right of the screen
Step 3) Confirm your choice on the prompt

To change the photo displayed in the center of your O: 

1. Press and hold on the existing photo inside the O.
2. Click on one of the three options that will appear: “Take photo”, “Choose existing photo”, or “Cancel”.
3. If you’d like to delete the entered photo, press and hold again, and choose the “Clear photo” option.

We currently have Focus and Clock Widgets for your home screen. The Focus Widget gives you a quick overview of your current activity and what’s up next. You can customize this Widget to be whatever size works best for you: Small, Medium, or Large! Additionally, the Clock Widget gives you an overview of your full day at-a-glance! To add a Widget to your home screen, do the following:

1. Press down on your home screen’s background. 
2. Once your apps jiggle, tap the Plus (+) button on the top left of your screen. 
3. Tap the “Owaves: Focus” Widget, and swipe from right to left to select your size of choice, or select the Clock Widget at the very end.
4. Tap “Add Widget” and press once more on the background of your home screen. Voila! Now your current and next Owaves activity, or your whole day plan, are easily visible on your home screen.

Great question!

Saving routines, or “Day Plans”, is critical to the Owaves experience. Especially if your Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays all look the same, for example. Why not save a template? And then just tinker a little bit on the actual day as needed…

To save a Day Plan, click the “O” button on the top right corner next to the pencil icon. After tapping on the “O”, a plus sign “+” should appear. Click on the “+” sign to save your day plan.

From here, you can customize the Title (for example, “Magic Mondays” or “Favorite Fridays”). You can also select days of the week for which you’d like this specific Day Plan to automatically repeat. This will carry over your preferred Alert settings, Notes, and everything! Press the “Save” button in the top Right corner when you are done.

Here is a brief demo video:

Once you have a routine, or Day Plan, already saved, and you decide you’d like it to repeat on certain days of the week…

1. Click on the profile icon at the top left corner.
2. Click on “Day Plans”.
3. Choose the Day Plan you’d like to repeat.
4. Select each day of the week from the bottom row.
5. Click on the arrow button on the top left corner to save.

Here is a demo video: 

To load a saved Day Plan:

Step 1) Go to the day you would like to load the saved day plan
Step 2) Once you’ve found the day you would like to load a saved day plan onto, press the “+” Button.
Step 3) Press on the desired Day Plan from the drawer
Step 4) Ta-da! Your desired Day Plan will show up on your selected day

Unfortunately, there is currently no feature to edit a saved Day Plan directly. However, the best way to edit a saved Day Plan is to load it onto an empty day, and make any new edits there. Once you’re done tinkering, “Save” the updated Day Plan as a new Day Plan, and re-name it accordingly.

You can then either delete the old, now outdated routine you started with, or keep it for alternate use.

To delete a saved Day Plan:

1. Select the “Triple Line” button to go the Navigation Menu
2. From the Nav Menu, choose the “Day Plans” option
3. From the “Day Plans” page, swipe Right on the Day Plan you’d like to delete
4. Press the Red “Delete” button

To re-name a saved Day Plan;

1. Select your profile on the top left corner to go the Navigation Menu
2. From the Navigation Menu, choose the “Day Plans” option
3. From the “Day Plans” page, press on the Day Plan you’d like to re-name
4. In the “Day Plan Settings” page, simply tap besides the current name of your Day Plan. The cursor and keyboard will appear. Re-name as desired.
5. Press the downwards arrow on the top left corner when done. Your new name is saved!

Yes, all your Activity settings will be saved along with your Day Plan. This includes: Alerts (and timing of), Text Notes, Photo Notes and Customized Titles.

We currently do NOT save the default center photo you may have chosen for that Day Plan. We are working on providing this option soon.

To ensure accurate sunrise and sunset times for your local time zone, be sure to select “Of course!” during the Onboarding prompt that says, “Hello! Let’s design your ideal day. Would you like local sunrise and sunset times?”.

You can also allow for Location permissions by going to: Settings > Owaves > Location on your iPhone, and checking “While Using the App”.

Yes! To enable 24-hr time go to Settings > Under Date & Time > 24-Hour Time > tap on the toggle to to turn it on! That’s it.

We measure how much time you plan to spend in each Category: Love/Social, Exercise, Work/School, Nutrition, Sleep, Relaxation and Self-care, Play and Miscellaneous/Spontaneous.

If you allow Apple Health integration, we will also track how much time you actually spend on: Exercise and Sleep.

Why? We believe the most important vital sign that you can control is time. Knowing how you’re spending your time is the best first step in positive lifestyle change.

By toggling through the Stats section, you can see Daily, Weekly and Monthly tallies for all your main categories.

From the Profile bar, go to Settings. Under General,  you should see a toggle labeled “Apple Health”. Turn the toggle onto the “ON” position (should be GREEN). A pop-up will appear asking for “Health Access”, with options to turn on “Mindful Minutes”, “Sleep”, “Steps”, and “Workouts”. Turn the toggle on for the ones you would like to track. Click “Allow” on the top right corner. We will now be able to show you actual results for your time spent on Exercise and Sleep.

To track Sleep, integrate any compatible sleep/alarm app or smart device (such as smart band or smart mattress) to Apple Health. You can also manually add your Sleep times to Apple Health.

To track Exercise, integrate any compatible exercise/workout app or smart device (such as smartwatch or smart band) to Apple Health. You can also manually add your Exercise times to Apple Health.

We will soon include integration with Apple Health’s “Mindfulness minutes” to allow for better tracking of actual “Relax” time. We are also working on passively tracking the Other Categories…

Meanwhile, for actual results on the other categories, write in to let us know if you’d like manual tracking capabilities from within Owaves, and we will prioritize that for you accordingly: team@owaves.com.

Not yet! Coming soon…

According to the American College of Lifestyle Medicine , here are the recommended times for each “lifestyle vital sign”:

• Exercise: At least 30min per day, 5x per week
• Sleep: 7-9 hours per night
• Nutrition: Try not to eat two hours before bedtime, and keep meals during daylight hours.
• Stress Management: Aim for at least 10-20min per day.
• Love/Social: While there are no official recommendations yet for this category, aim for at least one hour of quality social time a day.

With Apple Health! Please see above.

The orange and blue indicators represent data synced from Apple Health. Orange represents activity tracking and blue represents sleep tracking.

Once your Day Plan is ready to Share, go to “Day View” and select the “Box and Arrow” button from the top Right corner.

To allow for additional Sharing channels, select the “More” button from the middle row of icons. Note: Instagram shows up on the bottom row, after “Save to Files”.

To make Owaves your screensaver, we recommend taking a screenshot of your Day View. Then from your Photos section on the iPhone, select the “Box and Arrow” button and choose “Use as Wallpaper”.

To share your Day Plan onto your Instagram story, follow these steps:

1. Press Owaves’ Share Button at the top right of your screen.
2. Swipe left where the row of apps is and select the “More” button with the three dots.
3. Scroll down and click “Stories.”

My Moai is the new social feature that allows you to see your friends and family’s day plans and synchronize theirs with your own. The concept of Moai, an Okinawan term, refers to the social groups that provide support for individual and group wellbeing.

You can sign up for an account by going to the My Moai page, and signing up using your email or telephone number. You should receive a verification email or text once you have signed up.

1. Click on the top right “friends” icon on the My Moai page.
2. Click on the top right “add friends” icon 
3. Search for your friends by entering their Owaves user or invite your current contacts to join the app and your Moai.

1. Click on the top right “friends” icon on the My Moai page.
2. Click on the top right “add friends” icon.
3. Allow Owaves to access contacts (if prompted).
4. Invite friends by clicking on the blue “+ Invite” button. This should open up a text message with a link inviting them to the app!

Seeds represent how many activities you have planned. Water represents the number of reactions you have left or received on My Moai. The Sun represents streaks for each day you use the app. We’ll be rolling out more features and rewards around these components in the near future.

Here is an example screenshot of the icons:

If you or your friends don’t have anything currently planned, we display a fun phrase from around the world such as Bem-vindo,Hakuna matata or за здоровье.

The Apple Watch app comes free with your Owaves download! Open the “Watch” app from your iPhone. You’ll see Owaves listed under the section labeled “Available Apps”. Select “Install”.

Once the Owaves Apple Watch app is installed, make sure the toggle is set on “Show App on Apple Watch”.

Owaves supports Complications. We recommend the “Modular” Watch face for the best overall experience. We recommend selecting Owaves for the centerpiece, “Modular Large” Complication, as well as the top Left “Modular Small” Complication. This way, you’ll get: the Activity Title, Start Time, End Time, Next Activity, Current Activity Icon AND time elapsed within the Current Activity (displayed as a ring around the Current Activity Icon).

Here is a sample screenshot: 

Yes! Simply open the main app, and scroll down on your Current Activity. You’ll have the ability to edit your Alerts, see your Photo Notes under Media,  and then see your Text Notes. 

Yes! Apple will automatically display your Activity Alerts on your Apple Watch if Owaves is installed. To edit your Alert settings on your Watch, go to the desired Activity and scroll down for options.

Please see this article from Apple.

Not yet. Coming very soon!

If you are a clinician, health coach, nutritionist, personal trainer or related health professional, and are interested in delivering your services through our platform, please contact us at: team@owaves.com.

We will eventually be integrating Owaves into standard healthcare practices. In the meantime, we recommend sharing your app directly with your physician or health professional for feedback.

Not yet. Coming soon!

Lifestyle medicine is a category of healthcare that acknowledges over 80% of chronic disease is preventable and treatable by lifestyle, namely:

• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Sleep
• Relaxation
• Love and Social

In fact, lifestyle medicine is the best mode of prevention and first line of treatment for many specific conditions. Even those traditionally thought to be genetically-driven — such as major types of prostate, breast, colon and lung cancers — are largely preventable through a healthy lifestyle!

Learn more: Blog article coming soon!
Introductory video: Coming soon!
References: Here via our friends at the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Mindfulness is the art and skill of paying special attention to the present moment. Modern-day pioneer of mindfulness and founder of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Jon Kabat-Zinn, defines mindfulness as:

“Mindfulness is awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally. It’s about knowing what is on your mind.”

While included practices of meditation, yoga and other deep-breathing exercises have been around for years, now there is a growing amount of scientific research backing the significant health claims made by practitioners and mental health advocates. Mindfulness is proven to reduce blood pressure, improve focus, reduce pain, and reduce symptoms of depression.

Behavioral activation therapy (BAT) is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a proven method of treating mental health issues either with or without medication.

BAT is a specific method of CBT where the emphasis is on scheduling healthy lifestyle activities into a patient’s or client’s day (or calendar). BAT therapists work with their patients or clients to develop healthy weekly or monthly plans that emphasize positive and affirming activities, such as social engagements, exercise, grocery shopping, etc.

The intrinsic rewarding benefits of healthy lifestyle activities creates a positive upward spiral of behavior change. Owaves integrates BAT with chronotherapy, another proven methodology of combatting depression, and improving mood and mental health.

Chronotherapy is the optimization or improvement of circadian rhythms to combat or prevent disease. Traditional approaches involve sleep scheduling, wake therapy, light therapy and other related techniques.

Owaves is the first software platform focused on bringing chronotherapy to the everyday person. Because of our 24/7, technology-inundated and technology-addicted societies, over-exposure to artificial light and general disregard for sunrise and sunset in our daily living patterns — most circadian biologists and public health experts agree we are in a circadian crisis. There is thus a growing need to bring chronotherapy to the everyday person.

Follow our blog! owaves.com/blog, where we’ll continue to explore these new and exciting topics. We’ll also post updates to our blog on our Facebook and Twitter channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/owaves.co/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/owavesco

You can also sign-up for our email newsletter, which will link to periodic updates on these topics.

Circadian rhythms are daily, twenty-four hour patterns that are fundamental to our physiology. We evolved with the rise and fall of the sun, so even single-celled organisms have them!

When we eat, when we sleep, and when we exercise is all informed by our circadian biology. Owaves helps you synchronize your daily rhythms with the rise and fall of the sun, so you are better in tune with your surroundings.

Learn more: Blog article coming soon!
Introductory video: Coming soon!

Use Owaves to experiment with different patterns until you find the right one(s). Some of us are naturally morning larks, some of us are naturally night owls. Most of us are somewhere in between…

With our modern, 24/7 lifestyles and constant artificial light exposure, it’s harder than ever to know our “true” rhythm. By tracking your rhythms and seeing what works best, you’ll be on track to discover your chronotype.

Learn more: Blog article coming soon!
Introductory video: Coming soon!

Not yet! This is 100% on our roadmap… Coming soon!

Coming soon! Please sign up to join our beta list here.

To sync your Calendars:

1. Click on the top left Profile icon to go to the Navigation Menu. 
2. Click on Settings.
3. Under Calendars, click on Synced Calendars. 
4. If Owaves does not have access to your calendars, click on “Open Settings App”. 
5. This should bring you to Owaves in your iOS settings. Turn on the toggle for Calendars. If you do not see a toggle for Calendars, please refer to the instructions below. 
6. Return back to the Owaves app, to Settings, and to Synced Calendars. 
7. Check the calendars you want to sync and click “Done” on the top right corner. 

If you do not see a toggle for Calendars in Owaves in your iOS settings:

1. Go to your iOS settings.
2. Tap on Screen Times, and then on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
3. Make sure the toggle for Calendars is turned on green.
4. Return to Owaves in your iOS settings and you should be able to see the toggle for Calendars.

There are currently no syncing capabilities across iPad devices.

Unfortunately, the iPad is still in the process of being updated. It does not have certain features such as the My Moai beta feature and the Create-A-Button feature.

Email us at: feedback@owaves.com. We’d love to hear your thoughts! We take your requests very seriously when deciding which features to build next…

Thank you for asking! Please take a moment to Rate us in the App Store, and write a glowing Review blush. That’s the best way to help us grow, outside of spreading the word to family and friends.

Other ways to help include “Sharing Your O”, or Day Plan, to your favorite social media outlets. And using the hashtag #oTime or #Owaves. We’re building an international community around wellness, and we’d love for you to be a part!

Join any of our social media channels:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/owaves.co/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/owaves.co/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/owavesco

Email us: feedback@owaves.com

Cheers!