Stop coronavirus in its tracks by using this Apple Watch app to time hand washes

Hand Washing Timer App
Hand Washing Timer App (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • The CDC says we should wash for 20 seconds.
  • But counting is soooooo 2019.
  • Use this app so you know exactly when you're done.

Coronavirus is everywhere right now, both online and in the real world. The CDC says that if we want to try and prevent picking it up for ourselves we need to start washing our hands for a solid 20 seconds each and every time. This shouldn't be news to anyone, but either way, nobody wants to count to 20, do they? We're supposed to be living in the future, so why not let your Apple Watch do the work instead?

Sure, you could use a timer or the stopwatch to count to 20, but that's no fun is it? What you want is Hand Washing Timer, a free app that has you more than covered on the handwashing timing front.

This is a simple hand washing timer for Apple Watch. - Quick launch using Watch face Complications - Times your hand washing for the CDC recommended 20 seconds. - Plays a tone and gives haptic feedback when washing is complete

Once you've installed the app you can set it as a complication to make it easier and quicker to get a new timer up and running. And if you need to be told how to wash your hands, you're covered – there are instructions in the app, too.

You'll be notified when you're half way through your wash by haptic feedback, and you'll get the same when your 20 seconds are up as well. What more could you possibly want from an app that tells you when you can stop washing your hands?

Nothing. That's what. You can download Hand Washing Timer for free from the App Store now.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.