What other kinds of things can period-tracker apps be used for?

SPRUNT@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 62 points –

I'm not familiar with how they work or what kinds of data they track and return. Would they be useful to track things like plant feeder changes, cpap cleaning schedules, ant farm maintenance...

Can you think useful alternative applications and life hacks for these apps?

edit: I know that there are alternative scheduling apps for virtually any need. That's not the point. I like finding new and useful ways to use existing things.

25

I don't think period trackers can be used for that because schedules and such are supposed to alert you to something. But with period trackers you tell them when something happened. Specifically when the first blood and the last blood appeared. I don't think any of them give you a message of "expect to feel awful today".

But maybe they can be used to track natural occuring cycles like when a fast growing plant is ready for harvest maybe.

Edit: I often use Did I take my meds as a flexible scheduler.

Period expected in 2 days can mean it's time to change your water filter or clean out your fridge or whatever. And the symptoms can be used to mean something else

Don't, just don't, or maybe do. A lot of those apps phone home with your period info to help marketers and the secret police infer when you might be pregnant. So if you're going to use such an app at all, use it for anything except actual period tracking. That should at least confuse them.

Or get a privacy respectful app from fdroid. I use Periodical.

Poison the data

That's the goal. Maybe "Flowmeister AI" becomes the best Chia Pet tracker and makes gestapo searches useless.

I'm not familiar with how they work or what kinds of data they track and return.

Uh, they track menstrual cycles. So unless you have a thing that runs on a roughly 21-35 day cycle, there's not much dual use to get from a period tracking app.

Are you trying to think of an alternative use for when cops try to use the app data to prosecute a woman when she miscarries? There are probably some plants that need to be watered ~monthly. Like a cactus or succulent.

I think harvesting timer for witchy herbs would be a harmonious use.

I hope you get some alternative uses just so that people can claim that'd what they were tracking when the police come knocking. If it's a criminal trial, they need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt, and providing other uses would absolutely provide reasonable doubt for that information at least.

Useful alternative app: Google calendar. Or any of a hundred other calendar apps.

There are specialized scheduling apps for most things as well. I know for sure there are a ton of gardening apps.

No idea, but I love them. I am terrible at tracking otherwise, and the app has saved me so many times from being caught unprepared.

Track your workouts, runs, oil changes, migraine, poops, payments, house air filter changes, etc

I use the clue app and it tracks a lot of stuff for my mental health and period related symptoms. 🤷🏼‍♀️