Assume the app will not be opened
The real enemy of a stock app isn't forgetting to buy things — it's forgetting to open the app.
However accurate your data is, it's worth nothing if you don't open the app before walking into the shop. A notification you don't read in the moment simply scrolls away. In the end, the more effort checking takes, the less it happens.
A home screen widget answers this directly. The instant you unlock your phone, before you do anything at all, what's running out is already in front of you.
What the widget shows
The widget pulls the same items as your shopping list — out of stock, or seven days or fewer remaining — and shows the top three.
Small (1×1)
The single most urgent item plus how many need restocking in total: "Toilet paper / 2 days left / 3 to restock". Good for tucking into a gap on the home screen for a daily glance.
Medium (2×1)
The top three as a list with days remaining. Before a shopping trip, this alone usually covers it.
Both colour by urgency.
| Colour | When |
|---|---|
| Red | Out of stock, or 3 days or fewer |
| Amber | 7 days or fewer |
| Green | More than that |
When there's plenty of everything, it says you're fully stocked and the list is empty.
Adding the widget
- Press and hold an empty part of the home screen to enter edit mode
- Tap "+" in the top left (top right on some iOS versions)
- Search for "ZaikoPilot"
- Choose the stock alert widget and pick small or medium
- Tap "Add Widget" and drag it where you want it
After that it updates itself. Restock in the app, or let the daily countdown tick, and the widget follows.
Tapping it opens your shopping list
Tapping the widget launches the app straight into the shopping list. You can check the details behind what's shown, so "how many of these did I need?" at the till is one tap away.
Where to put it
On the first page
Anywhere further in and you have reintroduced a swipe, which means it stops being checked. The first page, where your thumb naturally lands, is what you want.
Home screen rather than lock screen
Lock screen widgets hold less, so item names get truncated. A medium widget on the home screen is more useful.
In short
- Stock tracking fails because opening the app is still a step
- A widget puts what's running out in front of you as you unlock
- Small shows the single most urgent item, medium the top three, coloured by days left
- Tapping it opens the shopping list directly