Summer is here! Well, the official first day of summer isn’t until June 21, but we can pretend. If warmer weather is keeping you outdoors, I hope you’re using sunscreen. Keeping track of when to reapply can easily slip your mind when you’re having fun in the sun, so UV Safe Timer for iPhone and iPod Touch will let you know when it’s time to slather up.
UV Safe Timer is brought to you by KINeSYS Performance Sunscreen, and since the app is free, I can’t really fault the company for splashing its name all over. KINeSYS is based in Canada, so the app defaults to Celsius — U.S. users can switch to Fahrenheit in the info panel. UV Safe Timer can automatically grab your current location and display the current weather conditions as well as the UV index. On my initial tests, the auto locator wasn’t working properly, so I opted to input my location manually — no big deal.
You can create user profiles for all members of your family, accessible from the info panel. Here you’ll input what SPF you’ve used, choose your skin type (the app breaks down what makes you levels one through six) and toggle if you’re perspiring or swimming, activities that can affect the protection level of your sunscreen. Using this information in conjunction with the current UV level, UV Safe Timer will determine how often you need to reapply. The timer maxes out at two hours, which is a good baseline for reapplication, but if you’re fair-skinned, using a low SPF or the UV level is high, the timer will adjust automatically. After inputting my stats, the app recalculated for an hour of safety, based on the UV level on a hot, sunny Chicago day. The timer runs in the background, and will notify you via push when your time is up.
The timer is the primary feature of the app, but UV Safe Timer also includes sun-safety tips. The “find a sunscreen” section should display nearby retailers to obtain KINeSYS products, but the app only gave me a blank window (and it is sold near me).
Download the free Appolicious iPhone app
