the whole idea
Most expiry reminders arrive as regret: the date turns up after it has passed, usually attached to a smell. chiku is built around one rule instead. The reminder comes before the date, once, quietly, at an hour you picked. Name a food, pick the day to check on it, and a small dog detective keeps the list from there.
what a good expiry date reminder should do
Judge any app in this category, this one included, on five things:
- Ten second entry. If logging milk takes longer than putting milk away, nobody logs milk. In chiku it is a name and a day, and regulars become one tap, because chiku remembers your answer for each food.
- One reminder, not a feed. One whisper a day, only when a date is near. The quiet days are the point.
- Leftovers count. Barcodes cannot see Tuesday’s dal. chiku treats cooked food, groceries, pantry jars and the daily round exactly the same way: your name for it, your date.
- Your numbers, not the app’s. chiku never invents how many days a food gets. Give spinach five days once, and every future spinach arrives with your five days already filled in.
- Privacy by construction. The list lives on the phone. No account, no server, no ads.
about the dates printed on packages
Packages carry several kinds of dates, the wording varies from country to country, and the same words do not always mean the same thing. chiku deliberately stays out of that argument. Every date in chiku is the same thing: a day you chose, counted down to, so you can go and look while looking still helps. A calendar cannot smell your yoghurt. Your eyes and your nose are the senior detectives here, and official food safety guidance outranks any app, this one included.
how it works in chiku
Add: type a name or tap a chip, then pick today, three days, a week, or a date. Live your week: once a day, at a civilised hour, chiku whispers if something is coming up, and silence means all clear. Close the case: tap ate it, or let it go, and chiku writes it down. When a few things come due together, chiku suggests one dinner that rescues the most.
frequently asked
Does chiku scan barcodes or receipts?
No. You type a name or tap a chip, then pick the day. It takes about ten seconds, and it works for leftovers and home cooking, which no barcode has ever met.
Do the reminders work offline?
Yes. Reminders are scheduled on the phone itself. No account, no server, no internet needed for the whisper to arrive.
Will chiku tell me whether something has turned?
No, and chiku never will. chiku counts days on the dates you typed in, so a date is a day to go and look, not a verdict. Your eyes and your nose decide, always.
What does it cost?
The watch is free forever: unlimited items, all the reminders, the history, the weekly page. One optional purchase adds the detective’s kit, and it funds a nonprofit.
chiku is made by reweave, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. See also the food waste problem, how the fridge inventory works, and the full FAQ.
