How to plan a tide window in GoodTides
To plan a tide window in GoodTides, choose a place, select an activity, inspect its configurable tide rule and look for predicted matches during your available hours. Then review the source and freshness of the forecast. A matching window describes a calculation; it does not establish that an activity is safe.
I make GoodTides. This guide reflects the released app’s documentation and product information reviewed on 20 October 2026. It is not a field test, a navigation guide or a set of local tide thresholds.
Before you start
GoodTides requires an iPhone with iOS 26 or later. Its Apple Watch companion requires watchOS 26. Live tide data and the full experience require GoodTides Plus: an annual subscription or a one-off lifetime purchase. Any introductory offer depends on eligibility and the offer shown in the app; there is no promise of a free trial for every user.
The app currently supports English, German, Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese, not French. You do not need to create an account or grant location access to search for a place.
1. Choose the actual place
Search for a coastal location or optionally use your position to find nearby places. Save the spot you want to return to. Before using its prediction, inspect the prediction point and distance: a selected beach name does not mean a sensor is measuring water at your exact position.
Check the date, local times, provider and chart datum. Datum is the reference for a predicted height. A height copied from another source is not interchangeable merely because both values use metres.
2. Inspect the activity rule
Choose an activity such as Beach walk or Rockpooling, or create a custom activity. Review the rule rather than accepting its name as local advice. GoodTides can express a rule around high or low water, or against a tide height. Use only a basis you understand for that place; this guide supplies no recommended value.
| What you see | What it means | What it does not mean |
|---|---|---|
| A matching window | Prediction matches your configured tide rule | The activity is safe |
| A source and freshness label | Origin and age of the forecast | A measurement at your feet |
| A sea or weather panel | Separate available modelled conditions | A complete local risk assessment |
| A saved Tide Moment | A dated personal memory | A current conditions report |
If a height reference needs review after a source, station or datum change, resolve that context in the app before using the result. Do not bypass an unavailable or review state by guessing another threshold.
3. Look for a time that fits your day
Open the planning view and choose the hours you are free. Compare matching windows across the seven-day forecast. Start with the date you actually intend to visit and inspect the underlying tide chart, including the next high and low tides.
Saving several places makes it easier to compare alternatives. A window at a different place is still its own prediction with its own context; it is not evidence that access conditions are the same.
4. Review conditions separately
GoodTides distinguishes tide predictions from available weather and sea forecasts. Inspect both, then consult official local advice. The Met Office’s explanation of beach forecasts helps explain why a tide time alone is insufficient. Do not use GoodTides to decide whether a tidal crossing, causeway or swim is safe.
5. Keep the information close, then save the memory
Use a widget, Live Activity, Apple Watch complication, Siri or an alert if helpful. Check stale/offline labels and reopen the main app when context is missing. System refresh schedules can delay what an accessory surface shows.
Afterwards, optionally save a Tide Moment with a photo. Moments stay on your device unless you choose to export a share card. Forecasts, purchases and analytics involve separate services: read the privacy policy.
Questions that change the plan
Does offline mean live?
No. Cached forecasts and offline astronomical estimates are labelled. Fresh data and current weather cannot be fetched offline; some rules may be unavailable.
Where can I compare alternatives or get help?
See four coastal-planning apps, five Apple Watch tide apps, or GoodTides support. Get GoodTides on the App Store to review the current purchase offering.