Guide to tracking pouch use
A practical walkthrough of how Bin the Zyn's numbers work, so the app is more useful from day one.
Logging a pouch
On the Today tab, tap the large plus button each time you have a pouch. Tap undo if you tap it by mistake, it only removes the most recent one from today. There is nothing to fill in and nothing to confirm.
What a zero day means
A day with no entry is "not logged". That is different from a day you mark as pouch-free using the "nothing today" toggle. Marking it is what makes it count toward zero-day totals and streaks. If you log a pouch later that same day, the mark clears, since the day is no longer pouch-free.
Marking a zero day on purpose is worth doing even on an ordinary day. It is the only way the app can tell "I had none" apart from "I forgot to check in".
Reading the 7-day average versus the 30-day average
The 7-day average shows what the last week looked like. The 30-day average smooths that out over a month. Comparing the two tells you the direction things are moving: if the 7-day number sits below the 30-day number, the recent trend is down; if it sits above, the recent trend is up. Either one on its own is just a snapshot.
Why the long view matters
A single day can be unusual for all sorts of reasons, a stressful afternoon, a slow weekend, a day you simply forgot to log. Trends over weeks tell a steadier story than any one number. Bin the Zyn leads with totals and trend lines for this reason, in the Trends tab and in its messages.
Purchases, cost per pouch, and mg per day
When you log a purchase, you enter the price, how many packs, pouches per pack, and milligrams per pouch. From that, Bin the Zyn works out a cost per pouch for that purchase, and applies it to the days you log afterward until you log a newer purchase. Milligrams per day comes from the same idea: the mg per pouch in effect on a given day, multiplied by how many you logged that day.
If you never log a purchase, Settings has defaults for price, pack size, and mg per pouch that are used instead.
Goal types
Settings offers four options, and none is treated as more correct than the others.
- None. Just tracking, no target.
- Daily limit. A number you are aiming to stay at or under each day.
- Taper. A gradual line from roughly your current average down to a target number by a date you choose.
- Quit date. A day you are aiming to stop by, with a simple countdown.
On slips
A day above your usual number, or above a limit, is just a day. Log it the same as any other and move on. The app will not lecture you about it, and neither will this guide. If it happens after a good stretch, notice the stretch was real too.
Research on relapse points at one thing worth knowing: a single slip does not predict giving up. What predicts it is the story people tell themselves afterwards. "That was a stressful afternoon" keeps the door open. "This is just who I am" tends to close it. When the app asks what was going on after a slip, that is the reason. It is optional, and the answer is only ever for you.
What tends to help
Bin the Zyn is a tracker, not a treatment. Some plain findings from cessation research are still worth having in one place.
- An if-then plan. Deciding in advance what you will do in a specific moment ("when I finish a coffee, I will walk to the end of the street") is one of the most effective single techniques studied. It works better than general intentions because there is nothing left to decide when the moment arrives. You can set one under Goal in Settings, and the app will remind you of it now and then.
- Waiting out an urge. Urges rise, peak and pass, usually within a few minutes. Noticing one with some curiosity, rather than fighting it or obeying it, is the approach with the best evidence among the newer methods. The "Wait out an urge" timer on the Today screen is built for exactly that.
- Structure for a taper. Studies find no difference in success between cutting down gradually and stopping at once. The method you will actually follow is the right one. If you taper, give it a schedule and an end date; loose cutting down tends to drift.
- Support and medication. For people who want to stop, combining behavioural support with medication roughly doubles the chance of a successful attempt. Options include combination nicotine replacement (a patch with gum or lozenges), varenicline, and cytisine, which is sold in Canada as a natural health product. A pharmacist can walk you through them. This is not a recommendation for any product, only a note that the option exists and works.
- Knowing your pattern. Most people have a time of day, a place, or a mood that goes with a pouch. The app keeps the time of each tap so it can show you where your pouches cluster. That is usually where a plan does the most.
Methods without good evidence include hypnotherapy, acupuncture and laser therapy. They are not harmful, but the studies do not show they help more than doing nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bin the Zyn free?
Yes. There is no paid tier, no trial period, and no account required. It is built to stay usable for free.
Where is my data stored?
On your device only, in your browser's local storage. Nothing is sent to a server unless you turn on analytics in Settings, which is off by default.
Can I sync between phones?
Not automatically, not yet. Export a backup from Settings on one device and import it on another. That moves your history across, though anything logged after the export on the first device will not carry over unless you export again.
Does it work offline?
Yes, once you have loaded it at least once. It installs like an app and keeps working without a connection, since all of your data is already on the device.
How do reminders work on iPhone versus Android?
On both, you turn a reminder on in Settings and grant notification permission when asked. On iPhone, Bin the Zyn needs to be added to the home screen first (Safari Share, Add to Home Screen) before notifications work. On Android, Chrome can send them without that extra step, though installing the app still helps reminders run reliably.
Can I use it without trying to quit?
Yes. The goal setting in Settings can simply be set to none. Plenty of people use Bin the Zyn only to see their own numbers, with no plan to change anything.
What happens if I miss days?
Nothing happens automatically. A day with no entry is simply not logged, which is different from a day marked as pouch-free. You can go back and fill in a past day, mark it pouch-free, or leave it blank. There is no penalty and no broken streak graphic.
How is nicotine per day estimated?
From the milligrams per pouch you set in Settings or in a purchase entry, multiplied by the pouches logged that day. It is an estimate based on what you tell the app, not a measurement of what your body absorbs.
Can I change a past day?
Yes. Open the Log tab, find the day, and edit the count, mark it pouch-free, or add a short note. Changing a past day updates your totals and averages right away.
Is this medical advice?
No. Bin the Zyn is a general tracking tool, not medical advice. For questions about nicotine, dependence, or quitting safely, talk to a doctor, pharmacist, or another qualified professional.