Q. What is the Active Nudge?

A. The Active Nudge, made up of your choice of DnaBean and DnaBand, is a wearable device which stores your digital DNA to help you make healthier choices by personalising your shopping behaviours with your DNA, monitoring your lifestyle, and connecting and matching with friends.

Q. How do I choose the correct DnaBand size for me?

A. To choose the correct size of DnaBand, use our simple size guide. Our Small size fits wrists approximately 130-160mm and our Large size fits wrists approximately 150-180mm. If you are between sizes, choose a Small if you prefer a snug fit or Large if you prefer a looser fit.

Q. My wrist measurement is too large for a DnaBand. Can I still buy your product?

A. Yes, you can still buy the product. At the moment, our DnaBand comes in two sizes – Small or Large. We are looking to develop additional sizes in the near future. If none of the current sizes work for you, you can still use the DnaBean to scan items and track your activity levels.

Q. 4. What is the DnaBand made from?

A. Our DnaBand is made of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). This is a strong, highly elastic, abrasion-resistant material resistant to heat, oil, and grease.

Q. Is it waterproof? Can I use it in the swimming pool?

A. The plastic DnaBean is not recommended to be immersed in water for more than 30 minutes and at more than a 1-meter depth. We don’t recommend using your Active Nudge in salty water or inside a steam room or sauna room.

Swimming activity is not tracked for your Green DNA Bar. After exposure to the water, the DnaBean and DnaBand will need to be dried thoroughly.

Q. How do I set up my DnaBean?

A. Before you start the setup, ensure your phone’s Bluetooth is turned on and your DnaBean is on charge in the charging cradle. Go to the ‘Scan’ tab at the bottom of the DnaNudge App and select “Connect a DnaBand.” Follow the on-screen instructions for setting up your DnaBean. To establish the best possible connection, remove your phone case and place the DnaBean either on top of the screen of your phone, or right next to the top left corner of the device. During the setup and the initial sync, stay on the DnaNudge App and don’t allow your phone to go to sleep; to do this, simply tap the screen occasionally to keep the screen on. This will mean the data transfer is not interrupted. During the process, the light on the DnaBean may change colours - this is completely normal, so you don’t need to do anything if this happens.

Q. Do I need to pair my Android device to my DnaBean?

A. Pairing is not required to sync the DnaBean.

Q. How do I charge my DnaBean?

A. Plug the charger provided into a USB port. Remove the DnaBean from the DnaBand. Place the DnaBean into the charging cradle, ensuring that the metal pins at one end of the DnaBean match with those in the charging cradle. When the DnaBean is charging, the light will pulse yellow, and when charging is complete, the light will pulse green. When putting your DnaBean back into the DnaBand, ensure that the barcode-scanner is lined up with the slot in the DnaBand.

Q. Why do I need to input my sleep time when setting up the Green DNA Bar?

A. By setting your sleep time, your DnaBean will be able to save battery and provide a more accurate measure of your sitting time during waking hours.

Q. I have completed the first sync and there are some items that I have not scanned that are showing in the app?

A. The DnaBean has 7 pre-set scans already built in, these being Coca-Cola and Volvic water. These are on everyone’s DnaBean and are done as part of the testing phase of manufacturing to ensure the barcode scanner is operating correctly. It also provides an initial example for users as to what a scan will look like on the App. These can be deleted by swiping left on the product and selecting ‘delete’ in the ‘My Scans’ tab.

Q. How long is the battery life of the DnaBean?

A. The battery life depends on how often you use your DnaBean for scanning barcodes. When the Green DNA Bar feature is turned on, a sleep time of 8 hours is set, and you scan an average of 50 products per day. The DnaBean should last for around 4 days after a full charge. Switch the DnaBean off when you are not shopping to save power.

Q. How long does it take to charge the DnaBean?

A. A full charge, from empty, should take around 88 minutes.

Q. How do I turn my DnaBean on and off?

A. Press the button once to turn the DnaBean on. The LED will flash red, green, then blue. Press and hold the DnaBean button to turn the DnaBean off. The LED will flash red.

Q. How should I wear my Active Nudge?

A. The barcode-scanner in the DnaBean should be aligned with the slot in the DnaBand. The Active Nudge combo is typically worn around the wrist with the barcode-scanner facing out towards your hand. You can scan products with the DnaBean on the top or bottom of your wrist.

Q. How do I scan a product with my DnaBean?

A. Turn the DnaBean on. Then there are multiple options - find which one works best for you. Either press the button or rotate your wrist as shown in the video to enable the barcode-scanner. Move the scanner over the barcode of the product until it is successfully scanned.

Q. How do I scan a product using a button press?

A. Hold the product to be scanned in one hand with the barcode vertical. Hold the DnaBean in the other hand with the scanning window vertical. Press the button with your thumb to activate the scanner beam - you may need to move your hand to align and focus the scanning beam and barcode.

Q. How do I scan with a gesture (above the wrist)?

A. Aim the scanner at the barcode and rotate your hand 90 degrees towards you as if looking at a watch - the barcode scanner will activate. You can also simply hold the product with the barcode horizontally in line with your DnaBean. If necessary, move your wrist or the product a little to focus the scanner beam.

Q. How do I scan with a gesture (below the wrist)?

A. As an alternative method, twist the wristband around so that the barcode scanner is face-down under your wrist. If the DnaBean is worn on your right hand, hold the product in your left hand with the barcode vertical. Hold your right hand horizontal a few centimetres away from the barcode. Rotate your right hand through 90 degrees so that your palm faces towards you – the scanner beam located on the side of the DnaBean will project on to the barcode. You may need to move your hand to focus the scanner beam on the barcode.

Q. What happens when I scan a product with my DnaBean?

A. When a product has been scanned, a coloured light will be displayed on the DnaBean. A green light indicates that a product is recommended for you based on your DNA. A red light indicates that a product is not recommended for you based on your DNA. An amber light indicates a product is not currently recommended for you based on a lack of activity. A blue light indicates that a product is not currently in our database.

Q. When I scan a product and the light on the DnaBean flashes, what does it mean?

A. When the light on the DnaBean flashes green, red or amber, rather than being a steady light, this indicates that the product you scanned contains an ingredient you have ticked as one you would usually avoid in the DnaNudge App. The DnaBean will however still display the same DNA-based recommendation. However, when the App makes alternative product recommendations, your selections in the ‘Ingredients you usually avoid’ section will be taken into account. If you want more detail as to which ingredients a product contains you can check the product in the App and a notification will appear at the bottom of the screen telling you which specific ingredient the product contains.

Q. Can I use my DnaBean to scan products overseas?

Our nutrition database is currently UK-based, although it does contain a large number of international brands that can be found globally. We are constantly adding to our database and expanding our international capabilities to increase our global coverage.

Q. How often do I need to sync my DnaBean with my App?

A. As much as you’d like! Syncing your DnaBean will ensure you have the latest database and software updates, all your recent product scans, and your latest steps and sitting time data.

Q. How do I ensure that my DnaBean is always up to date?

A. To get the best out of your Active Nudge and DnaNudge App, we recommend syncing your DnaBean twice a day. This ensures you’ll always have the very latest database and software updates.

Q. How do I sync my DnaBean?

A. Make sure that your phone's Bluetooth is turned on. Press the button on your DnaBean once to turn it on. Head to the ‘Lifestyle’ tab on your DnaNudge App and press 'sync' whilst holding the phone and the DnaBean close together.

Q. How do I scan a product with my DnaNudge App? What do the coloured thumbs up and down mean after scanning?

Select 'Scan' at the bottom of the DnaNudge App screen. Line the barcode scanner up so that the product barcode is in the centre of the screen, as if you were taking a picture of it, and the App will automatically scan the barcode. Once the barcode has been successfully scanned, it will give more details about the product and your DNA-based recommendation.

If a product is recommended for you, it will display a green thumbs-up; if it is not currently recommended for you, it will show a red thumbs-down or an amber thumbs-down. The red thumbs-down indicates that this product is not recommended for you based on your DNA, whereas the amber thumbs-down indicates that the product is not recommended for you based on your current level of inactivity, but can be suitable again if you increase your activity levels.

Q. What if a product isn’t in our database?

A. While we do have over half a million products in our database, we haven't got every brand or supermarket yet. When you use the DnaBean to scan a product that is not in our database, it will display a steady blue light. We are working every day to expand the number of products in our database.

Q. My product’s barcode wasn’t recognised; what does this mean?

A. Sometimes it's worth scanning the barcode again. The App will sometimes recognise the product after another scan, but if this doesn't work, it means the product is not listed in our database. We apologise for this, our product database is growing day by day, so it's always worth trying again in the future to see if we have added the product.

Q. Why does the App request me to add the product information when I scan an item?

A. While we do have over half a million products in our database, not all brands or supermarkets are included yet. When you use the DnaNudge App to scan a product that is not in our database, a pop-up will be displayed providing you the option to add the product information. Once you have successfully submitted it, our team will review the product and add it to our database. Alternatively, you can contact our customer services at customerservices@dnanudge.com and let them know you would like us to add the product to the database.

Q. How do I scan a product with no barcode and how do I search for a product in my DnaNudge App?

A. If a product has no barcode, or you don’t have the product at hand to scan, you can use the search function within the DnaNudge App to perform a product search in our database. In the App, simply go to the 'Scan' tab, and at the top of screen a search bar will appear. Type in the product or brand that you are looking for. If you are looking for a specific product, be as precise with your search terms as possible. To obtain the most accurate results, try entering the brand and product. Press 'Search' in the bottom right of the screen to display the results in full.

Q. How do I use DnaNudge to shop online?

A. If you are shopping online, you can search within the DnaNudge App for any product in our database. In the App, simply go to the 'Scan' tab - a search bar will be located at the top of the screen. Type in the product or brand that you are looking for. If you are looking for a specific product, be as precise with your search terms as possible. To obtain the most accurate results, try entering the brand and product. Press 'Search' in the bottom right of the screen to display the results in full.

Q. What happens if I scan products from a supermarket’s in-store café?

A. To get a personalised recommendation for products sold at a supermarket's café, simply search for the product via the search function in your DnaNudge app. Some products in the café may not always have barcodes; you will not be able to search or scan these products with your App or DnaBean.

Q. What is ‘My Scans’ and how does it work?

A. The 'My Scans' section of the DnaNudge App shows all your latest product barcode scans and whether those items are recommended to you or not. When you are buying a product by selecting it in the App or on the DnaBean, it will be added to your 'Items Bought' list. To see the most up-to-date list, make sure to regularly sync your DnaBean. You also have the option to remove a previously scanned product from your ‘My Scans’ list.

Q. How do I add a product to ‘My Scans’ history?

A. When you search for or scan a product, the DnaNudge App will ask you 'Are you buying this?'. Click 'yes' if you intend to buy the product, and it will be added to your ‘Items Bought’ history. Click 'no' if you do not intend to buy it. By clicking any of these options, the item will be automatically added into your scans list, so you can easily keep track of your product search history.

Q. How do I add a product to my ‘Items Bought’ list using my DnaNudge App?

A. To add a product to your 'Items Bought' list using your DnaNudge App, go to the ‘Scan’ tab and scan a product. Once the product has been successfully scanned, at the bottom of the screen an option will appear to select whether or not you bought the item. Choose ‘Yes’ and the item will be added to your ‘Items Bought’ list. To view the product in your ‘Items Bought’ list, go to the ‘My Scans’ tab and select the ‘Items Bought’ tab at the top of the screen.

Q. How do I remove a product from ‘My Scans’ history?

A. Go to your ‘My Scans’ tab, where all the items you have scanned and bought are listed. Select a product, swipe left on it, and then select ‘delete’.