Eve Aqua smart tap timer
Last updated: 6 August 2026
What this page covers. The Eve Aqua smart tap timer screws onto a standard outdoor tap and waters your garden on a schedule. Unusually, it stores that schedule on the device itself, so it keeps watering even when your broadband drops out. This page sets out the verified specification, the UK price, what independent testing found, and the one thing that rules it out for a lot of people.
Read the compatibility warning below before you buy. The Eve Aqua works with Apple Home only, and there is no Android app at all. That is the single most common reason people return it.
Compatibility warning. The Eve Aqua requires Apple Home. There is no Android support, and there is no Eve app for Android. For remote control away from the house you also need a HomePod mini or an Apple TV acting as a Thread border router. Without one, control is Bluetooth only, within range.
What the Eve Aqua does
The Eve Aqua is a battery-powered valve that fits between your outdoor tap and your hose. You set watering schedules in the Apple Home app or the Eve app, and it opens and closes the tap for you.
Its best feature is quietly the most useful one. Schedules live on the device rather than in a cloud service. So if your router falls over, or Eve's servers have a bad day, your plants still get watered. Plenty of smart irrigation kit cannot say that.
It handles up to seven watering periods a day. Furthermore, it tracks water usage, although you enter your sprinkler's flow rate manually because there is no flow meter inside.
Key specification
| Generation | Third generation, with Thread |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | Bluetooth plus Thread. Apple Home only |
| Remote access | Requires a HomePod mini or Apple TV as a Thread border router |
| Tap fitting | G three-quarter inch, 26.5mm |
| Power | Two replaceable AA batteries |
| Weather rating | IPX4, UV resistant |
| Operating temperature | 4 to 50 degrees Celsius |
| Water pressure | 1 to 5 bar |
| Schedules | Up to seven watering periods per day, stored on the device |
| Warranty | Two years, per Currys |
UK price
The Eve Aqua is £129.00 at Currys and £129.95 at the Apple UK store. Amazon UK stocks it too, and pricing there moves around more than at the other two.
On timing, late summer is a reasonable moment to buy. You get the rest of the growing season out of it, and you learn the schedules before next spring. That said, this is not a heavily discounted category, so do not expect a dramatic Black Friday cut.
What independent testing found
Trusted Reviews gave the Eve Aqua four and a half stars. It singled out the near-silent valve, which is a real advantage over noisier rivals sitting outside a bedroom window.
Its main criticism was weather compensation. There is no native rain-skip function, so the reviewer had to build a Siri Shortcut that checked the forecast each sunrise and paused the schedule. That works, but it is more effort than it should be.
MacRumors tested an earlier generation over several months and found the same physical niggle repeatedly. The unit leaked around the top hose connection on installation, needed several re-tightenings, and the leak returned periodically. Battery life, though, was excellent. It still read full after three months of occasional use.
The honest downsides
Apple Home only
This is the big one. There is no Android support whatsoever, so a large share of buyers are excluded before they start. Eve builds exclusively for the Apple ecosystem, and that is unlikely to change.
IPX4, so it must come indoors for winter
An IPX4 rating means splash resistance from any direction, not immersion or sustained rain exposure. The stated operating range also stops at 4 degrees Celsius. Consequently you must unscrew it and bring it inside before the first frost, or you risk cracking the valve body.
Leaks at the tap union
Several testers report weeping at the connection to the tap or hose. It is fixable with careful tightening and a fresh washer. Still, check it after the first watering cycle rather than assuming it is fine.
Who the Eve Aqua suits
It suits an Apple household with a standard outdoor tap and a garden that resents a fortnight of neglect in August. It suits pots and raised beds especially well, since those dry out fastest. Above all, it suits anyone who has come home from holiday to a graveyard.
It does not suit Android users, and no workaround exists. Nor does it suit a garden with no outside tap, where a cordless cleaner or a water butt system makes more sense. If you want cross-platform control, the Gardena smart Water Control works with Alexa, Google and Apple Home, although it needs a separate gateway that pushes the real entry cost well above the headline figure.
Setting it up well
Water early, ideally before the sun is properly up. The Royal Horticultural Society recommends watering in the cool of the morning or evening, because far less is lost to evaporation. So set the schedule for around six in the morning rather than midday.
Next, water less often but more deeply. Short daily bursts encourage shallow roots, whereas a longer soak two or three times a week does more good. Finally, if you want rain-skip, build the Siri Shortcut. It takes twenty minutes and saves a season of pointless watering.
Eve Aqua FAQs
Does the Eve Aqua work with Android?
No. The Eve Aqua is Apple Home only, and Eve does not publish an Android app. If you use Android, look at the Gardena smart Water Control instead, though budget for its separate gateway.
Does the Eve Aqua need WiFi or the internet?
Not to run its schedules. Those are stored on the device, so watering continues if your broadband drops. However, controlling it from outside the house needs a HomePod mini or Apple TV working as a Thread border router.
How much does the Eve Aqua cost in the UK?
It is £129.00 at Currys and £129.95 at the Apple UK store, with Amazon UK pricing varying. Two AA batteries are included, and they last months rather than weeks.
Can the Eve Aqua stay outside over winter?
No, and this catches people out. It is rated IPX4 and specified down to 4 degrees Celsius only. So take it off the tap and store it indoors before the first frost.
Does the Eve Aqua skip watering when it rains?
Not on its own. Trusted Reviews found the weather compensation clunky and built a Siri Shortcut to check the forecast and pause the schedule. That is the standard workaround, and it works well once set up.
Will the Eve Aqua fit a UK outdoor tap?
It fits a standard G three-quarter inch thread, which is 26.5mm and the usual UK outdoor tap size. Older or non-standard taps may need an adaptor, so measure before ordering.
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