Understand your habit · 4 min read
Heated tobacco, cigarettes and vapes: why the distinction matters
People sometimes use “vaping” to describe any electronic nicotine device. For a useful quit record, it helps to be more precise. The product, the unit you count and the money you spend can be quite different.
What is heated tobacco?
Heated tobacco products heat tobacco to produce an aerosol that the user inhales. Many use individual tobacco sticks with an electronic device. IQOS and glo are examples of device brands associated with this category. Models and consumables differ.
The World Health Organization states that heated tobacco products contain nicotine and toxic substances. Heating rather than burning is not the same as making a product harmless. Switching from one tobacco product to another is also not the same as stopping tobacco use.
How is that different from an e-liquid vape?
E-cigarettes generally heat a liquid to create an aerosol. Cigarettes burn tobacco. Heated tobacco devices heat a tobacco-containing consumable. The fact that two devices have batteries does not make their contents or use patterns identical.
This distinction matters when you log use. A puff count, a millilitre of liquid and one heated tobacco stick are different units. You cannot reliably convert them into equivalent nicotine doses simply by counting them. Unheated records sticks; it does not estimate a medically precise nicotine dose.
Why use a stick-based record?
A stick is a discrete item you can log after using it. You can compare your day with a personal baseline and see when the count changes. You can also calculate a cost per stick from your actual pack price and pack size.
That makes the record practical, but it has limits. The app cannot verify what you used, and changing how you use a product may change your exposure without changing the count. A lower count is not a health-risk calculation. Avoid interpreting a chart as proof of a particular recovery timeline.
What if you use more than one product?
Keep a separate record for each type and tell your healthcare professional about all nicotine and tobacco use. Otherwise, fewer heated sticks could hide an increase in another product.
When choosing a quit tool, check the units it supports, whether it distinguishes missing records from complete days, and whether its claims match its features. If your use involves several products, a stick-only app may cover only part of the picture.
How Unheated approaches it
Unheated is built for adults who want to reduce and stop heated tobacco sticks. It combines a daily ceiling, one-tap logging, optional trigger tags and a guided craving pause. It is independent of tobacco companies and is not a medical device.
Use the record as something you can understand and discuss. For treatment options, withdrawal concerns and a plan suited to your health, seek a clinician, pharmacist or local cessation service.
Sources & scope
General information, not personal medical advice. This guide has not been clinically reviewed. Public-health sources inform the educational content; they do not endorse Unheated.