How to Set a Reminder on an iPhone: Your Ultimate Guide

Do you want to put reminders on your iPhone or iPad? Luckily, iOS offers plenty of apps that have built-in alarms for this purpose. You can use Apple's designated Reminders app, Siri, or even the Clock and Calendar apps. You'll be able to set an alarm for each reminder and control how often you receive notifications. This wikiHow will show you how to create a one-time or repeated reminder on your iPhone or iPad.

Ways to Set a Reminder on iPhone

Open the Reminders app, tap the +, then enter your reminder details.
Use Siri to create a reminder for you in the Reminders app.
Make a new clock alarm to remind you to do something.
Use the calendar to make a new event that your iPhone can remind you of.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using the Reminders App

Download Article

This looks like a list with three colored bullet points.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Tap the + icon in the bottom-right corner. This will add a reminder to your default Reminders list.
- If you want to create a different list, tap the < button in the upper-left corner, tap the blue + in the lower-right corner, then create a new list. Tap the new list before continuing.
Advertisement
This will open a window with more spots for details.
Include the title and any additional notes.
5
Add reminder details. Here's the additional details you can set:^{[2]
X
Research source}
- - Toggle on Date and use the pop-up calendar to select a date for your reminder.
  - Toggle on Time and scroll through the numbers to select a time for your reminder.
  - Tap Repeat and select: Daily, Weekdays, Weekends, other, or custom.
  - Tap Priority and select: None, Low, Medium, or High.
  - Toggle on Location to share your location. With this option, you'll be able to assign a notification based on where you are. You must have your Location Services turned on.
If you decide to put your reminder in a different list, you can do so by tapping the List button and selecting a different one. If you only have one list, you won't be able to add the reminder to any other lists.
7
Tap the check mark button in the upper-right corner. When a reminder has a set date and time, you'll receive a push notification before, during, or after the task (if left uncompleted).
- To enable push notifications, go to Settings → Notifications → Reminders → toggle on Allow Notifications and Time Sensitive Notifications.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using Siri

Download Article

1
Enable Siri. If your iPhone or iPad doesn't have Siri, make sure to turn it on. To enable Siri, do the following:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Siri & Search.
- Toggle on Listen for "Hey Siri" and/or Press Side Button for Siri.
- Tap Enable Siri.
Depending on your settings, say, "Hey Siri" or hold the side button on your device. Siri will appear on your screen.^{[3]
X
Research source}
3
Ask Siri to set your reminder. Be as specific as possible. Some example requests include:^{[4]
X
Research source}
- "Remind me tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. to call Mom."
- "Remind me to feed the cat every day at 8:00 a.m."
- Location-based reminders can look like: "Remind me to check the mail when I get home."
  - For location-based reminders, you'll need to have your address added to My Card in the Contacts app and Location Services activated.
As soon as you tell Siri to create the reminder, it will be created. However, you may need to open the Reminders app and tap the i button next to the reminder to tweak its details.
You'll see a pop-up preview of the reminder. Tap Change if you need to edit the information, or tap anywhere on the screen to accept and dismiss the pop-up.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using the Clock App

Download Article

1
Open the Clock app. This looks like a white clock face with a black background.
- Use this method to create a daily reminder with the iOS alarm clock.
This is the second tab at the bottom of the screen.
3
Tap +. You can find this in the top-right corner.
- A new window will open.
4
Select a time. Use the scroll wheel to select the hour, minute, and AM/PM.
- If your device uses 24-hour time, you won't have to set an AM or PM option.
5
Set the alarm on repeat. Tap Repeat and select the days you want to repeat this reminder.
- Tap < Back when finished.
6
Set a label for your reminder. This can be anything you'd like, but it's recommended to keep it short.
- Tap done on the keyboard when finished.
7
Set a sound for your reminder. By default, the alarm tone will be the Radar tone. If you want to change this, tap Sound. Select from the listed ringtones, or tap Pick a song to select a song from your library.
- Tap Vibration to change the vibration type or create a custom one.
- Tap < Back when finished.
If you want the reminder to have a snooze option, toggle it on. Otherwise, the reminder will disappear after the first alert.
9
Tap Save. This will be in the top-right corner.
- You'll see a list of your reminders on the Alarm page. Make sure it's toggled on.
- If you want to delete a reminder, swipe left on the reminder and tap Delete.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using the Calendar App

Download Article

1
Open the Calendar app. This will have the current date as the app face.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- Use this method to add a reminder as an event in your iOS calendar.
You can find this at the top-right corner.^{[6]
X
Research source}
3
Enter the reminder title. Use the first field to enter a name for your reminder.^{[7]
X
Research source}
- You can also add a location or video call in the field below.
4
Set the time. Tap Starts and Ends to assign a date and timeframe for your reminder. Tap the date to adjust the date, and tap the time to adjust the time.^{[8]
X
Research source}
- You can also toggle on All-day if your reminder will be needed the entire day.
Tap Repeat and select: Never, Every Day, Every Week, Every 2 Weeks, Every Month, Every Year, or Custom.
6
Set an alert. By default, this will be set to None. Tap Alert and select when you'd like to be notified of the reminder.
- You can also add a second alert.
7
Tap Add in the top-right corner. The reminder will be added to your calendar. Depending on your settings, you'll receive a notification of the reminder.
- To make sure you have notifications enabled, go to Settings → Notifications → Reminders → toggle on Allow Notifications and Time Sensitive Notifications.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I set an hourly or every four hour reminder?

Community Answer

Go to your clock. It's an app that your phone comes with. You will see different options. Click the one with an alarm clock on it and set the reminders.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 16 Helpful 14
Question

Does the phone need to be turned on for the alerts to work?

Community Answer

If you mean the ringer, then no, you will just receive a vibration if your ringer is off. If you mean the power, yes, the phone must be on.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 6
Question

What is the significance of the different colored circles?

Community Answer

The different colors are to color code your types of reminders similar to the way you would color code the events in iCal. Example: Red = vital , Blue = less important, Purple = not important. You get to determine your own label system.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

You can adjust the sound effect used by the Reminder app by opening Settings, tapping Sounds & Haptics (or Sounds), scrolling down and tapping Reminder Alerts, and selecting a sound.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0