4 Simple Ways to Create Reminders on iPhone and iPad

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.

Things You Should Know

Open Reminders, tap "Add List", and create a list. Tap "+ New Reminder" to enter the title, set alarms, and toggle repeats.
Open Clock, tap "Alarm", and tap "+". Select a time, toggle repeats, and set an alarm tone.
Open Calendar and tap "+". Enter your reminder. Set a time, alarm, and toggle repeats.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using the Reminders App

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Open the Reminders app. This looks like a list with three colored bullet points.^{[1]
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- The Reminders app requires iOS 13 or later, so be sure to update your iOS.
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Tap Add List. This will be in the bottom-right corner.^{[2]
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- If you want to make a quick reminder, tap the Today category below the search bar.
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Enter a List name and color. This will help organize your reminders if you have more than a few. After inputting a name, select a color for you list.^{[3]
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- When you're finished, tap Done in the top-right corner.
- If you chose Today, skip this step.
4
Tap + New Reminder. This will be in the bottom-left corner.^{[4]
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- If a new window doesn't open, tap the blue i next to the reminder field.
Include the Title and any additional Notes.
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Add reminder details. Tap Details underneath the Notes field to set a Date, Time, Location, and/or Priority level. If you select a Date or Time, you'll also receive the option for repeat notifications.^{[5]
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- - 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.
  - 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.
  - Tap Priority and select: None, Low, Medium, or High.
By default, this will be the first list you created.
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Tap Done. 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

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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.^{[6]
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Ask Siri to set your reminder. Be as specific as possible. Some example requests include:^{[7]
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- "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.
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Confirm the reminder. Siri will use the Reminders app to compile your reminders. If you don't already have a Reminders list created, you'll be asked if you want to create one. Tap Yes.
- The reminder will be created. 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

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Open the Clock app. This looks like a white clockface 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.
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Tap +. You can find this in the top-right corner.
- A new window will open.
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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.
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Set the alarm on repeat. Tap Repeat and select the days you want to repeat this reminder.
- Tap < Back when finished.
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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.
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Set a sound for your reminder. By default, the alarm tone will be Radar. 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.
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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

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1
Open the Calendar app. This will have the current date as the app face.^{[8]
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- Use this method to add a reminder as an event in your iOS calendar.
You can find this at the top-right corner.^{[9]
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Enter the reminder title. Use the first field to enter a name for your reminder.^{[10]
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- You can also add a location or video call in the field below.
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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.^{[11]
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- 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.
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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.
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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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