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Creating Reminders

The Calendar app is an excellent tool for tracking appointments, meetings, and other events. By adding an alert to an event, you get a digital tap on the shoulder to remind you when and where your presence is required.

However, our days are littered with tasks that could be called subevents. These are things that need to be done at a certain point during your day but don't rise to the level of full-fledged events: returning a call, taking the laundry out of the dryer, turning off the sprinkler. If you need to be reminded to perform such a subevent, it seems like overkill to crank out an event using the Calendar app.

Fortunately, iOS offers a better solution: the Reminders app. You use this app to create reminders, which are simple nudges that tell you to do something, to be somewhere, or whatever. These nudges come in the form of Notification Center banners that appear on your screen at a time you specify or when your iPhone reaches a particular location. If you have an iCloud account, you can sync your reminders between your iPhone, your Mac, your iPad, and any other supported device.

Setting a reminder for a specific time

Here are the steps to follow to set up a reminder that alerts you at a specific time:

  1. On the iPhone Home screen, tap Reminders. The Reminders app appears.
  2. Flick right or left to choose the list you want to use to store the reminder.
  3. Tap the plus sign (+) in the upper-right corner of the screen. The Reminders app creates a new reminder.
  4. Type the reminder text and then tap the arrow that appears on the right side of the new reminder. The Details screen appears.
  5. Tap the Remind Me On a Day switch to On.
  6. Tap the date that appears, and then use the scroll wheels to set the date and time of the reminder.
  7. Tap Done.
  8. Tap Show More to expand the Details screen.

    Reminder Details

  9. Use the Repeat setting to set up a repeat interval for the reminder.
  10. Use the Priority setting to assign a priority to the reminder: None, Low, Medium, or High.
  11. Use the Notes text box to add some background text or other information about the reminder.
  12. Tap Done.

Setting a reminder for a specific location

Getting an alert at a specific time is the standard way of working with reminders, but the Reminders app supports a second type of criterion: location. That is, when you specify a particular location for a reminder, the app sets up a geofence "a kind of virtual border" around that location. When your iPhone crosses that geofence, the associated reminder appears on your screen. So, for example, if you are on your way to a meeting with a client, you could create a reminder that includes notes about the meeting or the client, and then specify the meeting location as the Remind Me criterion.

Here is how it works:

  1. On the iPhone Home screen, tap Reminders. The Reminders app appears.
  2. Flick right or left to select the list you want to use to store the reminder.
  3. Tap the plus sign (+) in the upper-right corner of the screen. The Reminders app creates a new reminder.
  4. Type the reminder text and then tap the arrow that appears on the right side of the new reminder. The Details screen appears.
  5. Tap the Remind Me At a Location switch to On. If your iPhone asks whether the Reminders app can use your location, tap OK.
  6. To choose a location other than your current address, tap Current Location, tap Enter an Address, and then specify the location you want to use.
  7. To have the reminder appear when your iPhone first comes within range of the location, tap When I Arrive. If you prefer to see the reminder when your iPhone goes out of range of the location, tap When I Leave instead.
  8. Follow Steps 8 to 12 from the previous section to fill in the reminder details.

Creating a new list

The Reminders app comes with three preset lists that you can use: Reminders, Home, and Work. The default is Reminders, but you can also select a different list if it is more suitable or if you want to keep your personal and business reminders separate. If none of these three prefab lists is exactly right for your needs, feel free to create your own list by following these steps:

  1. In the Reminder app, tap the Lists icon in the upper-left corner of the screen. The Reminders app displays the Lists screen.
  2. Tap Create New List. Reminders converts the Create New List button into a text box and displays the keyboard.
  3. Tap the name of your list.
  4. Tap Done. The Reminders app adds the list to the left pane.
  5. Tap Done. Reminders exits Edit mode.

Completing a reminder

When a reminder is complete, you don'st want it lingering in the Reminders list (or whatever list it is in), cluttering the screen and making it hard to look through your remaining reminders. To avoid that, once the reminder is done, tap the check box beside it. This tells Reminders that the reminder is complete, and the app immediately moves it to the Completed list.

Deleting a reminder

If you no longer need a reminder, it is a good idea to delete it to keep your reminder lists neat and tidy. To delete a reminder, follow these steps:

  1. In the Reminder app, tap the list that contains the reminder you want to delete. The Reminders app displays the list's reminders.
  2. Tap the reminder you want to delete. The Reminders app opens the reminder for editing.
  3. Tap Delete. The Reminders app asks you to confirm.
  4. Tap Delete. Reminders deletes the reminder.

Setting the default Reminders list

The default list is the one that Reminders uses when you don't specify a particular list when you create a reminder. If you have a particular list you'd prefer to use as the default, follow these steps to set it:

  1. On the Home screen, tap Settings. The Settings app appears.
  2. Tap Reminders. The Reminders screen appears.
  3. Tap Default List. The Default List screen appears.
  4. Tap the list you want to use as the default.

Setting reminders with Siri voice commands

iPhone 5 or 4S users can also create reminders via voice using the new Siri app. Time-based reminders use the following general syntax:

Remind me to action at when.

Here, action is the task you want to be reminded to perform, and when is the date and time you want to be reminded . Here are some examples:

  • "Remind me to call my wife at 5."
  • "Remind me to pick up Greg at the airport tomorrow at noon."
  • "Remind me to bring lunch."

Location-based reminders use the following general syntax:

Remind me to action when I location.

Again, action is the task you want to be reminded to perform; location is the place around which you want the geofence set up (including either "get to" or "leave," depending on whether you want to be reminded coming or going). Some examples:

  • "Remind me to pick up milk when I leave here."
  • "Remind me to call my husband when I get to LaGuardia airport."
  • "Remind me to call my sister when I get home."
  • "Remind me to grab my sample case when I arrive at Acme Limited."

For the last of these, you can assume that Acme Limited is a company name defined (with an address) in your Contacts list.