How to Set a Reminder in Google Calendar (Desktop, iPhone, Android)

"Reminder" means two different things in Google Calendar, and that is where most of the confusion starts. There is the notification on an event ("10 minutes before"), and there is the standalone reminder, which Google now handles as a Task. Pick the one you actually want, then follow the steps below.

Option 1: A notification on an event

Use this when the reminder belongs to something on your calendar, like a meeting or an appointment.

On a computer

1. Open the event and click the pencil icon to edit it.
2. Find the notification row (it shows something like "30 minutes before").
3. Click Add notification, choose Notification or Email, and set how long before.
4. Click Save.

You can add several notifications to one event, for example a day before and an hour before.

On iPhone or Android

1. Open the event in the Google Calendar app and tap the pencil icon.
2. Tap the notification row, or Add notification.
3. Pick a time, or tap Custom for your own, then save.

Option 2: A standalone reminder (a Task)

Use this for things that are not events: "pay rent", "call mum", "take out the bins". Google moved Calendar reminders into Google Tasks, so you create them as a Task.

1. On a computer, click an empty time slot (or Create) and choose Task. On a phone, tap the + button and choose Task.
2. Give it a title, a date, and a time.
3. Choose whether it repeats, then save.

Tasks show up on your calendar and send a notification at the time you set. Our guide to Google Tasks reminders covers repeating tasks and getting alerts on your phone.

How to change the default reminder for every event

If you add the same notification to every event, set it as the default instead.

1. On a computer, open Settings (the gear icon).
2. Under Settings for my calendars, click the calendar you want.
3. Open Event notifications and add the default you want.

Defaults are set per calendar, and they only apply to events on that calendar. Invitations from other people and imported events can arrive without them. If some events stay silent, that is usually why. Our guide to Google Calendar notifications not working covers the other causes.

Can Google Calendar set an alarm?

No. There is no alarm setting in Google Calendar. A notification plays your phone's normal notification sound once, and it is silent if your phone is on silent or Do Not Disturb. If you need something that keeps going until you respond, you have two choices:

• A clock app alarm set to the same time. It works, but you have to remember to set it, and it does not say what it is for.
• A phone call tied to the event. This is what DoNotify does: it connects to Google Calendar and calls your phone before the events you choose, then reads out the event title.

When a notification is not enough

A notification is fine for most things. It falls short for the few events where missing them costs you something: a medical appointment, a flight, a dose of medication, a call with a client. For those, a reminder that rings is harder to miss than one that buzzes.

DoNotify gives you 14 reminder calls free with no card, so you can try it on the events that matter. See voice reminders for Google Calendar for how it connects.