Birthday reminder widget on iPhone: configure and check alerts

To use a birthday reminder widget on iPhone, pair the visible countdown with reminders configured inside the birthday app, then check that iOS allows its notifications. In Birthday Countdown, the Home Screen widget shows the next birthday, while alerts have their own schedules for each person. Both are included in the tier that's free for up to 5 active birthdays.

Give each alert a job

Start with the action you want to remember: buying a gift, mailing a card or calling someone. Choose the reminder's lead time around that action rather than giving everyone the same schedule.

Birthday Countdown supports the birthday itself, 1 day, 3 days or 1 week before, or a custom number of days. The time is configurable; the default is 10:00. Each birthday can have more than one reminder and an optional reminder message.

Here are example schedules you could use:

A planning alert and a same-day alert serve different purposes. If all you intend to do is send a message, one reminder may be enough. Birthday Countdown alerts you locally on your iPhone; it doesn't send greetings to anyone.

Configure the reminders in Birthday Countdown

When creating a birthday in Birthday Countdown, open Birthdays, tap + at the top right, enter the required First name, and choose the day and month. Then concentrate on the reminder settings:

1. Tap Reminders, then + to add a notification.
2. Choose the lead time and the time you want the alert. Add a message if it helps you remember the task.
3. Tap Save Notification.
4. Repeat for a second reminder if needed, then finish with Save Birthday.

Before saving each notification, check both parts of the schedule. “One week before” sets the planning date; the chosen time determines when that day's reminder is scheduled. A correct lead time with an inconvenient hour can still leave you swiping the alert away.

If you haven't placed the widget yet, follow the Home and Lock Screen countdown widget guide for installation and layouts. This guide focuses on the alerts you use alongside it.

Check permission and delivery settings

A birthday appearing on the widget doesn't prove that notification permission is enabled. Birthday Countdown cannot send its reminders if you deny that permission.

Open Settings → Notifications, select Birthday Countdown, and check Allow Notifications. Under Alerts, choose where you'd like notifications to appear. If you use Scheduled Summary, review whether the app uses Immediate Delivery or Scheduled Summary. Apple documents these controls in its notification settings guide.

Also review any Focus you use around the reminder time. Go to Settings → Focus, choose that Focus, then Apps or Choose Apps. Check whether the birthday app is allowed or silenced. You can keep your Focus and allow selected apps through, as described in Apple's Focus instructions.

Check the countdown and the reminder separately

The next birthday and the next reminder don't always belong to the same person.

Suppose Ana's birthday is June 15 and Sam's is June 20. On June 13, Ana is the next birthday, so she's the person you'd expect on Birthday Countdown's Home Screen widget. But Sam's one-week-ahead reminder is due that day too.

An alert about Sam therefore doesn't mean the widget has picked the wrong person. Compare the widget with the earliest birthday in your list, and compare each notification with that person's reminder schedule.

When a scheduled reminder comes due, check whether it appears where you chose in iOS settings. Seeing the right countdown checks the visible date; receiving the alert checks notification delivery. Neither check substitutes for the other.

If the widget is visible but an alert is missing

Work through the settings in this order:

Changing widget size doesn't check or configure any of these notification settings. For the first birthday you set up, keep a note of the expected reminder date and time so you can compare it with what actually happens.

You can use Birthday Countdown's Home Screen widget and reminders for up to 5 active birthdays without Premium. Unlimited birthdays and Lock Screen widgets require Premium. If you're still deciding which reminder features matter for your list, use the birthday reminder app checklist.