How to use the calendar on your phone to remember appointments

What you will learn

In this guide, you will learn how to use the calendar app on your phone to keep track of appointments, birthdays, and events. You will learn how to add new events, set reminders so your phone alerts you ahead of time, and view your schedule for the week or month.

What you need

• An iPhone or Android phone
• The built-in Calendar app (already installed on your phone)

The steps

Step 1: Open the Calendar app

Find the Calendar app on your phone. On iPhone, it has a white icon showing the current date. On Android, it may be called Google Calendar and has a colourful icon. Tap it to open.

Step 2: Add a new event

To add an appointment, tap the plus icon (+) or tap on the date and time when the event will happen. A form will appear where you can enter the details of your event.

Step 3: Fill in the event details

In the form, type the title of the event, for example “Doctor appointment” or “Lunch with Maria”. Then set the date and start time by tapping on them and using the scroll wheel or number picker to choose the correct values. Set the end time too if you know how long the event will last.

Step 4: Add a reminder

Tap Alert (iPhone) or Add notification (Android) to set a reminder. Choose when you want to be reminded. For example, select 30 minutes before so your phone will show a notification half an hour before the appointment. You can add more than one reminder if you want.

Step 5: Save the event

When you have filled in all the details, tap Add (iPhone) or Save (Android) in the top right corner. Your event is now on your calendar. You will see it appear on the correct date.

Step 6: View your upcoming events

To see what you have planned, open the Calendar app and tap Today to go to today’s date. You can swipe left or right to see other days, or tap the month view button to see the whole month at a glance. Days with events will have a small dot under the date number.

Tips

• Add birthdays to your calendar with a yearly repeat so you never forget them.
• Use different colours for different types of events (for example, blue for medical appointments, green for family events) to make your calendar easier to read.
• If you use Gmail, events from confirmation emails (like flight bookings or restaurant reservations) may be added to Google Calendar automatically.
• You can ask Siri (iPhone) or Google Assistant (Android) to add events by saying “Add a calendar event for Thursday at 2pm called dentist”.

External links

• Apple Support: Use Calendar on iPhone — official guide for iPhone Calendar
• Google Calendar Help — official guide for Google Calendar on Android