remembertips

One of the nice things about the iPhone is that it comes with several built-in apps that serve a variety of reminding functions.  However it’s good to know what the differences in function are since they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

• Timer
  • Simplest interface (especially if you use Siri – just say “Hey Siri, set timer for 10 minutes” and it will start counting.  Or even “Hey Siri, 10 minutes.”  When the alarm sounds you can say “Hey Siri, stop,” to stop it.)
  • Very limited on features, including that you have to remember what you set the timer for!  But good for parking meters, timing food, etc.
• Alarms
  • Pros:
    • Simple interface – easy to set quickly
    • Alarms can be labeled to tell you what they’re reminding you to do
    • Alarms sound even if phone is muted with the ring/silent switch
      • Use this if you want to get an auditory alarm no matter what, e.g., if you have to wake up at a certain time, or if you want to make sure you’re alerted and the sound won’t be a problem.
  • Cons
    • Alarms will sound even if phone is muted (bad for meetings, theater, etc.)
    • The Siri default setting is AM, so if you create a new alarm with Siri and you want it to be PM, you must specify that or edit it to PM once it’s created. (This may have changed, but always good to double check if you’re alarm is set for AM or PM to avoid annoying mixups!)
• Reminders
  • Pros:
    • Checklist style
    • Can be set to show on lock screen until actively dismissed (set as an “Alerts” style alert in Notifications)
    • Can be categorized and prioritized
    • Can be set for time or place notifications
    • Time notifications can be set to repeat at desired intervals (e.g, daily, weekly, etc)
    • Easy to set with Siri, eg., “Remind me at 8pm to do the laundry,” or “Remind me when I get home to take my vitamins.”
  • Cons:
    • Multiple features/menus make setting potentially more involved (compared, for example, to Alarms)
    • Alarms do not sound if phone is muted (though they vibrate once)
• Calendar
  • Pros:
    • Placed on Calendar (for easy reference if you refer to Calendar a lot or have coordinated Calendars, etc.)
    • Repeatable
    • Can set up to 2 alerts at different intervals up to and including the event time
  • Cons:
    • Alarms do not sound if phone is muted but vibrate and otherwise function like reminder alerts.

That’s my rundown.  If there’s something important I missed, you can add a comment, or let me know on the Google Group (see About) and I’ll add it!

[Photo credit: Author]