How to set a reminder on Android (and actually remember)

1. The four ways to set a reminder on Android

Before the how, a quick map of the where. On any recent Android phone you can set a reminder in one of these places:

• Google Calendar — best for events and anything tied to a specific date and time
• Google Keep — best for quick notes that also need an alert, including location-based ones
• Samsung Reminder — built into Samsung phones, works with Bixby and the Calendar app
• A dedicated reminder app — best when reminders are the point, not a side feature

2. Set a reminder in Google Calendar

Open Google Calendar, tap the + button and choose Task or Reminder (the wording varies by version). Add a title, pick a date and time, and set the repeat if needed — daily, weekly, monthly or yearly.

Calendar reminders live inside your calendar, which is their strength and their limit: perfect for anything you would also want to see in your week view, less ideal for dozens of small personal tasks that would clutter it.

3. Set a reminder in Google Keep

Open a note in Google Keep (or create one) and tap the bell icon at the top. Choose a date and time — or a place, so the note appears when you arrive somewhere.

Keep reminders are the fastest to create: type three words, tap the bell, done. They are ideal for the small everyday things — buy milk, call the plumber, bring the umbrella — that would feel out of place in a calendar.

4. Set a reminder on a Samsung phone

Samsung phones include Samsung Reminder, a separate app that also appears inside Samsung Calendar. Open Reminder, tap +, write the task, then set the time or a location condition.

You can also create one by voice: say “Hi Bixby, remind me to water the plants at 7 pm”. Bixby reminders are saved in the same app, so everything stays in one place.

5. How to set a daily or repeating reminder

Whatever the app, the pattern is the same: create the reminder, open the repeat option (sometimes labelled “Does not repeat”), and choose daily, weekly, monthly, yearly — or a custom interval where available.

• Google Calendar: tap “Does not repeat” and pick the interval
• Google Keep: after choosing the date, tap the repeat icon next to the time
• Samsung Reminder: open the reminder and set Repeat under the time options
• Dedicated apps like MiRicordi: repeat is set while creating the reminder, including custom intervals

6. The two settings that decide whether the alert rings

Many “my reminder never rang” problems have nothing to do with the reminder itself. Two Android settings silently silence alerts:

• Battery optimisation: if the app is “optimised”, Android may delay or skip its notifications. Set your reminder app to “Not optimised” in Settings → Apps → Battery
• Notification permission and channels: check that notifications are allowed and that the reminder channel is not set to silent

7. When a dedicated reminder app is worth it

Calendar and Keep cover the basics well. A dedicated app starts to make sense when reminders become a system: recurring bills and renewals with weeks of notice, reminders that come back until you deal with them, photos and documents attached to the date, and a home screen widget that keeps the next deadlines always visible.

MiRicordi is built exactly around that: create a reminder in a couple of seconds, set any repeat, attach a photo of the letter or receipt, and let the widget keep everything in sight. Free on Android, on Google Play.