Your iPhone can remind you of every birthday, but only if the dates are in the right place. Here are three ways to set it up, from the built-in apps to a dedicated birthday reminder.
Updated October 2026
Step 1: Save the birthday on the contact
Everything starts with the birthday field in the contact. Whatever method you use later, this is where the date should live.
- Open the Contacts app (or the Phone app and tap Contacts).
- Choose a person and tap Edit.
- Tap “add birthday”, pick the date and tap Done. You can leave out the year if you don’t know it.
Way 1: The Birthdays calendar in Calendar
Birthdays saved in your contacts appear automatically in the Calendar app, in a calendar called Birthdays.
- Open Calendar, tap Calendars at the bottom and make sure Birthdays is turned on.
- Open Settings, go to Apps, then Calendar, then Default Alert Times.
- Tap Birthdays and choose when to be alerted, for example one day before.
Limits: one alert time applies to every birthday, and birthdays of contacts in some accounts, such as Google, don’t always show up.
Way 2: A yearly reminder in Reminders
For the few birthdays you must never miss, create a repeating reminder.
- Open Reminders and add a new reminder, such as “Call Anna, birthday”.
- Tap the info button, set the date and time, and choose Repeat: Yearly.
This works well for a handful of people but becomes a lot of work for everyone you know.
Way 3: A birthday reminder app
A birthday app reads the birthdays from your contacts and handles the reminders for you. Starrise Contacts, for example, is free and works on your existing address book:
- all upcoming birthdays and anniversaries in one list,
- a reminder at the exact time you choose,
- gift ideas saved on each contact, so you are ready when the day comes,
- one-tap buttons to call, message or WhatsApp the birthday person,
- with Pro, name days as well.
Tips so you never miss one
- When someone mentions their birthday, add it to their contact right away.
- Use a reminder a few days ahead for people you send cards or gifts to.
- Write gift ideas down the moment you hear them, not the day before.
- Once a year, scroll through your contacts and fill in missing birthdays.
Sources
Facts about other apps were checked on 11 October 2026 on the pages below.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Does iPhone remind you of birthdays automatically?
Only if the birthday is saved on the contact and you have set an alert for the Birthdays calendar in Calendar’s settings under Default Alert Times. Birthday apps such as Starrise Contacts remind you without that setup.
Why are some birthdays missing in my iPhone calendar?
The Birthdays calendar only shows birthdays saved on contacts, and contacts from some accounts, such as Google, don’t always appear. Check that the birthday is saved on the contact and that the Birthdays calendar is turned on.
What is the best birthday reminder app for iPhone?
Look for an app that reads birthdays from your existing contacts, so you don’t enter them twice. Starrise Contacts does that for free and adds anniversaries, gift ideas and reminders at the time you choose.
GET STARRISE CONTACTS
Never forget a birthday again
Starrise Contacts works on the contacts already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac. No account, nothing to import. Free to download, with an optional Pro subscription.
Free on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Pro costs $0.99 per month or $5.99 per year in the US.