[9 Ways] Fix iPhone Reminders Not Working

Why are iPhone reminders not working?

As a versatile tool for task and time management, iPhone reminders ensure you stay organized, efficient, and never miss an important event or responsibility. However, some iPhone users may find that their iPhone reminders suddenly stop working. Why does this situation occur?

⛔ The notifications for the Reminders app are turned off. 

⛔ You've set up your reminders incorrectly.

⛔ Your iPhone is in "Do Not Disturb" mode or in silent mode.

⛔ The iPhone battery is critically low.

⛔ Outdated software can cause issues.

⛔ The Reminders app may glitch.

⛔ The iCloud Sync is not working correctly.

⛔ Your device is low on storage.

⛔ The Reminders app doesn’t have the necessary permissions.

Fix iPhone 15/14 reminders not working on iOS 18/17

Before starting the process, check the battery status of your iPhone by looking at the battery percentage displayed on the screen. If it's too low, make sure to charge your iPhone first.

Method 1. Check notifications settings for the Reminders app

It's possible that the notification settings for the Reminders app have been disabled, which could make it seem like the app is not working properly.

You can open the Settings app > Choose Notifications > Tap on Reminders > Ensure that the Allow Notifications toggle is turned on > Under the ALERTS section, make sure that all the options are checked.

You can also check the Sounds section and ensure that a notification tone is selected for the Reminders app. This should help ensure that you receive notifications from the Reminders app as expected.

Method 2. Reopen your app or restart your iPhone

Sometimes, the Reminders app may glitch. You can try to force close the app and reopen it. If that doesn't work, try to restart your device to fix the issue.

Method 3. Remove the Reminders widget

Another potential solution for the issue is to remove the Reminders widget from the widgets screen.

From your iPhone's main home screen, swipe right until you reach the rightmost screen > Scroll down to the bottom of the widgets screen > Tap on Edit > If you see the Reminders app widget listed there, tap the minus ("-") button next to it and tap Remove to confirm > Then restart your iPhone to check if this way works.

Method 4. Turn off and on Reminds from iCloud  

Reminders on your iPhone are typically synced across all your Apple devices via iCloud. However, if you encounter issues with Reminders on iPhone not working correctly, you can try turning off and then back on the Reminders sync via iCloud.

Open the Settings app on your iPhone > Tap on your user’s name card to access the Apple ID settings > Choose iCloud > Find the toggle switch next to Reminders and turn it off > Choose Delete from My iPhone to confirm.

Wait for about 30 seconds, then go back to the Reminders toggle in iCloud settings and turn it back on.

Method 5. Turn off Do Not Disturb Mode/Silent Mode

If your iPhone is in "Do Not Disturb" mode, you won't receive reminder notifications. Disable Do Not Disturb in Control Center or go to Settings > Toggle off Do Not Disturb.

You should also make sure your iPhone is not in silent mode by checking the orange line next to the silent switch is not visible.

Method 6. Delete the Reminders app and reinstall it

If you're still experiencing the iPhone reminders not working issues, you can try deleting and reinstalling the app: Touch and hold the Reminders app icon until it starts to jiggle > Tap on Remove App > Click Delete App on the pop-up window to confirm. After deleting the app, you can open the App Store to reinstall the app.

Method 7. Reset all settings

Resetting all settings on the iPhone can be another available way to solve the problem. You can go to Settings app > General > Tap on Transfer of Reset iPhone > Choose Reset > Reset All Settings to restore all settings on the iPhone to their defaults.

Method 8. Update the iOS system on iPhone

If there is an outdated iOS system running on your iPhone, you can go to Settings app > General >Choose Software Update to update your iPhone. If there is any software update option available, choose it and click Install or Download and Install to update your iOS to the latest version.

Method 9. Reset iPhone to factory settings without data loss

If you've attempted all the previous solutions and are still encountering the issue on your iPhone, you may consider performing a factory reset. And this action will erase all data on your device, so it's crucial to back up your data before proceeding.

Using specialized software like FoneTool can easily complete the data backup and restore process, ensuring it's both efficient and secure.

With this app, you can fully or selectively back up your iPhone data at a super-fast transfer speed. Except for erasing all data on iPhone, FoneTool can also help you erase private data such as photos, videos, Safari history, Podcasts and more. With the deep erase technology, your data can be wiped permanently and can’t be recovered anymore.

Fully backup iPhone

Step 1. Launch FoneTool on your Windows PC > Connect your iPhone to the PC with a USB cable > Go to Phone Backup > Full Back > Click Get Started.

Step 2. Check Enable Backup Encryption if you need > Choose a storage path to store your backup on the PC > Click Start Backup to begin the task.

Once the process is completed, you can factory reset your iPhone with no worry about data loss.

Factory reset iPhone

Step 1. Select Toolbox, then click Data Eraser.   

Step 2. Tap on Erase all data and choose Get Started.

Step 3. View and check the guidance on the screen > Tap the Erase Data button to confirm the choice.

Then the issue with Reminds app on iPhone might be fixed, and you can go to My Backups and click the Restore dot to restore your iPhone backup.

Conclusion

There are 9 ways for you to fix iPhone reminders not working issue. You can try them one by one to check which one works. If you need to factory reset your iPhone, hope FoneTool can be your good helper. In addition, if you need to solve other iPhone errors, like fixing Caller ID not working on iPhone, you can tap the link and check the steps.