Google Calendar has two kinds of reminder, and most people only know one of them. A notification belongs to an event and alerts you a set time before it starts. A task (what used to be called a Reminder) is a to-do with a date and time. Both take seconds to set. The part that trips people up is whether the alert actually reaches them, because it depends on your browser, your phone settings and the calendar the event lives on. Here is how to set each one, on the web and on your phone, and how to make sure you see them.
The short version: add a notification to each event (or set a default for the whole calendar), use Google Tasks for to-dos, allow notifications in your browser and on your phone, and use a phone call reminder for the events you cannot afford to miss.
1. Add a Notification to an Event (Computer)
Best for meetings, appointments and anything with a start time.
Open calendar.google.com and click the event, then the pencil icon to edit it.
Click Add notification. Choose Notification (a pop-up) or Email, then the number and unit, such as 10 minutes or 1 day.
Add a second one if you want. A day-before email plus a 10-minute pop-up is a good pair for appointments you have to travel to.
Click Save. If the event has guests, the notification is yours only; it does not change their reminders.
2. Add a Notification on iPhone or Android
Open the Google Calendar app and tap the event, then the pencil icon.
Tap the notification line (the bell) and pick a preset, or tap Custom to type your own time.
Tap Save. The alert arrives through the Google Calendar app, so it only works if that app is allowed to send notifications.
If you use the built-in Apple Calendar on your iPhone to view a Google account instead, the alert comes from Apple Calendar, with its own settings. Our iPhone and Android guides cover those.
3. Set a Default Reminder for Every Event
Instead of adding a notification to every event, set it once per calendar.
On the web, click the gear icon, then Settings.
Under Settings for my calendars, click the calendar you use, then Event notifications.
Click Add notification and set the time. There is a separate section for All-day event notifications, which alert at a time of day rather than minutes before.
Watch out: defaults are per calendar. If you have a work calendar, a family calendar and a shared team calendar, each needs its own default, and events on a calendar without one arrive silently. This is the most common reason someone "set a default" and still missed a meeting.
4. Use Google Tasks for To-Dos
Google retired the old Reminders feature and moved it into Google Tasks. Your old reminders became tasks, and they still show on your calendar.
Click an empty time slot on the calendar (or tap the + button in the app) and choose Task.
Type the task, such as "Renew car insurance", and set a date and time. Without a time, there is nothing to alert you at.
Optional: set it to repeat, then save. You can also add and tick off tasks from the Tasks panel in Gmail or the Google Tasks app.
Which One Should You Use?
| Best for | How it alerts | Moves with the event? | Easy to miss? | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event notification | Meetings, appointments | Pop-up or phone notification | Yes | Yes, if notifications are muted |
| Email notification | Day-before heads-up | Yes | Very, in a busy inbox | |
| Google Task | To-dos and deadlines | Notification at the set time | No | Yes, one short alert |
| Remindavo call | Events you cannot miss | Your phone rings | Yes | Hard to miss |
Why Google Calendar Reminders Still Get Missed
- The browser is blocking them. On a computer, Google Calendar alerts come through your browser. If you clicked Block when the site asked, or the browser is closed, nothing appears. Check Settings > General > Notification settings in Google Calendar and your browser's site permissions.
- Do Not Disturb or Focus is on. On phones and on Windows and Mac, a Focus or Do Not Disturb mode silences notifications, often automatically during screen sharing or at night.
- Battery saving killed the app. Some Android phones stop apps running in the background, which delays or drops alerts.
- The event has no notification. Invitations from other people and events on a secondary calendar use that calendar's default, which may be none.
- You saw it and dismissed it. One quiet banner, 10 minutes before, while you are focused on something else, is easy to swipe away and forget.
For a full checklist, see Google Calendar notifications not working.
Get a Phone Call Instead of a Notification
For the events that matter, a ringing phone is much harder to miss than a banner. Remindavo connects to Google Calendar and calls your phone before each event, with a voice that reads the event name, for example "Dentist appointment in 30 minutes". It follows your calendar, so when an event moves, the call moves with it. More detail in phone call reminders for Google Calendar.
Sign in at web.remindavo.com with your Google account.
Connect Google Calendar. Every timed event gets a reminder automatically, including ones you add or move later.
Verify your phone number and choose how early you want the call. Add the iPhone or Android app for instant alerts too.
The free plan includes 5 real reminder calls or 14 days, whichever comes first, with no credit card. App alerts stay free after that, and Premium is $10 a month for unlimited calls. Use Outlook as well? Read phone call reminders for Outlook.