How to Add Reminders and Local Notifications to an iPhone App (2026)
Add reminders to an iPhone app with local notifications: daily, weekly or every few hours, the permission, iOS limits, and how they differ from push.
By Sigsten Gustavii· · 8 min read
To add reminders to an iPhone app, decide what should remind people and when, ask for notification permission when someone turns a reminder on, schedule each reminder on the phone with a time or repeat rule, let people change or turn it off, and say clearly in the app when notifications are switched off in Settings. With Borel, you describe the reminders and it writes the Swift.
| Local notification (a reminder) | Push notification | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sends it | The app schedules it on the phone | A server sends it through Apple |
| Needs a connection | No | Yes |
| Knows about other people's actions | No | Yes, such as a new message |
| Works when the app is closed | Yes | Yes |
| Needs a server and a paid developer account | No | Yes |
| In a Borel app | Yes | Not available |
Reminders are one of the features that make an app part of someone's day: drink water at eleven, water the plants on Sunday, the bins go out tonight, the class starts in ten minutes. None of those need a server. They are decided on the phone, by the person, and that is exactly what local notifications are for.
What reminders can do
| Kind | Example | How it is scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Every day at a time | Log your mood at 21:00 | A daily repeat at a time of day |
| Chosen weekdays | Gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:00 | A weekly repeat per weekday |
| Every few hours | Drink water every two hours | A repeating interval |
| Once, at a date | Visa renewal on 3 March | A single date and time |
| Before something | Class starts in 10 minutes | A date worked out from the event |
| After a while | Your tea is ready | A one-off timer |
Ideas from Borel's reminders and notifications page: a water reminder, a plant watering app where each plant has its own schedule, an evening habit nudge, a study timer and a bin day reminder.
Reminder ideas by kind of app
| App | Reminder | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Habit tracker | An evening nudge to tick off today's habits | The person, once |
| Plant care | Water each plant on its own schedule | Worked out from each plant |
| Medication or vitamins log | Morning and evening, every day | The person |
| Study app | Review flashcards at 18:00 | The person |
| Event or class app | Ten minutes before each saved session | Worked out from the agenda |
| Shop or restaurant app | Your pickup is in ten minutes | Worked out from the order |
| Budget app | Rent is due on the 25th | The person, monthly |
Notice the last column: the most welcome reminders are either set by the person or worked out from something they did, like saving a session or placing an order. That keeps them welcome.
What reminders can't do
Because a local notification is decided on the phone in advance, it can't react to something that happens elsewhere. It can't tell someone a friend just messaged them, a parcel shipped, or a price dropped. Those are push notifications, sent by a server, and Borel apps don't send them. Apple doesn't require push for an app to be approved: Guideline 4.5.4 says push notifications must not be required for the app to function. An app without push shows news when it is opened.
Asking for permission at the right moment
iOS asks once whether an app may send notifications. If someone says no, getting them to change their mind means a trip to Settings, so the moment matters:
- Don't ask when the app opens. Nobody knows yet why they'd want reminders.
- Ask when they turn a reminder on, such as tapping "Remind me daily". The reason is obvious then.
- Show the time before asking, so they know what they are agreeing to.
- If notifications are off, say so next to the reminder, with a button to Settings.
Borel apps follow this pattern: they ask when someone turns reminders on, and say plainly when notifications are switched off.
Limits to know
- 64 at a time. iOS keeps the 64 soonest scheduled notifications per app, according to Apple's UNUserNotificationCenter documentation. Repeating reminders count once, so a daily reminder is cheap; a one-off per item for hundreds of items is not.
- Focus and Do Not Disturb. People can silence notifications; the reminder still appears in Notification Centre.
- Time zones. A reminder at 7:00 should mean 7:00 wherever the person is; repeating reminders by time of day follow the phone's clock.
- No reminder can change data. Tapping one opens the app; the app then does the work.
Writing reminders people keep
Most people turn off notifications from an app that nags. Keep them welcome:
- Let people choose the time, with a sensible default.
- Say something specific: "Water the fern and the basil" beats "Time to check the app!".
- One reminder per moment. Group three plants into one message.
- Never advertise. Apple's Guideline 4.5.4 also bars using notifications for marketing unless people opt in.
- Make turning it off easy, in the app's own settings.
Apple's Human Interface Guidelines on notifications are worth a read for tone.
Reminders or a calendar event?
Some reminders belong in the iPhone's own Calendar instead. If the thing has a place and a time other people share, such as a class, a viewing or a dentist appointment, adding it to Calendar puts it next to everything else in the person's day, and Calendar's own alerts remind them. If it is a personal nudge, like drinking water or ticking off a habit, a reminder from the app is right. Many apps offer both: Add to Calendar for the event, and an app reminder for the preparation the evening before.
Testing reminders
The iOS Simulator shows notifications, so in Borel's simulator in your browser you can schedule a reminder a minute ahead and watch it arrive. For daily reminders, install the app on your iPhone with Borel Companion, which comes with Pro, and live with it for a few days. Check what happens when you change the time, turn it off, and say no to permission.
Apple's rules for notifications
| Guideline | What Apple asks | In a Borel app |
|---|---|---|
| 4.5.4 Push notifications | Not required for the app to work; no marketing without opt-in | No push at all; reminders are chosen by the person |
| 5.1.1(ii) Permission | Ask with consent and a clear reason | Asked when a reminder is turned on |
| Human Interface Guidelines | Useful, timely, not repetitive | Specific text and a time the person picks |
How to choose the right way to add reminders
- Borel, for local reminders in a native iPhone app from a sentence, with permission and the off state handled.
- UserNotifications by hand in Xcode, if you are a Swift developer who needs notification actions or rich content.
- A push notification service with your own server, if your app must alert people about things that happen elsewhere, like new messages. That needs a paid Apple developer account and a server.
How to do it with Borel, step by step
Step 1: Describe the reminders
Add reminders to the plant app. Each plant has a watering schedule: every N days, at a time I choose (default 9:00). Send one notification per morning listing every plant that needs water that day, like "Water the fern and the basil". Ask for notification permission at the moment I turn any reminder on, not before. If notifications are off in Settings, show a note on the plant list with a button to Settings. Let me turn reminders off per plant.Rivet writes the reminders with Apple's UserNotifications framework, scheduled on the phone.
Step 2: Watch one arrive
On the live iPhone in your browser, set a reminder a minute ahead, go to the home screen and wait for it.
Step 3: Live with it
Install the app on your iPhone with Companion (Pro) and use it for a week. Adjust the wording and times in plain words.
Step 4: Publish
Stamp checks the app, and Publish builds and uploads it under your Apple Developer account. Glossary: local notifications and push notifications.
The Bottom Line
Reminders are local notifications: scheduled on the phone, on time with no connection, and chosen by the person. Ask for permission when someone turns one on, keep the text specific, and remember they can't react to things happening elsewhere, which is what push is for. Borel builds local reminders from a sentence. Open your app in Borel and set one for a minute from now.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between a local notification and a push notification?
A local notification is scheduled by the app on the phone, like a daily reminder. A push notification is sent by a server, like a new message alert. Borel apps use local notifications.
Do reminders work when the app is closed?
Yes. iOS delivers a scheduled reminder at its time whether the app is open, closed or the phone has no signal.
Can Borel apps send push notifications?
No. Borel apps schedule reminders on the phone but don't send push notifications from a server.
How many reminders can an app schedule?
iOS keeps the 64 soonest scheduled notifications per app. A repeating reminder counts once, so daily and weekly reminders rarely hit the limit.
When should my app ask for notification permission?
When someone turns a reminder on, so the reason is clear. Asking when the app opens gets more refusals.
Can a reminder repeat on certain weekdays?
Yes. Reminders can repeat daily, on chosen weekdays, every few hours, or once on a date.
Can I test reminders without an iPhone?
Yes. The iOS Simulator in your browser shows notifications, so you can schedule one a minute ahead and watch it arrive.
Can a reminder be based on an event in the app?
Yes. A reminder can be scheduled from something saved in the app, such as ten minutes before a class someone added or the evening before a deadline. When the event moves, the app reschedules the reminder.
Can people snooze or change a reminder?
They can change its time or turn it off in the app's settings. Ask for exactly the controls you want, such as "remind me again in an hour", and test them on your iPhone.
Does Apple require push notifications?
No. Guideline 4.5.4 says push notifications must not be required for an app to function.
I'd rather an app remind me of what I chose than nag me about what it wants. Set one for a minute from now and watch it arrive.
– Sigsten
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