Upgrading the Reminders app in iOS 13 or later

To use the new Reminders features in iOS 13 or later — smart lists, a new quick toolbar, and more — you need to upgrade the reminders in iCloud.

Upgraded reminders aren't compatible with earlier versions of iOS and macOS. If you upgrade your reminders on your iPhone with iOS 13 or later, your other devices — like your iPad and Mac — can’t access the reminders until you update your iPad to iPadOS or your Mac to macOS 10.15 Catalina. Learn what to expect until all your devices have the latest software.

You can always see your reminders on a Mac or PC by signing into iCloud.com with a compatible web browser.

The upgrade process

Make sure that your device is connected to the Internet before you open the Reminders app for the first time after updating to iOS 13 or later.

When you open the app, a Welcome to Reminders screen gives you the options to upgrade now or upgrade later. Reminders will also tell you if you have shared Reminders lists that will be affected, or other devices that also need to be upgraded.

Tap Upgrade Now to begin the process. If you tap Upgrade Later, the app's main screen appears and shows a blue Upgrade button above your lists. Tap it when you're ready to upgrade your reminders.

The upgrade process affects existing reminders in your primary iCloud account only. Reminders in all other accounts, such as secondary iCloud accounts and CalDAV and Exchange accounts, aren't changed.

See your reminders on other devices

After the upgrade, you can view your reminders in these places:

  • The Reminders app on your other Apple devices if they're running iOS 13 or later, iPadOS, macOS 10.15 Catalina, or watchOS 6 or later, and signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
  • A web browser on a Windows PC or an Apple device, even if it's running an earlier version of iOS or macOS. Go to Reminders on iCloud.com and sign in with your Apple ID.

Use shared Reminders lists

Shared lists require that both the creator of the list and the people who can view it have upgraded their reminders.

If you have a Family list that was created through Family Sharing, it's converted to a standard shared list when the family organizer upgrades. You can invite anyone to join the converted Family list, even if they're not in your family.

What to expect after you upgrade

Here's what you can expect after you upgrade your reminders:

  • iCloud reminders are available on your other devices only if they're running the latest software.
  • iCloud reminders created on a device that's running earlier software are visible only on other devices running earlier software. When you update a device to the latest software, new reminders on that device will be merged with the upgraded reminders and will be available on all updated devices.
  • If you create new iCloud reminders on a secondary device that's running iOS 13 or later or macOS Catalina, but you haven't yet opened the new Reminders app on that device — for example, if you used Siri to create reminders — those reminders will be lost when you open the app for the first time. To avoid this, open the Reminders app once before you create any new reminders on an updated device.
  • You can't see iCloud reminders in Outlook when using iCloud for Windows on your PC.

Learn more

After you upgrade, learn more about Reminders on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

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