iOS 26: Add New Reminders Faster Than Ever

[MacRumors]

In iOS 26, currently in beta, creating a new task for Apple's Reminders app is now a much faster process, thanks to the introduction of a "New Reminder" control that lets you create tasks without ever opening the app.

Whether you assign it to Control Center, your Lock Screen, or the Action button (on iPhone 15 Pro models and newer), this simple addition should make it a lot easier to record your reminders.

How the New Reminder Control Works

When you activate the New Reminder control, the Reminders app isn't actually opened. Instead, iOS 26 displays a compact popup panel that includes everything you need to create a task: you can select the Reminders List, add a note, the date, location, and a flag.

The interface also recognizes natural language for adding a due date, so you can append your reminder with "tomorrow at 3pm," and iOS will recognize it and suggest the appropriate reminder time in the Siri suggestions bar above the keyboard.

Basically, you can create detailed reminders containing all the necessary info without navigating through multiple screens in the full Reminders app.

Adding the Control to Control Center

To add the New Reminder control to Control Center, swipe down from the corner of the screen, long press a blank space, then tap Add Control. You'll find it in the Reminders section (it's the only control there).

Setting Up Lock Screen Access

For Lock Screen access, touch and hold your Lock Screen, tap Customize, then remove one of the two Lock Screen controls by tapping it. Tap the plus button left in its place, then select New Reminder from the available controls.

Assigning to the Action Button

If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, the Action button provides the fastest access to new reminders. To set it up:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Action Button.
3. Swipe to Controls and choose New Reminder from the list of available actions.

That's all there is to it. Granted, it's an extremely simple addition, but the New Reminder control goes a long way to eliminate the friction usually involved in creating a task. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26 to supported iPhones in September.

Article Link: iOS 26: Add New Reminders Faster Than Ever

 

[The Cockney Rebel]

Pukka.

I use Reminders all the time.

 

[Line_Noise]

These controls feel like they need something new to get at them all. Assigning them to the two lock screen controls is limiting, as is hooking it to the single use of the action button, but if you put together a pane of them in control centre you'd be just as quick to open the actual app and you're presented with a wall of icons with no labels as to what's what necessarily.

Hold the action button for a pop over / something context sensitive maybe?

 

[Rob__Mac]

I really, really wish they would add Announce Notifications as an action - I'd like to be able to toggle it on/off from my Lock Screen.

 

[Godspeed8230]

That's actually one of the few instances when I use Siri.

 

[Crispy Duck]

I really, really wish they would add Announce Notifications as an action - I'd like to be able to toggle it on/off from my Lock Screen.

You can set up a shortcut to do this, and add that to your Lock Screen or Control Centre.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Apple added reminders to Calendar, next up they should improve the feature and find a way to eliminate the Reminds app, in my opinion. Reminders is a feature not an app. And improve the Alarm Clock feature allowing Alarms to be set for future dates in addition to days, manually, and using Siri.

“Set an alarm for Jan 5, take down tree”

“Do you want it as a once-off alarm in Clock or a yearly reminder in Calendar?”

Just one alarm | Remind me yearly

Two choices, pick one. Simplicity and function.

 

[McWetty]

I just use Siri. It’s one of the very few things she gets right 90%+ of the time.

 

[Loud_Texan]

Apple added reminders to Calendar, next up they should improve the feature and find a way to eliminate the Reminds app, in my opinion. Reminders is a feature not an app. And improve the Alarm Clock feature allowing Alarms to be set for a future dates in addition to days, manually, and using Siri.

“Set an alarm for Jan 5, take down tree”

“Do you want it as a once-off alarm in Clock or a yearly reminder in Calendar?”

Just one alarm | Remind me yearly

Two choices, pick one. Simplicity and function.

I use Fantastical calendar for such things. Add “plant tree” at selected date, reminder to repeat “every year”.

Specifically, I have one to alert me of payment every two weeks.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

I use Fantastical calendar for such things. Add “plant tree” at selected date, reminder to repeat “every year”.

Specifically, I have one to alert me of payment every two weeks.

Rest my case. Reminders are a calendar feature, not a separate app. Be it Apple's or another.

 

[martin2345uk]

But you still can’t snooze a reminder for 30 minutes!

 

[Flamingdeathbolts]

How do I get a reminder for MacRumors to share this article again once I am running ios26 this fall 🤣

 

[frosty001]

Apple added reminders to Calendar, next up they should improve the feature and find a way to eliminate the Reminds app, in my opinion. Reminders is a feature not an app. And improve the Alarm Clock feature allowing Alarms to be set for a future dates in addition to days, manually, and using Siri.

“Set an alarm for Jan 5, take down tree”

“Do you want it as a once-off alarm in Clock or a yearly reminder in Calendar?”

Just one alarm | Remind me yearly

Two choices, pick one. Simplicity and function.

I like this.
I find it hard to decide between Reminders, Calendar, and Notes.

The latter is the go-to for ease. It should have some ML / AI to automatically added dated notes to the Calender and set an alert.

 

[CapitalIdea]

Apple added reminders to Calendar, next up they should improve the feature and find a way to eliminate the Reminds app, in my opinion. Reminders is a feature not an app. And improve the Alarm Clock feature allowing Alarms to be set for a future dates in addition to days, manually, and using Siri.

“Set an alarm for Jan 5, take down tree”

“Do you want it as a once-off alarm in Clock or a yearly reminder in Calendar?”

Just one alarm | Remind me yearly

Two choices, pick one. Simplicity and function.

You assume that all the tasks in the list have a specific date. I use reminders for tons of general to-do tasks with nonspecific timeframes.

 

[frosty001]

You assume that all the tasks in the list have a specific date. I use reminders for tons of general to-do tasks with nonspecific timeframes.

Yes. the problem is with me. I have not get my head round how best to use all of the options. I find when I use Siri (talk to the phone), I will say 'set a reminder to....' but if I am tying and want to set some tasks or things to do, then I am typically opening Notes.

I might be in the minority, but I think it's something that Apple could help with (streamlining). I am not VERY clear on what app is designed to be the best for what, etc.

 

[Line_Noise]

To me what's missing is links. Notes has notes (obviously), and Reminders has notes as a field, and Calendar events have notes as a field.

Those notes fields should be notes in Notes itself, pinned to the date for the Reminder / Calendar event

There's the beginning of something like this already with how you can link emails by dragging them into Reminders or Calendar.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

You assume that all the tasks in the list have a specific date. I use reminders for tons of general to-do tasks with nonspecific timeframes.

Notes is for lists and entries. That's what you're describing.

 

[frosty001]

To me what's missing is links. Notes has notes (obviously), and Reminders has notes as a field, and Calendar events have notes as a field.

Those notes fields should be notes in Notes itself, pinned to the date for the Reminder / Calendar event

There's the beginning of something like this already with how you can link emails by dragging them into Reminders or Calendar.

I wonder if Siri 2.0 / Apple Intelligence was supposed to be the 'fix', so they have not rolled out any interim solutions like yours, which sounds great and simple enough.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Yes. the problem is with me. I have not get my head round how best to use all of the options. I find when I use Siri (talk to the phone), I will say 'set a reminder to....' but if I am tying and want to set some tasks or things to do, then I am typically opening Notes.

I might be in the minority, but I think it's something that Apple could help with (streamlining). I am not VERY clear on what app is designed to be the best for what, etc.

It's not well done, it's certainly not your fault. There's too much overlap and not enough clear boundaries in place. It's a UX problem and Apple should want to solve it. Having a whole Reminders app distinct from Calendar "events" is confusing and needs addressing at a fundamental level. Needs rethinking, redesigning and re-communicating with the goals being simplicity, clarity, practicality and user understanding. Geeks round here and on other forums love to complicate things with many different solutions but the average user just wants to get stuff done and keep things simple. Fancy apps that do more can always exist on the App Store.

 

[Small White Car]

Apple added reminders to Calendar, next up they should improve the feature and find a way to eliminate the Reminds app, in my opinion. Reminders is a feature not an app.

You can just remove the app, though.

You already have what you want, so what’s your issue?

I use recurring reminders to share a chore list with my family so that I can remember to scoop the litter box or check in and see if my daughter did the dishes yet.

If I wanted all my family chores clogging up my calendar, I would have chosen to do that already. But I didn’t, because that would be awful.

Thankfully Apple lets me turn them off, so I’m good.

I’m unclear why you think I should be denied this option, when it would gain you absolutely nothing.

 

[Line_Noise]

I wonder if Siri 2.0 / Apple Intelligence was supposed to be the 'fix', so they have not rolled out any interim solutions like yours, which sounds great and simple enough.

Maybe. If anything it feels like it would make the semantic search stuff they were talking about for that easier.

The obvious complicating factor is Calendar. That notes field isn't necessarily something Apple can just plug into when you're dealing with Exchange calendars or the like, but even that seems reasonably simple to put in place.

I've actually just chucked this at the Feedback void because it would be such a massive improvement to all four of these applications. The biggest things would be that notes for events would stay tied to the date/time of that event, even if later modified, and with a little discipline you could always find the whole chain of work from Mail, Calendar, Reminders, or Notes depending on how you preferred to go looking for it.

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

You can just remove the app, though.

You already have what you want, so what’s your issue?

I use recurring reminders to share a chore list with my family so that I can remember to scoop the litter box or check in and see if my daughter did the dishes yet.

If I wanted all my family chores clogging up my calendar, I would have chosen to do that already. But I didn’t, because that would be awful.

Thankfully Apple lets me turn them off, so I’m good.

I’m unclear why you think I should be denied this option, when it would gain you absolutely nothing.

Improve the reminders feature in Calendar, improve Alarm Clock in-the-future function in Clock app, fix how both work with Siri, eliminate the Reminders app, re-communicate the changes and simplifications to the customer. The current fumbly design complexity offends me.

 

[Small White Car]

Improve the reminders feature in Calendar, improve Alarm Clock in-the-future function in Clock app, eliminate Reminders app, re-communicate the changes and simplifications to the customer. The design complexity offends me.

Turning an iPhone into an Outlook clone is more complex than separate apps. Not less.

Sorry. I can’t understand your viewpoint at all.

 

[macjaffa]

How do I get a reminder for MacRumors to share this article again once I am running ios26 this fall 🤣

You laugh but creating a reminder or action from arbitrary content or not so arbitary content like i dunno an email or a webpage is a HUGE gap missing from the reminders/calender app. It makes them useless for me since 99% of the time i want reminded aboit something i have just been sent or something i have just read.

 

[macjaffa]

To me what's missing is links. Notes has notes (obviously), and Reminders has notes as a field, and Calendar events have notes as a field.

Those notes fields should be notes in Notes itself, pinned to the date for the Reminder / Calendar event

There's the beginning of something like this already with how you can link emails by dragging them into Reminders or Calendar.

How do i add an email to an event in the future. E.g i get an email i need to deal with when i get back in a week. I see no way to turn that email into an action or reminder for 1 week from now. Mail.app is like ‘my first email client’ from fisher price