How to Set Up and Use Shared Reminders in iOS

The Reminders app included in iOS is a great way to keep track of all the tasks and events that take up your day. And while reminders are nice on a one-to-one basis, you can actually share a list of reminders with other iCloud users to make them really useful.

Whether it's your spouse, kids, roommates, friends, or business associates, as long as they have an active iCloud account, you can set up shared reminders for things like grocery lists, bill payments, travel arrangements or collaborative projects. Here's how to set up shared reminders in iOS.

Share a reminder list

To get started, first launch the Reminders app and you will see your reminder lists. You can share an existing list or create a new list as you wish.

1. Once your list is created, tap on it to expand the list:

   

2. With the list expanded, press Edit top right :

   

3. This will reveal two options at the top of the list. To select Follow us!:

   

4. On the next screen, tap Add person:

   

5. Next, tap the To and search your contacts for the person(s) you want to share the reminder list with. Once you have selected your contacts, tap Add:

   

6. Next, you'll see a summary of who has been invited to share your reminder list. When ready, press Completed.

You can add people without an iOS device to a Reminders list (you can use Online Reminders at iCloud.com), but they must have an active iCloud account. Each person will receive an email notification that they will need to accept to complete the process. Until they do, you'll see a Pending status under their name.

When you return to your reminders list, you will see Shared with… under one of your shared reminders, which can help you easily identify private or shared lists. Once your invitees accept, everyone on the shared reminder list can add, edit, or delete entries, keeping the whole group in sync.

Remove someone from a shared reminder list

If you later want to remove one of your contacts from a shared reminder list, just follow these steps:

1. As before, go to the Reminder list you would like to remove someone from.

   

2. Press Edit.

   

3. Press Follow us!.

   

   
   
4. Find the person you want to remove and swipe from right to left on their name. A red Stop sharing button will appear on the right. Tap it to remove the person.

   

   Removing all members from a shared reminder list will effectively turn it into a private list that only you can see.

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Shared reminders might just be a can't live without showing up if you're forgetful. However, I can see where this could be problematic for some – after all, you can't pretend you forgot to buy milk when you have a constantly synced shopping list in your pocket! We live in the future. A weird future where getting by without being forgetful just isn't that easy. Do you have any experience, tips, tricks, or questions regarding shared reminders? Leave a comment below!