How to Make a Reminders List on iPhone

The Reminders app on your iPhone is one of the most useful tools you already own. It is the small white app icon with three colored dots stacked on the left side. Reminders lets you make tidy little lists for anything you want to remember: a grocery run, weekly medications, names of grandkids' friends, books you want to read, or questions for your doctor. Each list keeps its own items, so your shopping list will not get tangled up with your home repair list.

What makes Reminders better than a paper notepad is that it travels with you. Your phone is almost always in your pocket or purse, so the list is always there. You can also set the app to remind you at a certain time (Take blood pressure pill at 8 AM) or when you arrive at a place (Buy milk when I get to the grocery store). Apple uses your location only when the app is open and only for the reminder you set up. It does not track you in the background.

If you have an iPad or a Mac signed in to the same Apple ID, your lists show up there too. Tick something off on your phone. And it disappears from your iPad a moment later. Family members can share a list with you, which is wonderful for grocery shopping or planning a holiday meal. Add an item, and your spouse or daughter sees it pop up on their device.

Do not worry about making your list look perfect. Reminders is forgiving: you can rename a list, change its color, drag items around, or delete the whole thing and start over. The point is to get the things rattling around in your head onto the screen, where you can stop worrying about forgetting them.