How to set medication reminders on iPhone

Updated by Winton Gee

Quick answer

Open the Health app, go to Medications (Browse on iOS 27, Search on iOS 26), tap Add a Medication and set a schedule. Health then reminds you to log each scheduled dose. In Options, turn on Follow Up Reminders for a second nudge 30 minutes later, and Critical Alerts if you want reminders to sound even when your iPhone is muted.

These steps are written for iOS 27, the current release, and iOS 26, which Apple still supports. Where a screen differs between the two, both paths are listed. Medications arrived in the Health app with iOS 16 and watchOS 9, and Apple describes it as a way to “track and manage the medications, vitamins, and supplements you take.”

A reminder app only helps you follow a plan; it does not make one. Set each schedule to match what your prescriber or pharmacist told you. Apple says the same about its own feature: “The Medications feature is not a substitute for professional medical judgment.”

1. Open Medications in the Health app

  1. iOS 27: “Tap Browse, then tap Medications.”
  2. iOS 26: “Tap Search at the bottom right, then tap Medications.”
  3. iOS 16 to 18: “Tap Browse at the bottom right, then tap Medications.”

2. Add a medication and its schedule

  1. Tap Add a Medication to start your list, or Add Medication to add to it.
  2. Tap the text field, enter the name, then tap Add. In the US, Health suggests names as you type and can identify a medication with the camera.
  3. Choose the medication type, then the strength.
  4. Set a schedule. Follow the onscreen instructions to set how often and for how long you take it, then tap Next.
  5. Optionally choose a shape and colors so the entry matches what is in your hand, then tap Done.

To set a start or end date, tap Edit under Duration. The schedule types “On a Cyclical Schedule” and “On Specific Days of the Week” need iOS 18 or later.

3. Check that dose reminders are on

Apple says that “if you set a medication schedule, you receive notifications from the Health app reminding you to log the medication.” To check the setting:

  1. Open Medications as in step 1.
  2. Scroll down and tap Options.
  3. Turn on Dose Reminders.

4. Turn on follow-up reminders and Critical Alerts

Since iOS 17, Health can send a follow-up reminder 30 minutes later if you haven't logged a scheduled dose.

  1. In Medications, tap Options at the bottom of the screen.
  2. Turn on Follow Up Reminders.
  3. Optionally tap Critical Alerts, tap the button next to a medication, then tap Allow. This option appears once Follow Up Reminders is on, and you choose it medication by medication.

Apple explains that Critical Alerts “appear on the Lock Screen and play a sound (even if a Focus is on or iPhone is muted).” To turn them off on iOS 18 and later, go to Settings > Apps > Health > Notifications > Critical Alerts.

5. Log each dose

  1. In the app: tap the name of a medication in the list below Log, then tap Taken or Skipped below it.
  2. From the notification: press and hold the notification, then choose an option.
  3. On Apple Watch: tap the notification, then tap Skipped, Taken or Remind Me in 10 Minutes.

Follow-up reminders only come for doses that haven't been logged, so log each dose when you take it.

6. Share your list or export it

  • Share with someone: in Health, go to Sharing > Share with Someone and choose what to share.
  • Export a PDF: on iOS 27, tap Browse, tap Medications, scroll down, then tap Export PDF. A printed list is useful at an appointment or a pharmacy.
  • Interactions: Health can show drug interactions in the US only, and medications that aren't in its list are not included.

Other options on iPhone

A repeating reminder in the Reminders app

On iOS 26 and iOS 27, create a reminder, then tap Edit Details, turn on Date or Time, tap Repeat and choose the frequency. Turn on Urgent to get an alarm when the reminder is due.

An alarm in the Clock app

Tap Alarms, then tap the Add button. Set the time, choose Repeat days and add a Label such as the name of the medication. Alarms sound even when Silent mode or a Focus is on.

Let time-sensitive notifications through a Focus

A Focus can hold back notifications. To let apps deliver time-sensitive notifications right away:

  1. iOS 27: tap Focus, choose a Focus, tap Apps, then turn on Time Sensitive Notifications.
  2. iOS 26: the same steps start from Settings > Focus.

For more on notification settings, see how to remember to take your medication every day.

Where Pill Reminder & Habit Tracker helps

If you only need to track medications, vitamins and supplements, Health's Medications feature covers it well, with logging, follow-ups, Critical Alerts and sharing. Pill Reminder & Habit Tracker is for people who also want their daily habits in the same place. It puts meds and habits in one checklist, sets up each item on one screen, and treats each daily time as its own check. You get a reminder at each time and one follow-up if the item is still unchecked; an item marked Important gets a time-sensitive first reminder and a second follow-up. There are no streaks, and everything stays on your iPhone. It is free for up to 3 items.

This app is a reminder and checklist. Always follow your prescriber's instructions.

Pill Reminder & Habit Tracker is coming soon to the App Store.

Sources

Steps, quotes and findings in this guide come from these sources, checked on October 7, 2026.