I use Samsung Reminder every day. These are my 10 favorite tips and tricks

While some people give Samsung a hard time for offering too many features, I really appreciate that a One UI device feels like something more than just a generic Android phone. There are quite a few Samsung-specific apps I’ve come to rely on, and Samsung Reminder is certainly near the top of that list. While there are other reminder apps out there, Samsung has done a great job with its in-house app; I use it nearly every day.

I find Samsung Reminder makes it much easier for me to remember both important events and minor things like getting the milk next time I leave the house. If you really want to make the most of this tool, though, there are certainly some settings and little tricks that can make the experience even better.

If you’re a Samsung Reminder user, here are 10 tips you may not have known about — but really should.

Take advantage of location-based reminders

As great as Samsung Reminder is for time-based alerts, don’t underestimate the location-based ones.

I like to organize my shopping lists by location, and sometimes I’ll even set recurring reminders. For example, when I pull into the shopping complex near my house, I might get a one-time list of things I know we need right now, plus a second alert for the things I should check on because they’re always running out, like batteries for all my family’s gizmos.

I even use location-based reminders when leaving the house in the morning to help with my routine. After dropping my kids off at school, I often have errands or bills to take care of. Having a list trigger on my car’s infotainment system helps me stay on track so I don’t space out the things that aren’t part of the usual routine.

To add a location, open the Reminder app, scroll to the text field, and type your reminder. After that, select the Location icon. That opens a new window where you can type in an address or search for a location. You can also set the radius sensitivity and choose whether the alert fires when you arrive at or leave the location.

Samsung Reminder Suggestions will save you time

While Samsung makes it easy to create new reminders from scratch, reminder suggestions make it even easier. I’ve found this personally saves me a lot of time, as many of my reminders are for things that I eventually resurface or repeat.

Doing this is super easy. Start by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the upper right, then type what your reminder is about into the search field, and it will show related or similar suggestions from your past usage.

For example, you might type in doctor’s appointment and find an old one with the time, date, and location already in place. You simply tap on it and modify the task, essentially recycling the old reminder.

You can make checklists in Reminder for shopping and more

Text-based Reminders are great and all, but sometimes you might need more than just a one-sentence reminder. While many users turn toward something like Samsung Notes or Google Keep, Reminder can also handle basic checklists. In fact, these lists are better, as they can be tied to a specific time or even a location.

Samsung Reminder is great for short-term tasks, like a shopping list. It’s even possible to make lists recurring. In fact, I now use this tool for all my shopping lists, and I tend to reserve Keep for things like lists of goals or for tracking some of my habits.

To add one, simply tap on the Add Reminder text bar at the bottom of the Samsung Reminder app. You’ll see what appears to be a checkmark symbol among the five icons below the text bar. Tap on this to start your list.

You can tap the icon that looks like a bullet list to open and assign categories. You can also use the options marked by a calendar or location icon to add a specific time or date-based condition to the reminder.

You can add photos to your reminders for extra details

Alright, this is a pretty simple tip; I’ll be the first to admit it. It’s likely you stumbled upon how to add a photo in Samsung Reminder right away. If you didn’t, it’s as simple as typing in the bottom bar and selecting the camera icon. This will let you easily attach an image.

I bring this feature up less to show it’s there and more because I used to underestimate how useful it could be until I was trying to track some medical sensors for a diabetic family member. Taking pictures of the box and its serial number was much easier than entering them manually. I also found that finding specific parts or tools was easier with a visual image to go along with it.

Basically, don’t forget that pictures can be a time saver, and one picture can say more than a simple text reminder ever could.

Use categories to better organize your reminders

One thing I like about Samsung Reminder is how easy it is to keep things organized. Instead of a single massive reminder log, you can break things up into custom categories.

For example, I have sections like Freelance Work for my one-off projects for other clients, and a standard Work section for more dedicated client tasks. The same goes for personal organization.

Simply tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and tap Manage categories. This will open up a list with generic reminder categories like My reminders and Home, but you can easily add your own here, too.

You can customize alerts and wallpapers for your reminders

A reminder is only as useful as your ability to receive the alerts in the first place. That’s why Samsung Reminder has three alert styles that you can adjust by going to the three-dot menu and selecting Settings > Alert type. There are options ranging from Light to Strong that affect how aggressive an alert is.

In addition to choosing how intrusive the alarm alerts are, you can also customize your alert wallpaper. Go to Settings > Alert background to change the default wallpaper. You can pick from a few preset colors or go to the gallery and attach a photo.

The only downside is that whatever you pick for the alert background applies to every reminder. There’s currently no way to customize backgrounds for individual reminders.

What do I actually use this one for? The alert thing is truly helpful, as I tend to need more aggressive reminders. Unlike wallpapers, it’s also possible to set the alert level individually. So, I might have a high-alert status for something like an appointment with my doctor, but might use a lower-level alert to remind me to buy some new pens.

Widgets make seeing your reminders so much easier

While the Samsung Reminder app is a well-laid-out experience that’s easy to jump into, sometimes you want a quick to-do list that’s easily available right on your homescreen. Thankfully, Samsung Reminder has a great widget. I use Samsung widgets every day, as it’s often easier than opening up the full app.

The exact steps for placing it may vary slightly depending on your phone, but in most cases, a long press on the home screen should open a window with a taskbar at the bottom labeled Widgets. From there, you’ll scroll through your widget list until you find Reminder or Samsung Reminder (some phones shorten it; others use the full branding).

You’ll find several size options, but the Reminder widget works about the same across versions. You’ll be able to check off any item right from the widget, and you can even add new items by hitting the plus (+) symbol.

Long-pressing on the widget will reveal a pop-up. Tap Settings from the pop-up, and from there you’ll be taken to a new screen that lets you customize the widget further by adding categories and a few other options.

Create and modify reminders from Samsung Calendar

The app and widget aren’t the only ways to interact with Samsung Reminder. Samsung Calendar also fully integrates reminder support. I love this because my family is very active in using a universal calendar. I used to go straight to Google Calendar, but additional features like Reminder integration pushed me towards Samsung’s version.

To use this feature, simply open the Samsung Calendar app and long-press any day of the month. A new screen will pop up with a bar at the top that says Event and Reminder. You’ll want to tap on the second option. From here, you can add the reminder directly.

Once added, you can also simply press any reminder in the calendar to drag it to a different date, making it easier than ever to change times and days for your reminders.

Using Gemini to create Reminders

You don’t even have to use another Samsung app or widget to play nicely with Samsung Reminder. It’s easy to fire up Gemini and ask it to create an entry in Samsung Reminder as well.

I use this almost as much as I do going directly into an app, though the only downside here is you can’t do location-based reminders. You’ll either have to create a reminder with a time or no alert. The good news is you can then tap on the widget it created and add the location-based reminder that way as a workaround.

Simply open Gemini via the app or voice prompt and ask it to set a reminder, as seen in the screenshots above. You can even tap the card it creates to view more details in the Reminder app.

Create a reminder that’ll keep bugging you until it’s done

Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite things about Samsung Reminder. While some reminder apps make it easy to dismiss things, Samsung has options that will effectively keep bugging you indefinitely until you clear the task off your plate.

Start by creating a reminder using one of the methods mentioned above. You should see a repeat arrow symbol within the task you created. By default, it says don’t repeat, but that’s easy to change.

You have options ranging from repeating every minute to every hour, day, week, month, or year. Simply tap the frequency option that works for you, then head to duration and tap one of the three options: Forever, Specific number of times, or Until (a specific time).

I use the hourly repeat feature a lot for household tasks. For example, I will set a reminder for putting laundry in the dryer with a timer. Often when it goes off, I’m already busy with something else, so I’ll dismiss it. But with hourly reminders, it will get bugging me until I do it or get one of my kids to do it.

Without this Samsung Reminder feature, I’ve historically forgotten about the clothes I was washing about 1/3 of the time as I moved about my day. They stay wet for half a day or longer, get slightly smelly, and I end up rewashing them. For that reason alone, Samsung Reminder has proven itself worthy to me as it keeps me from overspending on water and detergent.

That’s it for my Samsung Reminder tips and tricks. Know of a tip or trick I missed? Let us know in the comments below.