How to Set a Reminder for Someone Else: iPhone, Alexa, Google and WhatsApp

You can set a reminder for someone else with tools you probably already have: assign it in a shared Apple Reminders list, say "Alexa, remind Dad..." on a shared Echo, invite them to a calendar event, or create an event with a reminder in a WhatsApp chat. The catch with all of them is that the reminder only works if the other person uses the same app or device, and has its notifications switched on.

That is fine for a partner on the same iPhone setup. It is much harder for a parent in another city who uses their phone mostly for calls. Here is how each option works and where it stops.

How do I set a reminder for someone else on iPhone?

Apple's Reminders app lets you assign a reminder to a person, but only inside a shared list. Apple's steps:

1. Open Reminders, tap the list, tap the Share button and send the invitation.
2. Once they accept, tap a reminder, tap the Assignment button and choose the person.

Apple is clear on the requirements: "You can only assign a reminder after you have shared that reminder list," and the people you invite need iOS 13 or later to see lists you create on iOS 13 or later.

The important line is this one: "Notifications that you set for your reminders aren't shared with anyone else." If you give a reminder a 6pm alert, that alert is yours. Assigning the reminder puts their name on it in a shared list; it does not make their phone ring at 6pm. They can turn on notifications for when items are added or completed, and Apple notes that from iOS 17 you can create an Early Reminder for an assigned task, but they still need to be an iPhone or iPad user who has accepted your list.

Can Alexa remind someone else?

Yes, if they are part of your Alexa household. Amazon's help page gives examples such as "Remind Dad to buy milk at 7 pm" and "Remind everyone to drink water at 9 am." You can also add a reminder in the Alexa app and choose which Alexa device should announce it.

The limits, in Amazon's words:

• "You can only assign a reminder to someone who has an Alexa profile on the same Amazon Alexa Account."
• "The reminder is announced on the device you spoke the request to."

So the person has to be near that Echo when it speaks. Amazon notes that if you miss one, a yellow light on the Echo or an on-screen notice tells you there are missed reminders, and that your reminders are visible to everyone in the household. That works for a shared kitchen. It works less well for someone in another home, or someone who is out when the speaker talks.

Can Google Assistant or Gemini remind someone else?

Not in the way it once could. Google Assistant used to offer reminders you could assign to members of your family group. In June 2022, Android Police reported that Google's support page had added: "The option to assign reminders to others will go away soon. You can still assign reminders in Google Chat or Gmail." Google has since moved reminders into Google Tasks, and its current help page for Tasks with a voice assistant only gives first-person examples, such as "Remind me to call Mom at noon tomorrow."

The closest substitute is a Google Calendar invite: create the event, add them as a guest, and they see it on their calendar. But their alerts follow their own settings, not yours. Google's Calendar help says no one else can change your notification settings, including people you share your calendar with, which also means you cannot set an alert on their behalf.

Can I remind someone on WhatsApp?

Partly. WhatsApp's Remind Me option on a message is private and only reminds you. The way to remind other people is an event: create one in a group or one-to-one chat, and since January 2026 WhatsApp says "you can set custom early reminders for your invitees."

That suits one-off plans, like a family video call on Sunday. It is not designed for a reminder that repeats every evening, and what reaches the other person is a notification, which they need to see and act on.

The options compared

Method	What the other person needs	Repeats?	How it reaches them
Apple Reminders (assigned)	iPhone or iPad, accepted your shared list	Yes, but your alert is not shared	Their own notifications, if they set them
Alexa "Remind Dad..."	Alexa profile on your Amazon account, near the device	Yes	Spoken by one Echo
Google Calendar invite	Google Calendar, notifications on	Yes	Their own notification settings
WhatsApp event	WhatsApp, in the chat	No, one event	Notification
A phone call	A phone	Yes	It rings

What works best for an older parent who lives far away?

The pattern above matters most for the people who are hardest to reach. Every built-in option depends on the other person installing something, accepting something, keeping notifications on, or being in the right room.

A few practical points help, whatever tool you use:

• Match the tool to their habits, not yours. If they answer calls but ignore app alerts, an assigned reminder in a shared list will not help much.
• Ask first. Agree what they want reminding about and when. A reminder they asked for feels like help; one they did not can feel like checking up.
• Keep the wording specific. "Evening tablet, the white one, with dinner" beats "Medicine."
• Know when it was missed. With most tools you never find out. Decide what should happen if a reminder goes unanswered.

How ReminderIt reminds someone else

ReminderIt turns a WhatsApp message into a phone call. You send a WhatsApp message (text, a voice note or a photo of a prescription label) such as "Call Mum every day at 7pm to take her evening tablet," or set it up on the website. At that exact time, ReminderIt calls her phone and reads the reminder in a natural voice. If the call is missed, a WhatsApp message follows up.

Family members confirm first, before any reminder calls go to their number, so nobody is called without agreeing to it. Nothing needs installing on their side or yours; they just need a phone that rings.

There is a 7-day free trial with 7 free reminder calls (3 if your number is in a country where calls cost more). After that it is one plan: $7 a month, or ₹299 a month in India, with annual and 2-year options.

The short answer

To remind someone else, use what you share: an assigned item in a shared Apple Reminders list, "Alexa, remind..." on a household Echo, a Google Calendar invite, or a WhatsApp event with an early reminder. Each relies on the other person's own app and notifications, and Google's assignable reminders are no longer the option they were. For someone who lives elsewhere or does not live in their apps, a scheduled phone call is the version that does not depend on any of that.

Sources: Apple Support, Share and assign reminders on your iPhone or iPad (May 2026); Amazon Customer Service, Set Reminders with Alexa; Amazon Customer Service, Managing Reminders and Tasks with Alexa+; Android Police, Google's getting rid of Assistant's location-based and assigned reminders (June 2022); Google Home Help, Set & manage Google Tasks with your voice assistant; Google Calendar Help, Change Google Calendar notifications; WhatsApp Blog, Level Up Your WhatsApp Group Chats With New Member Tags, Text Stickers, and More (January 2026).