Calling distant friends and relatives on their birthdays is fast becoming an obsolete tradition. These days, people just leave a casual message, often copy-pasted from elsewhere, on social media platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. Even more troublesome is the fact that it is difficult to remember all the birth dates of all the people you know.
Wishing someone on his/her birthday is one thing and planning for it is another. If there was an app that could remind you of the coming birthdays, you could buy a gift, maybe plan a surprise party or just make a mental note to wish them?
This is why I will be covering some of the best birthday reminder apps for Android and iOS platforms that will help you avoid that awkward situation when your friend/relative asks you why you didn’t wish them on their birthday.
Read:Â Never Miss a Birthday: Import Facebook Birthdays to Google Calendar
Best Birthday Reminder Apps
1. Birthdays for Android
When you open the app for the first time, it will already have a list of birthdays that the app will pull from your contacts and calendar apps respectively. I never realized that some of my contacts have birth dates saved in them. The cool thing about the app is that it will not only display the person’s profile picture and date of birth but also their age. Now you know what to write on that cake.
The uber birthday app will show you the number of days left for the big day and let you send e-cards automatically if you wish so. Clicking on the profile reveals more info like the zodiac sign, what day it is on, and the ability to make a call or send a message. You can choose how and when you want to be reminded, and sort list by name or days left to the birthday.
You can manually add new birthdays to the list or edit existing ones if you think there is an error. Comes with widgets. The app is free to use and ad-supported.
Birthdays for Android:Â Android
2. HIP
HIP will not only sync birthdays from your contacts on the iPhone but also from calendars, and Facebook. HIP will remind you in advance to wish the person but if you live in the US, HIP can also recommend gift ideas. Users living outside of the US can send e-greeting cards. There are separate options for reminders like call, text, gift, party, and so on.
One neat feature is to share the details of an upcoming birthday event with others in your contact. This is helpful if you are planning to throw a surprise birthday party. You can add notes too. You know, for when you want to make a list of items to buy for the party. Other features like zodiac sign and age are all there.
The app is ad-supported and free to download. There is a plus plan, starting $1.49, that will add additional features like a built-in calendar, widgets, app themes, unlimited reminders, access to more greeting cards, add more events, and remove ads.
Download HIP:Â iOS
Also Read:Â 7 Best Chrome Screenshot Extensions For Every Need
3. hbd
hbd (short for happy birthday) like other birthday reminder apps for iOS in the list will import data from multiple sources including contacts and calendars –Â ofcouse manual entry option is also present.
But what separates hbd from others, which only allows you up to 5 birthdays before you need to upgrade. hbd lets you add 30. There are also no ads in hbd.
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Another key differentiator from all the other similar apps – is the design. It has the most modern UI, that others lack and also supports widgets, which is kind of new in iOS14.
That said, to get most of the app, you will have to get the pro version that starts around $10 a year. So, if you a ready to pay for a good birthday reminder app, check out hdb, for free options, read along.
Download hdb+: iOS
4. Countdown+ Widgets Calendar
We saw the traditional birthday reminder apps and that’s pretty much all there is to it. Countdown+ Widgets Calendar can be used to set reminders for birthdays so that you can see a live countdown until it is due. That would be cool.
There is no limit on the number of countdown timers that you can create. It comes with a built-in calendar to plan all the important events and set reminders for. You can import all birth dates from your Facebook account and a local calendar. We are a forgetful race which is why we often forget important events even after being reminded of it once. This is why Countdown+ will increase the frequency of reminders as the event date will arrive closer. Also supports FB events and national/international holidays.
You can customize various aspects of the countdown like font, color, size, and display style. Found a cute image of your kid? Add it to the timer to customize the countdown widget. Finally, you can share your newly created countdown timers with friends to invite, collaborate, and celebrate. Countdown entries can be set to repeat.
Available on both platforms, it is ad-supported which can be removed with an in-app purchase of $0.99.
Download Calendar+ Widgets Calendar: Android | iOS
5. Google Calendar
Google Calendar is a very popular calendar app that can be easily used as a birthday reminder tool. The app is ad-free and available on not only mobile devices but also on the web. It integrates with Google Assistant so you can set up reminders using voice assist or manually.
Just create an event, set it to repeat, and choose your date and time. You can also ask it to remind you sometime before the reminder is set for. Collaborating with friends and family members is easy. Just send an invite to their Gmail ID. Using Google Calendar offers other benefits over traditional birthday reminder apps. You can use it for any events or purposes whether personal or professional.
You can create more than one calendar and color code each one to get a bird’s eye view of the entire week in a single glance. Have you decided on the venue yet? Add location so everyone stays in the loop. Covering all the features and tricks of Google Calendar is beyond the scope of this guide so I suggest you check it out once.
Download Google Calendar: Android | iOS
Also Read: 8 Best Android Attendance Apps for Teachers, Meetings, and Schools
6. IFTTT
IFTTT is a crazy powerful tool that you can use to connect with hundreds of apps, services, and websites. To use it just as a birthday reminder app would be doing injustice to it. If you are not already familiar with it, I would strongly suggest you to check it out. A productivity powerhouse.
IFTTT comes with recipes. There is one for every service out there like social media sites, SaaS products, smart home appliances, Google Calendar, and so on. There is also a time and reminder recipe that you can use to set reminders for important events and dates. You will use it to set birthday reminders. You can also use IFTTT with Google Calendar to get birthday notifications, send automated messages via Twitter, Facebook, Slack, and more.
IFTTT is completely free to use with no ads and works on all mobile platforms. There is also a web interface that you can use to browse recipes, however, it will not notify you in the browser.
7. Greeting Cards & Wishes
123Greetings specializes in creating and sending greeting cards to your loved ones on their birthdays. The app will not only help you remember birthdays but also send cards that you have pre-selected automatically. Just in case you forget the big day yourself.
You can choose a card from a catalog of more than 40 thousand collections for every occasion. Because no event is complete without posting pics on social media, greetings.com app can share chosen cards on your account. Within the birthday category, there are sub-categories like milestones, relatives, friends, funny, and so on. Depending on your taste and relation, you can send romantic, funny, or floral greeting cards.
The app is available for both Android and iOS platforms and also works on the web. Most cards are free to use but you can choose from a collection of premium cards too.
Download Greeting Cards & Wishes: Android | iOS
8. Birday (Open Source)
If you’re someone who strictly chooses an open-source app over others, Birday is the perfect fit for you. Not only is it open-source, but is no less in terms of features when compared to others in the list. The app uses your contacts to sync birthdays and shows you days in a clean timeline along with the date and name of each individual. If you want to expand the birthday card, you can tap on the persons’ name and view the zodiac sign, next age, edit option, and more.
If you have your personal favorites whose birthday you cannot miss, I highly suggest adding people to the favorites section. Plus, with the favorites, you also have a notes field, which comes in handy to make birthday plans, gift suggestions, and more. Like I said the app is open-source and doesn’t bother you with ads.
You can use the quick share feature (pre-filled template), which is great to remind others of birthday events. I hope the developer also adds a template for birthday wishes in the coming updates.
Download Birday: Android
Which is the Birthday Reminder Apps?
Birthdays are meant to be fun and a time to reconnect with everyone. It doesn’t have to be boring. While there are some birthday reminder apps that will just remind you to wish the person, there are other apps that will do a lot more like sending greetings, help plan the event, share it on social media, and so on. No matter which app you choose, you will never forget to wish on a birthday again.
