SMS reminders on Android: prepare appointment messages

Preparing SMS reminders from an Android calendar requires three things: an appointment synced to the phone, an identifiable recipient and a message template. SMSReminder uses these elements to schedule reminders with your own SIM’s phone number. The app is currently in development.

Choose a calendar and SIM

First sync the calendar to your phone, then explicitly select the calendars to use in SMSReminder. Grant the permissions explained in the app, including calendar access, SMS sending and Android alarms and reminders. On a dual-SIM phone, select the line to use. If that SIM becomes unavailable, the app does not automatically switch to another one.

Prepare the appointment

Put one valid phone number in the appointment description. The app can also recognise a number in the title or location, but using the description for the number and the Location field for the address keeps events clearer. An international number starting with + avoids country ambiguity. Events containing two different numbers are excluded from automatic sending.

Write the message and choose its timing

In Messages, create templates with {date}, {heure}, {titre} and {adresse}. Date and time refer to the appointment; the address comes from its Location field. Choose a delay before or after the start, up to thirty days. Use the preview to check the recipient and rendered message. Empty messages and messages exceeding 1,200 characters are not submitted for sending.

Check before enabling reminders

Review the preview, selected calendar and SIM before enabling reminders. Pausing stops new submissions. The phone must remain powered on and connected to a mobile network; Android may delay execution. Changes made on another device must first sync to this phone. History records attempts and Android’s sending statuses: “sent” is not a delivery acknowledgement from the recipient.

Consider volume and your mobile plan

The free version provides ten reminders over a rolling twenty-four-hour period. A Pro subscription removes that quota but does not include an SMS allowance. A long message may be split into several text messages by the mobile service. Your carrier’s prices and limits still apply.

See SMSReminder’s features, screenshots and availability.