How to Manage To-Dos on Apple Watch: Reminders, Siri and Complications
Key answer On Apple Watch, open a list in the Reminders app and tap the circle next to an item to finish it. Add new to-dos with Add Reminder at the bottom of a list, or with Siri. Touch and hold the watch face, tap Edit, and change a complication to open Reminders right from your wrist. Notifications from your iPhone to-do app follow your iPhone settings by default, so they reach your watch too.
What are the four things you do on a watch?
| What you do | On the watch | What carries over to the iPhone |
|---|---|---|
| Add | Add Reminder in the Reminders app, Siri | With iCloud Reminders, the item also shows on your iPhone, iPad and Mac |
| View | Lists in the Reminders app, watch face complication | Lists you made on the iPhone show up as they are |
| Finish or edit | The circle next to an item; Edit for date, time, flag and more | Completion shows on every device |
| Get alerts | See and respond to notifications on your wrist | Set per app in the Apple Watch app → My Watch → Notifications |
How do you add a to-do on Apple Watch?
- Open the Reminders app Press the Digital Crown and open Reminders from the app list.
- Pick a list Tap the list you want to add to.
- Tap Add Reminder Scroll to the bottom of the list, tap Add Reminder, and enter text by dictation or keyboard.
Siri is often faster. Say the time too and the alert is set in one go: “Remind me at 7 a.m. tomorrow to take out the recycling.” Say a list name, as in “Add milk to my grocery list,” and it goes into that list.
How do you put your to-dos on the watch face?
Touch and hold the watch face, tap Edit, then swipe all the way left to the complications screen. Tap the slot you want to change, turn the Digital Crown to choose Reminders, then press the Digital Crown to save. Each face has a different number and shape of complication slots, so if a slot is too small, try another face. Tapping the complication opens the Reminders app.
How do you finish or postpone a to-do on the watch?
- Finish — tap the circle next to the item, or tap the item and choose Mark as Completed.
- Postpone — tap the item and use Edit to change the date and time. You can also change notes, location, tags, flag and priority there.
- Hide completed items — in a list, tap the view options to show or hide completed items.
- Delete — swipe an item to the left to delete it. If you delete one by mistake, bring it back from Recently Deleted in Reminders on your iPhone.
How do you get your iPhone to-do app’s alerts on the watch?
By default, app notification settings on the watch mirror your iPhone. So if notifications for that to-do app are allowed on the iPhone, alerts reach your wrist even when the app has no watch app. To change it per app, open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to My Watch → Notifications, and pick the app. If it is set to Send to Notification Center, alerts pile up there silently, with no sound or haptic.
Aria has its own Apple Watch app too, where you can check off today’s tasks and talk to Aria (Aria on Apple Watch). If you keep lists in Apple Reminders and want to organize them in more detail on iPhone, you can bring them into Aria. Your original Reminders stay untouched (moving tasks from Apple Reminders).
What if alerts do not reach the watch?
| Symptom | Where to check |
|---|---|
| Alerts arrive on iPhone but not on the watch | Make sure you are wearing the watch and it is unlocked. While you are using your iPhone, alerts show on the iPhone. |
| They pile up with no sound or haptic | In the Apple Watch app → My Watch → Notifications, check whether that app is set to Send to Notification Center. |
| Only one app is silent | On your iPhone, open Settings → Notifications → that app and make sure alerts are allowed. The watch follows this by default. |
| It has been quiet for a while | If you swiped a notification left on the watch and chose Mute for 1 Hour or Mute for Today, turn it back on from the same place. |
| A Focus is on | Check whether a Focus on your iPhone or watch is delaying notifications. |
If Aria alerts are not arriving even on the iPhone, see Aria notifications not working. For to-dos that must ring, see iPhone to-do alarms.
Frequently asked questions
Can I choose a Reminders list on Apple Watch?
Yes. Open the Reminders app on the watch to see your lists, then tap one to open it. You can also tell Siri the list name to add an item straight to it.
Can I add a to-do from the watch alone?
Yes. Use Add Reminder in the Reminders app or Siri. With iCloud Reminders, the item also appears on the iPhone and other devices signed in to the same Apple Account.
Do other iPhone to-do apps send alerts to my watch?
Yes. By default, watch app notifications follow your iPhone settings, so a to-do app without a watch app can still alert you. To change it per app, use the Apple Watch app on your iPhone → My Watch → Notifications.
iPhone · iPad · Mac · Apple Watch · iOS 26.0 or later · English · Korean