How to Add Birthdays to the iPhone Calendar
The iPhone Calendar doesn't let you create a birthday event directly. Birthdays appear automatically from Contacts. Here's how to get them to show up, and what to do when they don't.
Add a birthday so it appears in Calendar
- 1Open the Contacts app (or the Contacts tab in the Phone app).
- 2Tap the person, then tap Edit.
- 3Scroll down, tap "add birthday" and choose the date.
- 4Tap Done. The birthday now appears in Calendar every year.
Birthdays not showing in Calendar?
- 1In the Calendar app, tap Calendars and check that Birthdays is turned on.
- 2Make sure the birthday is saved on the contact itself, not just written in the notes.
- 3If you use several accounts (iCloud, Google, work), the contact must be in an account whose calendars appear on your iPhone.
Turn on birthday alerts
Seeing birthdays isn't the same as being reminded. Go to Settings › Apps › Calendar › Default Alert Times › Birthdays and pick when to be alerted.
See every birthday in one list
Calendar mixes birthdays with all your other events. CandlesUp imports birthdays from Contacts and Calendar into one list sorted by who's next, with a countdown for each, reminders days before, and people you don't have as contacts.