The fastest way to add a birthday
Open the Calendar app on your iPhone, tap the + button in the top right corner, then tap Add Event. Type the person's name as the event title, set the date to their birthday, and toggle All-day event on. Before you save, scroll down and tap Alert to choose when you want to be reminded — most people pick the day of or the day before. Then tap Add to save it.
That method works, but the Contacts app is actually faster if you're adding a birthday for someone you already have saved. Open Contacts, find the person, tap Edit, scroll down to Birthday, tap the field, choose the date, and tap Done. When you save a birthday in Contacts, it automatically shows up in Calendar without any extra steps.
Key Takeaways
- Birthdays saved in the Contacts app automatically appear in Calendar, so you do not have to add them twice.
- You can set reminders for birthdays the day before, the day of, or any other date you choose.
- If you add a birthday without a year, iPhone will repeat it every year; if you include the year, it will also show the person's age.
- Birthdays appear in Calendar under a separate "Birthdays" calendar that you can hide or show depending on your preference.
Adding a birthday through Contacts is the easiest route
If the person already exists in your Contacts, this is the quickest path. Open the Contacts app, search for or scroll to the person's name, and tap to open their card. Tap the Edit button in the top right, then scroll down until you see the Birthday field. Tap on it, and a date picker will appear — select the month and day, and optionally the year if you want iPhone to display their age.
Once you tap Done and save the contact, that birthday is now in your Calendar. You will not see a separate calendar event — instead, it appears under the Birthdays calendar, which is a special calendar that only holds birthdays. The reminder you set in Contacts will alert you on the day you chose.
Using the Calendar app directly when you need more control
If you want to add a birthday as a regular calendar event instead of through Contacts, or if the person is not in your contacts yet, use the Calendar app. Tap the + button, select Add Event, and type the person's name or a label like "Sarah's Birthday." Set the date by tapping the date field, then toggle All-day event on — birthdays should always be all-day events, not timed events.
Scroll down and tap Alert to set when you want to be reminded. The default is 9 AM on the day of the birthday, but you can change it to the day before, a week before, or any other time. If you want the birthday to repeat every year, make sure Repeat is set to Yearly — Calendar does this automatically for all-day events, but double-check before you save.
Setting reminders so you actually remember
Birthdays are only useful if you get a reminder. When you add a birthday in Contacts, tap the birthday field and look for Alert below the date picker. The default reminder is usually 9 AM on the day of, but you can tap it to change it to the day before at any time, or a week ahead. Some people set two reminders — one a week before to buy a gift, and one the day of to send a message.
In the Calendar app, reminders work the same way. After you set the date and toggle on All-day event, scroll down to Alert and tap it. You can set one alert or two — tap Add Another Alert if you want both a week-before reminder and a day-of reminder. When the time comes, you will get a notification on your lock screen.
Why birthdays appear in a separate calendar
When you save birthdays in Contacts, iPhone automatically creates or uses a calendar called Birthdays. This calendar is separate from your regular events, which means you can hide it if you want to focus on other things, or show it alongside your schedule. To see or hide the Birthdays calendar, open Calendar, tap Calendars at the bottom, and look for the Birthdays entry — tap the circle next to it to toggle it on or off.
Birthdays added directly in the Calendar app as regular events will appear in whatever calendar you selected when you created them, usually your default calendar. If you want all your birthdays in one place, stick to adding them through Contacts — that way they all live in the Birthdays calendar and you can manage them together.
Adding a birthday without a year, or with one
When you add a birthday, you can choose to include the year or leave it blank. If you do not include a year, the birthday will repeat every year, but iPhone will not calculate or display the person's age. If you include the year, the birthday still repeats yearly, but iPhone will show their age next to their name on their birthday — for example, "Sarah's Birthday (turns 30)".
There is no wrong choice here. Some people like seeing ages, especially for children or milestone birthdays. Others find it unnecessary. You can always edit a contact later and add or remove the year if you change your mind — just open Contacts, tap Edit, find the birthday field, and adjust it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add a birthday if I do not know the year?
Yes. When you set the date in Contacts or Calendar, you can leave the year blank or set it to any year — the birthday will still repeat every year. If you leave the year blank, iPhone will not display the person's age, but the reminder will still work.
What if I add a birthday to Calendar but it does not show up?
Check that the calendar you added it to is not hidden. Open Calendar, tap Calendars at the bottom, and make sure the calendar where you added the event has a checkmark next to it. If you added it to the Birthdays calendar through Contacts, make sure that calendar is toggled on.
Can I edit a birthday after I save it?
Yes. If you added it through Contacts, open Contacts, find the person, tap Edit, and change the birthday field. If you added it as a calendar event, open Calendar, find the event, tap it, tap Edit, and change the date or reminder. Save your changes and you are done.
Will the birthday remind me every year?
Only if you set it to repeat yearly. In Calendar, check that Repeat is set to Yearly. In Contacts, birthdays repeat automatically every year by default, so you will get a reminder each year unless you delete the contact or remove the birthday.
Can I send a message to someone on their birthday automatically?
iPhone does not send messages automatically, but the reminder will alert you on the day so you remember to send one yourself. Some third-party apps can send birthday messages, but the built-in Calendar and Contacts apps do not have this feature.