How can we help?
We want you to get the most out of Sayminder. If something isn’t working as expected or you have a question, you’ll likely find the answer below. If not, reach out and we’ll help.
Getting Started
How do I set up the app?
Just open Sayminder. There’s no account and no sign-up. On first launch it asks for microphone, speech-recognition, and alert permissions so it can hear you and reach you on time. Grant them, then hold the mic and say your first reminder.
How do I create a reminder?
Tap the microphone button and speak — for example, “remind me to take medicine tonight at nine.” Sayminder transcribes your words, reads the date and time out of them, and shows a confirmation card. Review or edit the title, notes, time, and repeat option, then save. It reads a short confirmation back to you.
What kinds of times can I say?
Say it the way you’d say it to a person. Sayminder understands relative expressions like “in 20 minutes,” “tonight at 9,” “next Friday,” and “end of the month,” as well as absolute dates like “December 3rd.” If it can’t find a concrete time, it defaults the reminder to one hour from now and flags the time so you can confirm it.
How do I edit a reminder later?
Tap any reminder on the Calendar or Upcoming view to open an editor where you can change its title, notes, time, or recurrence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sayminder free?
Yes. Sayminder is free to download and use, with no ads.
Does Sayminder collect my data?
No. There are no user accounts, no analytics, no tracking, and no advertising. Reminders, scheduling, and text-to-speech all run locally and are stored only on your device. See our full Privacy Policy for details.
Do reminders work when my phone is on silent or in Focus?
Yes. One-off, daily, and weekly reminders are scheduled as breakthrough alarms that alert on time even when your device is on silent or in Focus, with a Lock Screen and Dynamic Island countdown. Monthly reminders, and any reminder scheduled while alarm permission is unavailable, fall back to a time-sensitive notification so nothing is silently dropped.
Can reminders repeat?
Yes. A reminder can repeat daily, weekly, or monthly. Repeating reminders keep firing until you delete them; confirming a fired occurrence does not end the series.
Does Sayminder read reminders aloud?
Yes. When a reminder fires, the app speaks it aloud (“Reminder: …”), and it confirms out loud when you save one. You can also tap any list row to have it spoken on demand. Spoken read-back happens while the app is in the foreground or when you tap an alert.
Can I create a reminder without opening the app?
Yes. Sayminder adds an App Shortcut, so you can create a reminder by voice through Siri, Shortcuts, or Spotlight. It parses your phrase and schedules the alert directly, so it fires even if the app is never opened.
Can Sayminder show my calendar events?
Yes, optionally. Turn on Show calendar events in Settings to mirror your system-calendar events into Today’s Brief, the Upcoming list, and the Calendar grid. This layer is strictly read-only — Sayminder never creates, edits, or deletes calendar events — and it’s off until you turn it on.
Does Sayminder work on iPad?
Yes. Sayminder is optimized for both iPhone and iPad, with an adaptive layout for the larger screen. A physical device is recommended for the full voice experience, since the Simulator has no microphone.
Permissions
Why does Sayminder need the microphone and speech recognition?
They power the core feature: capturing a reminder by voice and transcribing it. Speech recognition prefers on-device processing when your language model is installed.
Why does Sayminder ask for alarm and notification permission?
A reminder can’t reach you if neither alarms nor notifications are authorized. Sayminder uses alarms to break through silent mode and Focus, and notifications as a fallback. If alerts are off, the Settings alerts-status row guides you to re-enable them.
Why does the calendar permission appear only sometimes?
Read-only calendar access is requested lazily — only when you turn on Show calendar events in Settings — rather than at launch.
Troubleshooting
My reminder didn’t alert
Open Settings in Sayminder and check the alerts-status row. If alerts are off, use the enable or open-Settings action there. In the system Settings app, confirm notifications and alarms are allowed for Sayminder, and that Focus isn’t suppressing them beyond what breakthrough alarms cover.
The microphone isn’t picking up my voice
Go to your device’s Settings > Privacy & Security > Microphone and make sure Sayminder is allowed. Also check Speech Recognition in the same section. If access is already on, try toggling it off and on, or restart the app.
The time it parsed is wrong
Parsing is heuristic. Every reminder is shown for review before saving — adjust the time on the confirmation card. If no concrete time was detected, the reminder defaults to one hour from now and is flagged so you can set it.
A one-off reminder’s time is already in the past
If you save a one-off reminder whose time has passed, the confirmation card warns you and offers to move it to tomorrow rather than saving a reminder that can never fire.
Spoken read-back isn’t playing
Read-back plays while the app is in the foreground or when you tap an alert. Make sure your device isn’t muted for media playback, and that another app isn’t holding the audio session.
The widget isn’t updating
The widget shows your next upcoming reminder and refreshes after that reminder’s time; the app also refreshes it whenever reminders change. If it looks stale, open the app once to force a sync, or remove and re-add the widget.
The app is crashing
Make sure you’re running the latest version from the App Store and restart your device. If crashes persist, please email us with your device model and iOS version so we can investigate.
Contact Us
Can’t find your answer? We’re happy to help.
Email: contact@bartlettbutter.com
Please include a brief description of your issue and your device model / iOS version. We typically respond within 48 hours.