WhatsApp's 'Remind Me' Feature: What It Does, Why You Might Not Have It, and How to Set Real Reminders
WhatsApp Quietly Added a 'Remind Me' Button
For most of WhatsApp's history, there was no way to make the app remind you of anything. If a message needed a follow-up, you pinned the chat, starred the message, or trusted your memory. Then, quietly, WhatsApp started building an actual reminder into the app.
The feature was first spotted in testing in July 2025 by WABetaInfo, the outlet that tracks WhatsApp's beta builds, and reported soon after by MacRumors. It reached the public iOS app later in 2025, with Android following through beta channels into 2026. For the people who had spent years starring and pinning messages as a makeshift to-do list, it felt overdue: one product manager described stumbling on the bell icon as a long-held wish finally granted.
Here is the catch, and it is the whole point of this post: WhatsApp's "Remind Me" is a message reminder, not a to-do reminder. It can nudge you about a message someone already sent you. It cannot remind you to do something that isn't already sitting in a chat, and it has no recurring option. So if you searched "how to set a reminder in WhatsApp" hoping to type "remind me to pay rent on the 5th," this feature is not that, and there is a fair chance you don't even see the button yet. Both problems have a fix, and we will get to it.
WhatsApp 'Remind Me': Everything at a Glance
WhatsApp 'Remind Me', at a Glance
Resurfaces a message later · No recurring option · Rolling out slowly
✅ What it is
- A reminder attached to a specific message
- Presets of 2, 8, or 24 hours, or a custom time
- A private nudge only you can see
- Works in one-on-one and group chats
✕ What it isn't
- A way to remind yourself of a task that isn't a message
- Recurring (no daily, weekly, or yearly)
- A plain-language "remind me to..." assistant
- Available to everyone yet
⚡ How to set one
Long-press the message
Tap More, then Remind Me
Pick 2h, 8h, 24h, or custom
A bell marks the message
The limits in one line
How to Set a Message Reminder in WhatsApp (Step by Step)
If you do have the feature, setting a reminder on a message takes about three seconds. The steps, confirmed on MacRumors' walkthrough:
- Open the chat and long-press the message you want to be reminded about
- Tap More in the popup menu, then Remind Me
- Choose 2 hours, 8 hours, or 24 hours, or set a custom date and time
- A small bell icon appears on the message to show a reminder is set
When the time is up, WhatsApp sends a notification tagged "🔔 Reminder" that shows the message text, the chat it came from, and any media preview, just like a normal notification. The reminder is private: as WhatsApp confirms, no one else in the chat knows you set it, and the whole thing is processed on your device. You can cancel a reminder any time before it fires by long-pressing the message again.
If you want a screenshot walkthrough, step-by-step guides from The Times of India and Gadgets 360 cover the same flow.
Why You Might Not See 'Remind Me' Yet
The most common complaint about this feature is that people can't find it. That is not a bug, it is the rollout. WhatsApp ships features in waves, server-side, so two phones on the same app version can have different buttons.
Here is roughly how it has gone, per 9to5Mac and WABetaInfo's tracking:
- iOS got it first. Message reminders reached the public iOS app in late 2025, initially for a small slice of users and widening from there.
- Android trailed through beta. The option showed up for Android beta testers and has been expanding gradually, so many stable-channel Android users still don't have it.
- It is not guaranteed everywhere. Availability still depends on your region, app version, and whether WhatsApp has flipped the switch for your account.
If you want to check: update WhatsApp to the latest version from your app store, then long-press any message and look for "Remind Me" under More. If it isn't there, you are simply in a later wave, and no amount of reinstalling will pull it forward. The honest takeaway is that you cannot rely on a feature that may or may not be on your phone, or your family's phones, when you actually need a reminder to fire.
What WhatsApp's Reminder Feature Can't Do
Even once you have it, the feature is deliberately narrow. It was built to help you circle back to messages, not to run your life. The gaps that matter:
- It only works on an existing message. You cannot open WhatsApp and jot "remind me to renew my passport." There has to be a chat message to attach the reminder to.
- There is no recurring option. Every reminder is one-and-done. Daily medicine, weekly reports, monthly rent, yearly renewals, none of it. You would have to set a fresh reminder every single time.
- No plain-language scheduling. You pick from a small time menu, not "every 1st at 9am" or "next Tuesday evening."
- You can't remind anyone else. The reminder is private to you, so it can't nudge a family member, a client, or a group.
None of this is a knock on WhatsApp. For its actual job, resurfacing a message you would otherwise forget to answer, it works fine. It just isn't a reminder assistant, and the search traffic looking for "WhatsApp reminder" mostly wants the assistant.
How to Set Real Reminders in WhatsApp Today
If what you actually want is to text WhatsApp "remind me to do X at Y" and have it happen, on any phone, right now, without waiting for a rollout, that is exactly what NagMeLater does. It is a bot that lives inside WhatsApp. There is no app to install and no account to create: you save one contact and message it like a person.
The reminder arrives as a WhatsApp message at the moment you asked for, in the one app you already check all day. Recurring dates (bills, medicine, renewals, birthdays) are set once in plain language and fire forever. Here is the honest side-by-side:
| What you want | WhatsApp "Remind Me" | NagMeLater |
|---|---|---|
| Resurface a specific message later | Yes | Yes (quote the message) |
| Remind you of a task that isn't a message | No | Yes |
| Recurring reminders | No | Yes, daily to yearly |
| Plain-language time ("every 1st at 9am") | Preset menu only | Yes |
| Works without waiting for a rollout | Only if you have it | Yes, on any WhatsApp |
| Remind someone else | No | Yes (group reminders) |
| App to install | No | No |
The one column WhatsApp wins outright is "resurface a message," because that reminder is wired straight into the chat. For everything people usually mean by a reminder, a task, a date, a recurring nag, NagMeLater is the column that says yes. If recurring is your main need, the recurring reminders guide walks through daily, weekly, and interval setups, and the Reminder Library has one-tap setups for the classics.
No app, no account. Save the number, send a message, done.
So Should You Use WhatsApp's Built-In Reminder?
Yes, when it fits. If a friend sends "let's finalize the plan tonight" and you want a nudge in a few hours, WhatsApp's message reminder is the right tool, it is one long-press away and needs nothing extra. Use it for exactly that: circling back to messages.
For actual reminders, the things that aren't messages yet, the things that repeat, the things you need to fire on a specific phone whether or not WhatsApp has rolled the feature out to you, reach for a purpose-built reminder instead. You can keep both in the same app you already use all day. Your first 5 reminders on NagMeLater are free, which is enough to move your most important nags, the rent, the medicine, the renewal you always forget, into something that will reliably tap you on the shoulder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does WhatsApp have a reminder feature?
Yes, but a limited one. WhatsApp added a 'Remind Me' option that lets you set a reminder on a specific message: long-press the message, tap More, then Remind Me, and choose 2 hours, 8 hours, 24 hours, or a custom time. It only works on existing chat messages, has no recurring option, and is still rolling out, so not everyone has it. For reminders about tasks that aren't messages, or recurring reminders, a bot like NagMeLater works inside WhatsApp today.
How do I set a reminder in WhatsApp?
To remind yourself about a message, long-press it, tap More, then Remind Me, and pick 2, 8, or 24 hours or a custom time. A bell icon marks the message and you get a notification when the time is up. To set a reminder for a task that isn't a message (like 'remind me to pay rent on the 5th'), message the NagMeLater bot on WhatsApp in plain language; it replies as a WhatsApp message at the time you set.
Why don't I have the Remind Me option in WhatsApp?
WhatsApp rolls features out in gradual, server-side waves, so two phones on the same version can have different options. Message reminders reached iOS first in late 2025 and expanded to Android through beta channels, but availability still depends on your region, app version, and account. Updating to the latest version helps, but if you are in a later wave you simply have to wait. If you need reminders now regardless of the rollout, NagMeLater works on any WhatsApp account.
Can WhatsApp remind me to do something that isn't a message?
Not with the built-in feature. WhatsApp's 'Remind Me' always attaches to an existing chat message; there is no button to create a standalone reminder or to-do. If you want to type 'remind me to renew my passport next month' and have WhatsApp nudge you, you need a reminder bot like NagMeLater, which turns plain-language messages into reminders that arrive on WhatsApp.
Does WhatsApp's Remind Me support recurring reminders?
No. Every WhatsApp message reminder is one-time only, with no daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly repeat. For recurring reminders (medicine, bills, weekly reports, birthdays) inside WhatsApp, NagMeLater lets you set them once in plain language and they fire on schedule forever.
Can I set a WhatsApp reminder for someone else?
Not with WhatsApp's built-in feature: message reminders are private and only notify you. To send a reminder to another person or a group on WhatsApp, NagMeLater supports group reminders, where you nudge a named member at a set time.