How-to and comparison

How to Get Birthday Reminders in Google Calendar

A birthday reminder with message help vs a general calendar

Google Calendar shows birthdays from your Google Contacts and lets you add birthdays in its app, which it reminds you about a week before and on the day. Here is how to set it up, what it won't do, and how it compares with a reminder email from Greetigo.

Set it up, step by step

From Google's own help pages, checked October 28, 2026. Menus change, so check theirs too.

Put the birthdays in Google Contacts
Google Calendar shows the birthdays saved on people in Google Contacts. Add a birthday to a contact and it appears on your calendar.
Show the Birthdays calendar
On a computer, open Google Calendar, find My calendars on the left, hover over Birthdays and check its box. On Android, tap Menu at the top left, then tap the box next to Birthdays (an empty box means it is hidden).
Add someone who isn't in your contacts
In the Android or iPhone app, tap Create, then Event, then choose Birthday at the top, add a name and birth date, and save it.
Choose your reminders
For a birthday you create in the app, you get a notification a week before and on the day. While creating it you can tap Remove next to a notification, or Add notification for another one. For birthdays from Apple Contacts on iPhone and iPad, your default notification settings apply. Google's page doesn't describe reminders for birthdays from Google Contacts.

Google Calendar birthday reminders not working? Check these

The birthday is saved in Google Contacts, on the person, in a Google Account on your calendar. Google turns sync on by default for the Google Accounts on your calendar.
Birthdays isn't hidden. On a computer, the box next to Birthdays under My calendars is checked. In the app, tap Menu: an empty box next to Birthdays means they're hidden.
Sync from Contacts is on for your account. On a computer, it's in Settings, under Settings for my calendars, then Birthdays; in the Android app, Menu > Settings > Birthdays. Unchecking an account there removes its birthdays from your calendar (they stay in Contacts).
A notification is set. A birthday you create in the app comes with one a week before and one on the day, unless you removed them. On iPhone and iPad, birthdays from Apple Contacts follow your default notification settings. Google's page doesn't describe reminders for birthdays from Google Contacts, so on Android, add a reminder on the contact in Google Contacts: here's how in birthday reminders on Android.
Your phone lets Google Calendar notify you. Check its notifications in your phone's settings.
On a computer, Google Calendar is open. Google says its notifications only pop up while Google Calendar is open in your browser, and you need to let calendar.google.com show notifications when your browser asks.
The time zone follows you. In the Android app, tap Menu, then Settings, then General, and turn on Use device time zone, so it updates as you travel.

From Google's help pages, checked October 28, 2026: Birthdays in Google Calendar, Notifications in Google Calendar, Time zones in Google Calendar, Reminders in Google Contacts.

What it won't do

It shows birthdays from your Google Contacts (and, on iPhone and iPad, your Apple Contacts), plus the ones you add one by one.
Its birthday reminders are phone notifications, which are easy to miss on a busy day.
Its help pages don't mention help with what to say.
Careful: turning off Sync from Contacts in its settings removes all synced birthdays from your calendar (they stay in Contacts).

Moving your dates to a reminder email

To copy your dates into Greetigo: on a computer, open Google Calendar's Settings, then Import & export, then Export. You get a .zip of .ics files for the calendars you manage; import one in Greetigo. Google doesn't say whether the Birthdays calendar is included, so if it isn't, use Paste a list of people in Greetigo instead (one per line: the name, a comma, then the date).

At a glance

Price

GreetigoFree for up to 10 saved dates; Plus US$4.99/mo; Premium US$9.99/mo

Google CalendarFree

Where it runs

GreetigoAny web browser, plus apps for Mac, and for iPhone and iPad in the US

Google CalendarWeb, Android and iPhone

Reminders

GreetigoEmail on the days you choose (the day before and on the day by default); notifications in the iPhone and Mac apps

Google CalendarBirthdays you add in its app: a phone notification a week before and on the day

Help with the message

GreetigoA message ready in each reminder for a person, written for them with AI if you allow AI drafts (every plan, Free included), otherwise a template with their name, and a template in each holiday reminder; you can choose to write your own instead

Google CalendarNot listed

Getting dates in

GreetigoAdd by hand, or import a contacts (.vcf) or calendar (.ics) file or a CSV of contacts; the iPhone app can also bring in birthdays from your Contacts

Google CalendarFrom Google Contacts (plus Apple Contacts on iPhone and iPad), or added in its app

Topic	Greetigo	Google Calendar
Price	Free for up to 10 saved dates; Plus US$4.99/mo; Premium US$9.99/mo	Free
Where it runs	Any web browser, plus apps for Mac, and for iPhone and iPad in the US	Web, Android and iPhone
Reminders	Email on the days you choose (the day before and on the day by default); notifications in the iPhone and Mac apps	Birthdays you add in its app: a phone notification a week before and on the day
Help with the message	A message ready in each reminder for a person, written for them with AI if you allow AI drafts (every plan, Free included), otherwise a template with their name, and a template in each holiday reminder; you can choose to write your own instead	Not listed
Getting dates in	Add by hand, or import a contacts (.vcf) or calendar (.ics) file or a CSV of contacts; the iPhone app can also bring in birthdays from your Contacts	From Google Contacts (plus Apple Contacts on iPhone and iPad), or added in its app

Details about Google Calendar come from its own pages, checked October 2026: support.google.com, support.google.com. "Not listed" means their pages don't mention it. Features change, so check their site too.

What Google Calendar offers

Free on the web, Android and iPhone
Birthdays from your Google Contacts appear on your calendar
You can add birthdays in its apps; those get a reminder a week before and on the day
Notifications for other events on your phone, in the browser or by email
Birthdays sit alongside the rest of your schedule

What Greetigo offers

Email reminders on the days you choose (the day before and on the day by default)
A message in each reminder for a person, written with AI if you allow AI drafts (every plan, Free included), otherwise a template, and on Plus and Premium the AI writer in 9 styles and 16 languages
Import a contacts (.vcf) or calendar (.ics) file or a CSV of contacts, or add dates by hand
Email a greeting from the Greetings page and see whether it was opened
Share a greeting by link, WhatsApp or X
Works in any web browser, plus apps for Mac, and for iPhone and iPad in the US; no ads on any plan

The verdict

If a date on your calendar is all you need, Google Calendar does that well. If you also want help with what to say, try Greetigo.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use Greetigo instead of Google Calendar for birthdays?

You can use both. Google Calendar keeps birthdays with the rest of your schedule. Greetigo is only for the dates you want to remember, personal or work: it emails you before each one with a message ready (written with AI if you allow AI drafts, on every plan, otherwise a template).

Why isn't Google Calendar reminding me of birthdays?

Check that the birthday is saved in Google Contacts, in a Google Account on your calendar; that Birthdays isn't hidden (an empty box next to it in the menu means it is); that Sync from Contacts is on in Settings, under Birthdays; and that a notification is set. Birthdays you create in the app get one a week before and one on the day. On a computer, notifications only pop up while Google Calendar is open in your browser.

Can Greetigo import birthdays from Google Calendar?

On a computer, Google Calendar's Settings > Import & export > Export gives you .ics files for the calendars you manage, which Greetigo imports. Google doesn't say whether the Birthdays calendar is included; if it isn't, paste a list of people into Greetigo or add dates by hand. Importing is a one-time copy, not a live sync.

Google Calendar is free. Is Greetigo?

Yes, for up to 10 saved dates, with email reminders and a message in each one for a person, written with AI if you allow AI drafts, otherwise a template. Plus (US$4.99/mo) and Premium (US$9.99/mo) add the AI writer with styles and languages and have no 10-date limit. The Free plan needs no card.

What does Greetigo do that a calendar doesn't?

It helps with the message: each reminder has one ready, written with AI if you allow AI drafts (every plan, Free included), otherwise a template; Plus and Premium add the AI writer; and you can email the greeting from the Greetings page and see whether it was opened. Reminders arrive by email on the days you choose.