For your WhatsApp group
WhatsApp birthday reminders, for the whole group
Your group chat is where the ‘Happy birthday!’ messages land, usually after someone else remembered first. Here is what WhatsApp itself does about birthdays, and how your group gets a birthday calendar that everyone fills in, in ten seconds, without an app.
Free · no app needed
What WhatsApp does with birthdays
A birthday note in the Contacts tab (new)
WhatsApp is testing a small birthday reminder in its Contacts tab: a cake icon and ‘Birthday today’ next to a contact. It doesn’t keep its own birthday list. It reads the birthday you saved in your phone’s address book. No saved birthday, no reminder. And it shows up on the day itself, not a week ahead when you could still buy a card.
Events in a group
In a group you can create an event: tap the paperclip on Android or the plus on iPhone, choose Event, enter a name and a date. Members can reply and get a notification. Good for the party. As a birthday calendar it means one event per birthday, every year, made by hand.
A note to yourself
Some people keep a chat with themselves and pin a list of birthdays. It works, until you forget to look.
A birthday calendar for your WhatsApp group
- 1
Add yourself
Your name, your birthday and your email. Ready in a minute. - 2
Drop the link in the group
Create a group with the name of your chat and share the link. A short message is already written. - 3
Everyone adds their own
Whoever taps the link fills in their own birthday. No app, no bot in your group. - 4
Everyone gets a reminder in time
A weekly overview by email, extra reminders for your favorites, and on WhatsApp itself with Hoera Plus.
This is how it lands in the group
You can put it in your own words before you send it.
The reminder on WhatsApp itself
Soon your reminders can arrive as a WhatsApp message, where you truly never miss them. It will be part of Hoera Plus, €19 a year, because WhatsApp charges per message. Email always stays free.
- One message a day at most; several birthdays are bundled.
- Only to you, never to the group.
- Turn it off any time, and the email reminders keep going.
How the reminders work, on any phone, is on birthday reminders.
Frequently asked questions
Does WhatsApp send birthday reminders or notifications?+
WhatsApp is adding a birthday note in the Contacts tab: it reads the birthday saved in your phone’s address book and shows ‘Birthday today’ next to that contact. It only works for contacts with a birthday saved, only on the day itself, and it is still rolling out.
How do I set a birthday reminder in a WhatsApp group?+
You can create an event in a group (tap the paperclip on Android or the plus on iPhone, then Event) for one date, and members get a notification. It is one event for one date, so you would create one per birthday, every year. It’s handy for a party, less so as a calendar.
Is there a birthday reminder bot for WhatsApp?+
Bots that post in your group need access to it, and most are paid or unofficial. Hoera works next to WhatsApp: the link goes in the group, everyone adds their own birthday, and the reminders come by email, or on WhatsApp with Hoera Plus.
Can I get the reminder itself on WhatsApp?+
Soon, with Hoera Plus (€19 a year). WhatsApp charges per message, which is why that part is paid. Email reminders stay free.
Do the others need to install anything?+
No. They tap the link in the group, add their birthday, done. It works on any phone and on a computer.
Give your group a birthday calendar
Add yourself, share the link in the group, and nobody forgets anyone again.
Free · no app needed