Reminders, timers and calendar

Needs your Mac. Timers and alarms ring out loud on the Mac where Iris is running. Reminders and calendar use the Apple Reminders and Calendar apps on that Mac.

Timers #

  • "Iris, set a timer for 10 minutes."
  • "Iris, a pasta timer for 12 minutes."
  • "Iris, set a 5 minute timer and a 20 minute timer."
  • "Iris, how long is left on the pasta timer?"
  • "Iris, cancel the 10 minute timer." Or "cancel all timers".

When a timer ends, Iris rings and says which one it is.

Alarms #

  • "Iris, set an alarm for 7 am."
  • "Iris, wake me up at 6:30 tomorrow."
  • "Iris, set an alarm for 6 am every weekday."
  • "Iris, set an alarm for Monday at 8."
  • "Iris, cancel the 7 am alarm."

When an alarm or timer goes off, say "snooze" or "five more minutes". Snooze is 9 minutes unless you say a number.

Iris keeps your timers and alarms if she restarts. But your Mac must be awake, with Iris open, for them to ring. A Mac with the lid closed or asleep will not ring.

Reminders #

Reminders go into the Reminders app on your Mac. If your iPhone uses the same Apple ID with iCloud Reminders switched on, they show up on your iPhone too.

  • "Iris, remind me to call the bank tomorrow at 10 am."
  • "Iris, remind me to drink water in 20 minutes."
  • "Iris, add buy milk to my reminders."
  • "Iris, what are my reminders today?"
  • "Iris, mark call the bank done."

The first time, macOS asks if Iris can use Reminders. Click Allow. After she adds a reminder, she reads it back from the Reminders app to check it was saved.

A reminder is a to-do with a time. A timer is a countdown that rings. "Remind me in 20 minutes" makes a reminder. "Set a timer for 20 minutes" makes a timer.

Calendar #

Iris can read the Calendar app on your Mac, including any Google or Outlook calendars you have added to it.

  • "Iris, what's on my calendar today?"
  • "Iris, what does tomorrow look like?"
  • "Iris, what's my next meeting?"
  • "Iris, am I free at 3?"
  • "Iris, when is my dentist appointment?"
  • "Iris, remind me 15 minutes before my first class tomorrow."

She can also change your calendar, but she always asks first:

  • "Iris, put lunch with Arjun on my calendar tomorrow at 1."
  • "Iris, move my dentist to 5 pm."
  • "Iris, cancel my standup."

She tells you what she is about to do and waits for you to say yes.

From your phone #

You can send these as an errand from your phone: "Remind me to pay rent on Friday". Your Mac must be on, with Iris open. See Phone and Mac together.

On Windows #

Timers and alarms work. Reminders and calendar are Mac only for now.

What to test #

  • Times said in different ways: "half past six", "in an hour and a half", "tonight at 9".
  • A timer or alarm that did not ring, rang at the wrong time, or rang twice. Note the time you set it and the time it rang.
  • A reminder that went to the wrong day.
  • A calendar change made without asking you first. Report that straight away.