How to Use Calendar Reminder

Set up automated reminders for your Google Calendar events in under 5 minutes.

  1. 1

    Install the Add-on

    Install Calendar Reminder from the Google Workspace Marketplace. Click the link below, then click Install and grant the requested permissions. The add-on needs access to your Google Calendar events to read event details and tag events that have reminders configured.

    Open Google Workspace Marketplace
  2. 2

    Open a Calendar Event

    In Google Calendar, open any upcoming event that has attendees. The Calendar Reminder add-on panel will appear in the right sidebar. If you do not see it, click the Calendar Reminder icon in the sidebar to open it.

  3. 3

    Choose Your Channels

    Select which channels to use for reminders: SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, or Email. You can enable multiple channels at once.

    • SMS — works on any mobile number worldwide.
    • WhatsApp — best for countries where WhatsApp is widely used (Latin America, Europe, India, Middle East).
    • Telegram — requires attendees to have a Telegram account.
    • Email — works for everyone with an email address.
  4. 4

    Add Phone Numbers for Attendees

    For SMS, WhatsApp, and Telegram, you need to provide a phone number for each attendee. Enter numbers in international format, for example: +33612345678.

    Phone numbers are saved per-attendee so you only need to enter them once. The add-on remembers them for future events with the same attendees.

  5. 5

    Customise Your Message

    Write your reminder message using the template editor. Use variables to personalise each message automatically:

    VariableReplaced with
    {{title}}Event title
    {{when}}Full date and time (e.g. "Mon 14 Apr at 10:00")
    {{date}}Date only
    {{at}}Time only
    {{where}}Event location
    {{from}}Organizer name
    {{meet}}Google Meet / video conference link
    {{confirmation}}Unique confirmation link for the attendee

    Conditional blocks

    Use {{#meet}}Join: {{meet}}{{/meet}} to include text only when the variable has a value. This prevents orphaned lines when, for example, no video link is set on the event.

  6. 6

    Set Reminder Timing

    Choose when to send each reminder relative to the event start time. You can configure up to 3 reminders per event — for example:

    • 24 hours before
    • 2 hours before
    • 30 minutes before

    Reminders can be set from 5 minutes to 7 days before the event.

  7. 7

    Save and You're Done

    Click Add Reminders. The add-on saves your configuration and will automatically send the reminders at the scheduled times. You do not need to keep Google Calendar open — reminders are sent server-side.

    Events with active reminders are marked in your calendar. You can edit or delete reminders at any time by opening the event and updating the add-on panel.

Tips

Set default preferences once

Go to Settings in the add-on to save your default channels, message template, and reminder timing. These defaults will pre-fill for every new event.

Use the confirmation link

Add {{confirmation}} to your template to include a confirmation link. Attendees can confirm or cancel with one tap, and you'll see responses in the add-on.

Send to yourself too

By default the add-on skips the event organizer. Uncheck "Don't send reminders to me" in Notification Preferences if you want to receive your own reminders.

Check delivery status

Enable delivery status notifications to receive an email or notification when reminders are sent. Failed deliveries are highlighted so you can follow up manually.

Still have questions?

Contact Support