Bellringer

Help

A meeting didn't ring. What should I check?

Open the meeting in Bellringer first. It says whether it will ring and why. If there's no alarm, a rule or a choice you made for that meeting is keeping it quiet, and you can change that on the same screen.

If the meeting isn't in Bellringer at all, check that its calendar is on in Bellringer's Settings › Calendars, and that iOS has fetched it from your account (see below). If it says alarms are off, allow alarms for Bellringer in the Settings app.

How do rules work?

Rules decide which meetings ring and how early, so you don't have to set up each one. In the Rules tab, tap + and start from a common rule, like standups ringing 5 minutes before, or optional meetings staying quiet. Before you save, it shows which of your meetings the rule would change.

The first rule in the list that matches a meeting wins, and anything you set on a single meeting beats every rule. For a refresher, Settings › How Bellringer Works has a short tour.

Can a meeting ring more than once, or at a time I pick?

Yes. A meeting or a rule can have up to five alerts. Each is an alarm or a quieter notification, at one of the usual times or any time you set, down to the second.

A meeting was added on another device. When will Bellringer see it?

Once iOS has fetched it from your account, and that's the part people trip over. With Fetch New Data set to Automatically, iOS may only fetch while your iPhone is charging on Wi‑Fi. Choose Push, or Every 15 Minutes, in Settings › Apps › Mail › Mail Accounts › Fetch New Data.

Bellringer then checks in the background as often as iOS allows. For checks at times you pick, like when your morning alarm is stopped, add Bellringer's Update Alarms action to a Shortcuts automation. A meeting it finds after its alarm time rings straight away.

Which calendars does it work with?

All of them, as long as iOS knows about them: iCloud, Google, Outlook and Exchange, any CalDAV account, subscribed calendars, and calendars kept only on your device. Accounts are added in the Settings app, so Bellringer never asks for a password. Bellringer's Settings › Calendars › Add an Account has the steps for each kind.

My company won't let me add my work account. Is there another way?

Often, yes. Outlook and Google can give you a private link to your calendar, and Bellringer can subscribe to it. Add an Account › My Company Doesn't Allow It shows where to find the link. Meetings come in read-only and update less often than an account would. Anyone with the link can see your calendar, so keep it to yourself, and check that your company allows it.

If the same meeting is in two accounts, does it ring twice?

No, it rings once.

Can I keep meeting names off the Lock Screen?

Yes. In Bellringer's Settings, under Privacy, hide titles for every calendar or only some. The alarm then shows the time instead, like "10:30 AM meeting".

Does Bellringer send my calendar anywhere?

No. There's no account and no server, and no analytics either. The privacy policy spells out what it reads and what it keeps.