Each reminder and timer in Due can use one of three alert types: Standard, Critical, or Prominent. They are mutually exclusive, so choosing one for an item turns off the others.
- Standard Alert: a normal notification. Respects Silent mode and Focus.
- Critical Alert: a high-priority notification that always gets through. It breaks through Silent mode and Focus. Apart from a red ‘Critical’ label, it behaves just like a normal notification.
- Prominent Alert: an alarm, like the ones from Apple’s stock Clock app. It takes over the screen and keeps sounding until you act on it.
| Standard | Critical | Prominent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feels like | A normal notification | A high-priority notification | A Clock-app alarm |
| How it looks | Banner | Banner, with a red ‘Critical’ label | Full-screen alarm when locked, otherwise a banner |
| How it sounds | Plays once | Plays once | Keeps sounding until you Mark Done or Stop |
| When Silent mode is on | Vibrates, no sound | Plays sound | Plays sound |
| During a Focus / Do Not Disturb | Comes through only if Time Sensitive notifications are allowed for that Focus | Always breaks through | Always breaks through |
| Volume | Follows the iOS ringer and alert volume | Customizable | Follows the iOS ringer and alert volume |
| Where it’s supported | All devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| On Apple Watch | Default notification tone | Critical notification tone | Default alarm tone |
| On Mac | Regular notification | Regular notification. Can still be set and synced | Regular notification (no alarm). Can still be set and synced |
| List indicator (when set per item) | None |
On Apple Watch, each alert type plays the tone shown above. Custom alert sounds you set on iPhone do not play on the Watch.
Auto Snooze works with all three alert types. The one difference: a Prominent alert keeps sounding until you attend to it, so its Auto Snooze interval only starts counting once you do.
When to use each
Standard works for most reminders. For example:
- Replying to an email or message later in the day
- Watering the plants or taking out the bins
- Everyday to-dos that can wait until you next check your phone
Critical is for reminders you do not want to miss even when your phone is on silent or a Focus is on. The alert sound plays once per notification. You do not need to stop the alert sound manually. You can attend to the notification when you have time. For example:
- An online meeting or call you want a heads-up for without being overly obtrusive
- A daytime medication reminder while your phone is on silent
- A reminder you want to stand out on a phone you usually keep muted
Prominent is for reminders that absolutely cannot be delayed or missed. It keeps sounding and stays on the screen like a Clock alarm until you act. For example:
- A cooking timer, so food does not burn
- Leaving on time for a flight, a train, or an appointment
- Waking from a nap, or any wake-up alarm
- Time-critical medication that must be taken on schedule
Critical and Prominent Alerts are loud and intrusive by design, so it is worth keeping them for the reminders that genuinely need them. They can also interfere with alarms from the Clock app: if a Due alert and a Clock alarm go off at the same time, iOS does not guarantee which one sounds, and one can cut the other short. Using them sparingly keeps them effective and avoids clashing with your other alarms.
Notes
- Critical and Prominent are mutually exclusive on the same item. Enabling one turns off the other.
- Either type can apply to everything (
All Reminders/All Timers) or to specific items you choose. These indicators only appear when an item is enabled individually, not when the device-wide mode is set to “All”. - Critical and Prominent Alerts bypass Silent mode and Focus by Apple’s design, so turning on Do Not Disturb will not silence them.
- Setup, per-item steps, Mac management, and version requirements are covered in the dedicated guides: Use Critical Alerts and Use Prominent Alerts.