Someone on the team has a birthday, and you find out at lunch when it's already half over. Or the card goes round on the day, and nobody had a week to sign it. Keeping track of birthdays at work takes one list and a reminder far enough ahead to do something about it. This guide covers how to gather the dates, then how to keep them on your iPhone with Birthday Cat, our birthday and anniversary list for iPhone and iPad.
Ask first
Not everyone wants their birthday marked at work, and some people would rather not share the year. So ask, and make it easy to say no:
- Ask for the day and month. The year is optional. Without it, there's no age on the list, which many people prefer.
- Let people opt out. Leave off anyone who'd rather not be on it.
- Ask new starters too. Add the question to your first-week list, so the list doesn't go stale.
A short message to the team does it: "I'm keeping a list of birthdays so we don't miss any. Send me your day and month if you'd like to be on it."
Add the dates
- Open Birthday Cat and tap Add, the + button at the top right.
- Type the name and leave Birthday picked.
- Pick the Month and the Day. Under Year, leave Not sure unless the person was happy to share it.
- Tap Add.
There's no limit on how many people you add, and it's free. The list shows everyone with the soonest birthday first, and the black panel at the top shows who's next and how many days are left. When two people share the next birthday, the panel says + 1 more that day.
Get a reminder in time for a card
New people start with two reminders: On the day and 1 week before. A week is usually enough to buy a card and pass it round. To change it for someone, tap them in the list (on iPad, then tap Edit) and tap the chips under Remind me: On the day, 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks or 30 days. Pick as many as you like, or none, then tap Save.
Reminders are notifications on your iPhone at 9:00, like "Ana's birthday is in 7 days". Birthday Cat asks for permission when you first save someone with a reminder. With Pro, you can pick a different time for each person, say 8:00 so the reminder comes before the working day.
Keep work and family apart, with Pro
If you also keep your own family's birthdays in Birthday Cat, Pro's Groups keep them apart. Open someone the same way and type a group name, like Work, under Groups, then tap Save. A bar at the top of the list then shows Everyone and each group, and tapping Work shows only your colleagues.
Bring in a list from a spreadsheet, with Pro
If HR or a team spreadsheet already has the dates, Pro's Import CSV saves typing them one by one. The first row needs at least Name, Month and Day, with the month and day as numbers. A Year column is optional, and a Group column puts each person straight into a group like Work.
Tap Import or export, the table button at the top left, then Import CSV, and pick the file. Birthday Cat shows a preview first: how many people it will add, and every row it skips with the reason, like "No name" or "Already in Birthday Cat". Nothing is saved until you tap the add button, which shows the count (like Add 12), and nobody already in the list is changed.
Pro can also import names, birthdays and anniversaries from your Contacts, with Import from Contacts in the same menu and the same preview.
Print the list for the break room
Tap Print or share, the printer button at the top left. The free Birthday list groups everyone by month, January to December, then by day. The age they turn shows only if you added their year, so leaving the year as Not sure keeps ages off the wall. The free Year calendar puts this calendar year on one landscape page, with names in each month and no ages. A month too full for its box ends with "+ N more", so for a big team the list is the one to print.
Tap Print for your printer, or Share PDF to send it to whoever prints for the office. Each page has a small "Birthday Cat" note at the bottom.
Both free layouts cover everyone in the app. If your family is in there too, Pro's By group layout prints a section for each group, like Work and Family, on the same pages. It can't print one group on its own. For more on the layouts, see how to make a printable birthday calendar.
What Birthday Cat doesn't do
- It doesn't share a live list with your team. The list is on your device; the team sees what you print or share.
- It doesn't send cards, messages or e-cards. It reminds you, and the rest is up to you.
- It doesn't collect birthdays for you. You add each one, or import a spreadsheet or your Contacts with Pro.
- It doesn't print gift ideas or reminders. The pages show names and dates, and every layout but the year calendar adds the age someone turns when you've added their year.
What it costs
Birthday Cat is free for as many birthdays and anniversaries as you have, with reminders, ages and countdowns, gift ideas, and the birthday list and year calendar to print or share. There's no account and no ads. Your dates are kept on your device and in your own backups, and go only where you share them.
Birthday Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds groups, CSV import and export, import from Contacts, your own reminder time for each person, and three more print layouts (by group, month by month, and a fridge card). More on the Birthday Cat page.
Quick answers
Do I need everyone's birth year?
No. Day and month are enough. Pick Not sure for the year, and the list shows the countdown without an age.
Can I get a reminder a week before?
Yes. A reminder a week before and one on the day are on for each new person, free. You can change them per person.
Can I import birthdays from a spreadsheet?
With Pro, yes. Save it as CSV with Name, Month and Day columns, then use Import CSV. You see a preview before anyone is added.
Can the whole team see the list?
Not in the app. Print the birthday list for a wall, or share the PDF.
Does it work on iPad?
Yes. On iPad the list sits beside the person you pick.
Try Birthday Cat
Try Birthday Cat: free, no ads, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/birthday-cat