Blog · Reminders

How to log a pill from your iPhone Lock Screen

Press and hold the reminder on your Lock Screen, then tap Taken. The dose is saved in your history, the alert goes away and no follow-up reminders come for it.

The Dose Log team · 4 November 2026

Why log from the Lock Screen

The moment a reminder arrives is usually the moment you take the medicine. If logging it means unlocking the phone, finding the app and tapping through a screen, it's easy to put it off, and later you can't be sure whether you took it or only meant to.

Logging from the reminder itself takes one tap, right then. Your history stays complete, so when you look back, or show it to your doctor, each dose says Taken, Skipped or Not logged, and you know which is which.

How to do it

1. When a Dose Log reminder arrives, press and hold it on the Lock Screen (or pull it down if it appears as a banner while you're using your iPhone).
2. Three buttons appear under it: Taken, Later and Skip.
3. Tap the one that fits. You don't need to unlock your iPhone or open the app.

Tapping the reminder itself, rather than a button, just opens Dose Log. It doesn't log anything, so a stray tap never records a dose you didn't take.

What each button does

Taken

The dose is saved as Taken with the time, the reminder clears, and any follow-up reminders for that dose are cancelled.

Later

The reminder comes back after a wait you choose for each medicine, 15 minutes unless you change it. The earlier alerts for that dose are cleared, so you only see the newest one. Use it when you can't take the medicine right now but don't want to forget.

Skip

The dose is saved as Skipped and its follow-ups stop. Skipped is different from Not logged: it says you decided not to take that dose, which is useful to see later. If you're unsure whether to skip a dose, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

If you do nothing

The dose stays Not logged. If you've set follow-ups for that medicine, Dose Log asks again, up to 8 times, until you answer. You can still log it later in the app.

On Apple Watch too

When your iPhone is locked and you're wearing your Apple Watch, the reminder appears on your wrist with the same buttons. What you tap there is saved on your iPhone, the same as tapping it on the Lock Screen.

Keeping medicine names off the Lock Screen

Reminders show the medicine's name and amount, so you know which one is due. If you'd rather people nearby didn't see that, turn on Discreet mode in Dose Log's settings: reminders then say "Time for your medicine", with no names, and the buttons work the same way.

If the buttons don't appear

• Make sure notifications are on for Dose Log in your iPhone's Settings, and that no Focus is holding them back.
• In Dose Log's settings, tap Send a test reminder. It arrives about 5 seconds later, so you can try the buttons straight away.
• iOS keeps only a limited number of reminders waiting ahead, so open Dose Log now and then to keep them coming.

Dose Log is a record and reminder tool. It doesn't give medical advice, work out doses or check for interactions. Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions. A reminder can't guarantee you take a dose, so keep your own backup for anything critical.