Schedule types
DoseAlert supports eight different schedule styles, from simple "every day at 8 AM" to complex tapering doses. Here is how each one works.
Fixed times
You pick one or more specific times of day. Example: 8 AM, 1 PM, 9 PM. This is the most common schedule — use it for anything you take at consistent times.
You can have as many fixed times as you need. Each time becomes its own dose slot, so a three-times-a-day medication creates three reminders.
Every X hours
Reminders repeat at a regular interval: every 4, 6, 8, or 12 hours. Works two ways:
- Fixed interval — reminders are anchored to a start time and stay there. If the start is 8 AM and the interval is 6 hours, reminders fire at 8 AM, 2 PM, 8 PM, 2 AM every day.
- Floating interval — the next dose shifts based on when you actually took the last one. Take it 30 minutes late and the next reminder shifts 30 minutes later too.
You can also set an active window (e.g. 8 AM to 10 PM) so no reminders fire overnight. Doses that would otherwise fall outside the window are pushed to the next opening.
Use fixed interval when the clock time matters (blood pressure, thyroid). Use floating when the gap between doses matters more than the clock (pain relief, antibiotics where absorption matters).
Every X days
Medications taken every other day, every 3 days, and so on. Pick the interval and the time of day. DoseAlert tracks which day is a "dose day" from your start date.
Every X weeks
Weekly or bi-weekly medications, like some injections. Pick the number of weeks and one time.
Specific days of the week
Reminders only on the days you choose. Example: Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7 PM. Good for medications you take several days a week but not all.
Cycle (on/off days)
Medications that alternate between active days and rest days, like some birth control or hormone therapies. You set how many days on and how many days off, plus the start of the cycle. DoseAlert tracks where you are in the cycle and only fires reminders during active days.
See Cycle schedules for worked examples.
Taper (step-down)
A sequence of decreasing doses over a set period. Example: 40 mg for 5 days, then 20 mg for 5 days, then 10 mg for 5 days, then stop. Perfect for prednisone, SSRI discontinuation, and similar step-down protocols.
See Taper schedules for the full walkthrough.
As needed (PRN)
No scheduled reminders. The medication sits in a separate "As needed" section on the Today view, ready to log when you take one. Optionally, a cooldown timer prevents taking doses too close together. See As-needed (PRN) medications.
Start date
Every schedule lets you set a Start date. If it's in the future, no reminders fire until that date. If it's in the past, DoseAlert uses it as the anchor for scheduling calculations. If you leave it blank, today becomes the anchor.
Course end date
For medications with a fixed course (like a 10-day antibiotic), set a Course end date. DoseAlert stops firing reminders on that day, no manual deactivation needed.
Changing the schedule later
Tap the medication, scroll to Schedule, and edit any of the fields. DoseAlert cancels the old reminders and sets up new ones the next time the medication is due.