How to track habits on iPhone

011. Reminders: free and already installed

1. Open Reminders and create a list called Habits.
2. Add a reminder for each habit, tap the i button, set a time and set Repeat to Daily.
3. Tick it off each day; it comes back tomorrow.

Good for: two or three simple habits. Falls short: no streaks, no history of which days you did it, and no way to count things like glasses of water.

022. The Health app: for habits your phone or watch can measure

Steps, sleep, mindful minutes, workouts and water (if you log it) all live in Health. Open Health, tap Browse and add what you care about to Favourites to see a daily and weekly chart.

Good for: anything measured automatically. Falls short: it can't track “read”, “call Mum” or “no vaping”, and it doesn't nudge you.

033. A note or a spreadsheet

A checklist in Notes or a grid in Numbers works, and you own the format completely. A printable sheet is the paper version of the same idea.

Good for: people who like to design their own system. Falls short: no reminders, no widget, and it is easy to forget it exists.

044. A dedicated habit tracker

This is the option built for the job: reminders at the right time, streaks counted for you, a widget so you see your habits without opening anything, and history you can look back on. When choosing one, check four things:

• Can you log from a widget? One tap on the Home Screen is the difference between doing it and forgetting.
• What happens when you miss a day? Some apps wipe your streak; others forgive a miss.
• What does it cost? Many are subscriptions. A few are free or a one-time purchase.
• Where does your data go? Some need an account; some keep everything on your phone.

Habbles is our answer to those four: interactive widgets, a streak that forgives, free with a one-time Pro, and no account at all.

05The four ways compared

06A fifth option for tinkerers: Shortcuts

If you enjoy automation, the Shortcuts app can turn a tap into a log entry:

1. Open Shortcuts and create a new shortcut.
2. Add the action Append to Note and choose a note called Habits.
3. Set the text to the current date followed by the habit name.
4. Add the shortcut to your Home Screen, or run it from the Action button.

It is free and entirely yours. The cost is that you build the reminders, the streaks and the charts yourself, which is why most people who try this move to an app within a month.

07Setting up a tracker so it lasts

Whichever method you choose, the first week decides whether you'll still be using it in a month.

1. Start with two habits. Add a third when the first two feel automatic.
2. Give each habit a size. “10 pages”, “5 minutes”, “8 glasses”. Vague habits can't be ticked.
3. Choose when it's due. Not everything is daily. Three times a week or weekdays only is a perfectly good habit.
4. Set one reminder per habit, at the time you'd actually do it. A reminder at 9 am for something you do at 9 pm trains you to ignore reminders.
5. Put it where you'll see it. A widget on your first Home Screen page beats an app in a folder.

08How to choose a habit tracker app

There are hundreds. These questions separate them quickly:

• Can you log without opening it? Look for interactive widgets, a Lock Screen widget and an Apple Watch app.
• How does it treat a missed day? A streak that resets to zero is motivating until the day it isn't.
• Does it handle more than yes-or-no? Counts, minutes and “N times a week” cover most real habits.
• Can it track something you're quitting? That needs a clean-day counter, not a checkbox.
• What does it really cost? Check whether it is a subscription, and what the free version limits.
• Where is your data? Read the App Store privacy label. “Data Not Collected” is the strongest answer.

We wrote more about pricing in a habit tracker with no subscription.

09Seeing your habits without opening anything

The habit you see is the habit you do. On iPhone you can put habits in five places:

• Home Screen widget: the main one, and usually tappable.
• Lock Screen widget: a glance every time you pick up the phone.
• Control Center or Action button: one press to log a single habit.
• Dynamic Island: a running timer for habits measured in minutes.
• Apple Watch: a complication and a one-tap list.

Our guides cover the setup: widgets on iPhone and Apple Watch.

10How we made this

We build Habbles, so we are not neutral about option four, and you should weigh our recommendation accordingly. The comparison of Reminders, Health, Notes and Shortcuts is based on using each of them for habit tracking on iOS 26.

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