To flag a reminder on iPhone, tap the item, then tap the orange flag icon above the keyboard. Flagged items also appear in the Flagged Smart List. Cap active flags at three using the PICK rule so orange dots still mean "do this today."

If you use Apple Reminders for errands, work, and home but your Today view and Flagged list both look like junk drawers, this is for you.

Flag vs. priority vs. Today (pick the right tool)

Apple gives you three ways to mark importance. They look similar. They behave differently.

  • Orange flag. Adds the reminder to the Flagged Smart List. It stays on its original list too. Best for "these three matter most today."
  • Priority (!!!). Adds exclamation marks and re-sorts items inside one list. Best for ordering steps inside a single project, not daily must-dos.
  • Today view. Shows anything with a due date of today. Best for calendar-bound work, not for tasks you want visible without a deadline.

Most guides explain each button in isolation. Almost none tell you when to use which. That is why people flag twelve items and wonder why nothing feels urgent.

Your takeaway: flags are for a short must-do scan, not for sorting a forty-item project list.

What every tutorial covers (table stakes)

Apple Support and the top how-to posts agree on the mechanics:

  1. Open Reminders and tap the reminder you want to mark.
  2. Tap the orange flag icon in the quick toolbar above the keyboard.
  3. Or swipe left on the reminder and tap Flag for a faster shortcut.
  4. Open the Flagged Smart List from the home screen to see every flagged item.

That is the whole button tutorial. Useful, but incomplete. Nobody tells you what to unflag when your Flagged list hits fifteen items. That cleanup gap is where flags stop working.

The PICK rule (your gap)

Name the method so you can repeat it. PICK runs in under two minutes each morning.

  1. Pick three. Before you flag anything new, open Flagged and count. More than three active flags? Unflag the lowest-stakes item until you are back to three.
  2. Intent check. Each flag must block something real today: a deadline, a person waiting, or a hard appointment window. "Someday organize photos" fails the check.
  3. Clear on finish. Tap the flag off the second you complete the task. A done item with an orange dot trains you to ignore the list.
  4. Kickoff from Flagged. Start your day in the Flagged Smart List, not All or a random project list. Read the three lines. Pick one. Close the app and start.

Your takeaway: the flag button is easy. PICK is what keeps it honest.

Walkthrough: flag "call dentist" in four taps

Your Work list has "Call dentist about crown" with no due date yet. You need it done before the office closes at 4 p.m.

  1. Open Reminders. Tap Work (or wherever the reminder lives).
  2. Tap the reminder line so the cursor blinks and the quick toolbar appears.
  3. Tap the orange flag icon. The dot turns solid orange.
  4. Go back to the home screen. Tap Flagged in the Smart Lists row. Confirm "Call dentist about crown" appears there.

Now add the deadline without losing the flag. Tap the reminder again, tap the calendar icon, set Today 2:00 p.m., save. It now shows in both Today and Flagged. That is correct. Today handles the alert. Flagged handles your morning scan.

Repeat in Divux the same way: flag the must-do, set the work slot on the calendar, and keep all three picks on one screen.

Morning routine: Flagged first, then Today

Run this order before you open email:

  1. Open Flagged. Read every orange-dot item. Should be three or fewer.
  2. Run Intent check. Unflag anything that slipped in without a real today consequence.
  3. Open Today. Confirm flagged items with deadlines have a time, not just an all-day date.
  4. Pick one flagged task and start a ten-minute block on it before you touch anything else.

Once you know which three deserve flags, pair this with our guide on how to prioritize tasks on iPhone for the 3-question morning pick that chooses what gets flagged in the first place.

Your takeaway: Flagged is your short list. Today is your schedule. They overlap on purpose.

Common mistakes (and the fix)

  • Flagging instead of dating. A flag with no due date disappears from Today forever. Add a date when the task has a real window. See our due date vs reminder on iPhone guide for the Deadline-Work-Ping setup.
  • Using flags and !!! priority on the same item. Pick one system per task. Flags for daily must-dos. Exclamation priority for ordering subtasks inside one project list.
  • Never unflagging finished work. Scroll Flagged every evening. Tap off any completed orange dots. A clean Flagged list tomorrow starts tonight.
  • Flagging capture junk. "Look into vacation" is not a flag. It is an inbox line. Run Delete-Defer-Park at capture time instead. Our too many tasks on iPhone guide covers the 15-item ceiling.
  • Opening All instead of Flagged. All shows every list combined. That is a scroll trap. Flagged is the filter you built on purpose. Trust it.

Frequently asked questions

Where do flagged reminders go on iPhone?

Flagged reminders stay on their original list and also appear in the Flagged Smart List on the Reminders home screen. Open Reminders, scroll to the Smart Lists row, and tap Flagged. That view is your orange-dot must-do scan without moving tasks between lists.

What is the difference between flag and priority in Apple Reminders?

The orange flag sends a reminder to the Flagged Smart List. Priority adds exclamation marks and re-sorts items inside a list. Use flags for your top three must-dos. Use priority only when you need visual sorting inside one long project list.

How many reminders should I flag at once?

Cap flags at three active items. More than three and the Flagged list becomes another guilt scroll. Run the PICK rule each morning: Pick three, Intent check, Clear finished flags, Kick off from the Flagged view.

Open Reminders right now. Tap Flagged, unflag everything that is not a true today must-do, then flag one task you have been avoiding. That single orange dot is the whole habit.