How to Use Notion Sync With Apple Reminders Two-Way Pipeline

You want tasks added in Apple Reminders to appear in a Notion database and vice versa, but no native two-way sync exists between the two apps. A manual pipeline using Apple Shortcuts and Notion API can bridge this gap. This article explains how to build a reliable two-way pipeline that keeps both apps updated without duplicate entries.

Understanding the Notion and Apple Reminders Sync Challenge

Notion and Apple Reminders are separate systems with no direct integration. Apple Reminders uses the Apple ecosystem (iCloud, macOS, iOS) while Notion relies on its own API and databases. A two-way pipeline requires a bridge that can read from one app and write to the other. The bridge is Apple Shortcuts, which can run automations on iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The pipeline uses Notion API to create and update database entries. Each task must have a unique identifier to avoid duplication during sync.

Prerequisites include a Notion account with API access, an Apple device running iOS 14 or later (or macOS 11 or later), and basic familiarity with Apple Shortcuts. You also need a Notion database with at least three properties: Title (text), Due Date (date), and Status (select). The Status property will track whether a task is pending or completed.

Steps to Set Up the Notion API and Apple Shortcuts Pipeline

1. Create a Notion integration token
   Go to notion.so/my-integrations. Click New integration. Enter a name like “Reminders Sync”. Select the workspace where your database lives. Click Submit. Copy the Internal Integration Secret token. Store it securely.
2. Create a Notion database for tasks
   In Notion, create a new database. Add a Title property (default), a Date property named “Due Date”, and a Select property named “Status” with options “Pending” and “Completed”. Add a Text property named “Reminder ID” to store the unique identifier from Apple Reminders. This ID prevents duplicates.
3. Share the database with your integration
   Open the database page. Click the three dots in the top-right corner. Go to Connections and select your integration name. Click Confirm.
4. Get the database ID
   Open the database page in a browser. The URL looks like https://www.notion.so/workspace/abc123def456?v=.... The part after the workspace name and before the question mark is the database ID. Copy it.
5. Build the Apple Shortcut for Reminders to Notion
   Open the Shortcuts app. Create a new shortcut. Add the action Find Reminders. Set it to find reminders where Is Completed is false. Add a Repeat with Each action. Inside the loop, add Get Variable and set it to the reminder title. Add URL action with the value https://api.notion.com/v1/pages. Add Get Contents of URL with method POST. Headers: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN, Content-Type: application/json, Notion-Version: 2022-06-28. Request body JSON: { "parent": { "database_id": "YOUR_DATABASE_ID" }, "properties": { "Title": { "title": [ { "text": { "content": "[[Reminder Title]]" } } ] }, "Due Date": { "date": { "start": "[[Reminder Due Date]]" } }, "Status": { "select": { "name": "Pending" } }, "Reminder ID": { "rich_text": [ { "text": { "content": "[[Reminder Identifier]]" } } ] } } }. Replace placeholders with actual values. Save the shortcut.
6. Build the Apple Shortcut for Notion to Reminders
   Create another shortcut. Add Get Contents of URL with method POST. URL: https://api.notion.com/v1/databases/YOUR_DATABASE_ID/query. Headers same as above. Body JSON: { "filter": { "property": "Status", "select": { "equals": "Pending" } } }. Add Get Dictionary from Input. Add Repeat with Each on the results. Inside the loop, add Get Dictionary Value for properties.Reminder ID.rich_text[0].text.content. Add If condition: if that value does not exist, then add Add New Reminder action with title from properties.Title.title[0].text.content and due date from properties.Due Date.date.start. Save this shortcut.
7. Schedule the automations
   In the Shortcuts app, switch to the Automation tab. Create a new automation. Choose Time of Day for a daily sync. Select your shortcut for Reminders to Notion. Create another automation for Notion to Reminders. Set both to run at different times to avoid conflicts. Alternatively, use a location-based trigger when you arrive at work or home.

Common Issues and Things to Avoid

Duplicate tasks appear in Notion after each sync

This happens when the shortcut does not check for existing Reminder ID values. Add a step in the Reminders-to-Notion shortcut to query the database first. Filter by the Reminder ID. If a match exists, skip the creation step. Use a If block with the condition Count of Items equals 0 before creating a new page.

Apple Reminders does not update when a task is completed in Notion

The Notion-to-Reminders shortcut only adds new reminders. It does not update existing ones. To fix this, add a step that finds reminders by the Reminder ID stored in the Notion database. If the Status is “Completed”, mark the corresponding Apple Reminder as completed. Use the Mark Reminder Completed action in Shortcuts.

API rate limits cause sync failures

Notion API has rate limits of 3 requests per second per integration. If your database has many tasks, add a Wait action of 1 second between each API call inside the loop. This prevents hitting the limit.

Notion Database vs Apple Reminders: Feature Comparison

Feature	Notion Database	Apple Reminders
Task creation	Manual or via API	Manual or via Siri/Shortcuts
Due dates	Date property with time support	Date and time picker
Status tracking	Custom select property	Built-in completed flag
Recurring tasks	Manual formula or API logic	Native repeat options
Cross-device sync	Real-time via Notion servers	Real-time via iCloud
API availability	Free with rate limits	Limited via Shortcuts only

This pipeline works best for users who need task visibility in both apps. Apple Reminders excels at quick capture with Siri. Notion offers rich database views and project management. The two-way sync gives you the best of both without leaving either app.

You can now sync tasks between Notion and Apple Reminders using Apple Shortcuts and the Notion API. Start by creating the Notion database and integration token. Then build the two shortcuts and schedule their automations. For advanced use, add a log property in the Notion database to track the last sync timestamp and avoid processing the same task twice.