A shared countdown for couples
Whether you live apart or are just counting the days to a trip, one of you sets up the countdown and taps Invite Someone, the other taps the link, and the same countdown appears on both iPhones, widget and all. Move the date and it moves on both.
Get Countdown — joining is free
How to share a countdown
- Both of you install Countdown Widget: Any Event.
- One of you taps Add Event (or + once you already have events), names it — “Next visit”, “Moving day” — and sets the date.
- Touch and hold the countdown in your list and tap Invite Someone (the countdown’s own page has the same invite button). Send the link the way you send any link, for example in Messages.
- The other person taps the link, and the countdown is in their list.
- Each of you puts it on your own screen:
- Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, tap Add Widgets under the clock, choose Countdown and tap Done.
- Home Screen: touch and hold an empty area, tap Edit → Add Widget (on iOS 17, tap +), search for Countdown, pick a size and tap Add Widget.
Who can do what
| The one who invites | The one who joins | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs | Countdown Pro | Nothing: joining is free |
| Changes the date or name | Yes, and it updates on both phones | No, it’s view-only |
| Widgets | Free, every size | Free, every size |
| Stops sharing | Manage Sharing | Deletes it from their own list |
Countdowns worth sharing
- The next visit. The one long-distance couples check most. Change it once when the flight moves, and the other phone follows.
- Moving to the same city. The big one, on both Lock Screens.
- Your anniversary. Set it to repeat yearly and it starts again the day after.
- A trip together. The Disney trip countdown shows how to add the booking dates as countdowns too.
Counting up rather than down? Countdown also counts up from a date, like the day you met. For a birthday, see the birthday countdown widget.