birthdays.app

• 

  birthday reminders via text message

Inspiration

A few years ago, I wanted to remember birthdays without relying on Facebook or a calendar. I built a small Google Sheets + Zapier workflow that texted me on each birthday. It worked great for me, and a few years later decided to make it into a birthday reminder app, where others could remember birthdays simply via text reminders.

What it does

• Stores birthdays at birthdays.app.
• Birthdays can be added manually, via text, or synced with Google Calendar.
• A text reminder on the your friend's birthday (and a week early)
• Birthday reminders, early reminders, add friends via text.
• No ads, no app to download.

How it was built

• Bubble (for the front-end and logic)
• Twilio (for SMS delivery)
• Google Calendar API (optional to import)
  
• Phone-number + OTP login (to keep sign-up friction minimal)

What I learned

• People prefer plain texts over app notifications for time-sensitive reminders
  
• Keeping a single-purpose product truly simple is harder than adding features
  
• A clear, focused value prop (“never forget a birthday”) resonates with some

Challenges

• Resisting feature creep while users ask for “just one more option”
  
• Marketing patience: organic growth takes time when you’re not chasing virality
  
• Ensuring SMS deliverability across carriers and countries

Next steps

• Focus on video content to spread the word
• More incremental features

Built With

• bubble
• twilio