Recurring appointments on iPhone: every other Thursday, the first Monday of the month

Updated October 8, 2026

Apple's Calendar can set both: "Every 2 Weeks" is in its Repeat menu, and "the first Monday of the month" is in the Custom option. In Tellendar, you say it in one sentence, "physio every other Thursday at 6pm", and every session gets its own alarm, which rings even in silent mode.

Two patterns a single date cannot describe

"Every other Thursday" means every two weeks, on Thursday. "The first Monday of the month" is neither the 1st nor every 28 days: the date changes each month. Both patterns are common: the physio, the team meeting, the kids' custody weekend. If the app does not offer them, you have to copy the appointment by hand each time, and eventually you miss one.

What your apps already do

Apple's Calendar: a Repeat menu, and a Custom option

In an event's form, tap the date to reveal the "Repeat" row. Its menu offers "Never", "Every Day", "Every Week", "Every 2 Weeks", "Every Month", "Every Year" and "Custom". For every other Thursday, create the event on a Thursday and pick "Every 2 Weeks". For the first Monday of the month, pick "Custom", set the frequency to "Monthly", switch to the "On the…" tab, and set the wheels to "First" and "Monday". An "End Repeat" row lets you stop the series on a date.

What does not change: a Calendar event's alert is still a notification, and it goes quiet in silent mode. This is covered in How to make your iPhone ring for an appointment, even in silent mode.

Reminders: a reminder that comes back, but not an appointment

A reminder can repeat: in its details, turn on the date or time, tap "Repeat" and pick a frequency. Marked "urgent", it rings like an alarm when it is due. But a reminder has no duration and does not sit in your calendar: it tells you to do something, not where you are expected.

Google Calendar: full rules, up to 730 occurrences

In the Google Calendar app, the row under the time, "Does not repeat", opens the same choices, with a custom option for every other Thursday or the first Monday of the month. Google caps a series at 730 occurrences. When you edit one event of a series, Google asks whether the change applies to this event only or to all following events.

Saying it in one sentence in Tellendar

Tellendar is a calendar app for iPhone that only warns you with alarms. You enter an appointment by typing or dictating it, and the repeat rule is part of the sentence:

"Physio every other Thursday at 6pm"
"Team meeting on the first Monday of the month at 9am"
"Accountant on the last Friday of the month at 2pm"
"Yoga every Tuesday at 7pm"
"Rent on the 5th of every month"
"Gym Monday to Friday at 7am"

Tellendar shows you a card with the next session and the rule. Each session then appears on its date in the calendar, like any other appointment, and each session has its alarms. "Physio every other Thursday at 6pm with an alarm 1 hour before" rings at 5pm every other Thursday. You can set several, for instance one the evening before, as described in Multiple alarms for one appointment on iPhone.

To bound the series, add it to the sentence: "until June 30", or "for 6 weeks". To start on a given date: "every other Thursday starting October 15".

If you prefer menus, tap the appointment's card. The "Repeat" row of the form offers the same choices as Google Calendar, worked out from the date: every week on that day, every month on that same weekday, every year, every weekday. "Custom…" opens a screen with the interval, the days of the week, the day of the month or the weekday to repeat on, and an end: never, on a date, or after a number of times.

Changing one session, or the whole series

When you edit or delete a session from its form, Tellendar asks: "This event only" or "All future events". Moving next Thursday's physio to Friday leaves the other Thursdays alone. Changing the time for all future events changes it from that session on, and past sessions stay where they were.

A sentence in the conversation applies to the current session and all the following ones: "move physio to 6:30pm" changes the time of the series from there. To move a single session, use the form and pick "This event only". To end the series, say "stop the series" or "end the series on December 20".

Frequently asked questions

When does "every other Thursday" start?

On the next Thursday, unless you give a date: "every other Thursday starting October 15". The first session sets the rhythm, and Tellendar counts two weeks from it.

What if the date I pick falls on a fifth Monday?

If you pick a date in the form that falls on a fifth Monday, Tellendar keeps "the last Monday of the month", as Google Calendar does. You can also say it: "the last Monday of the month".

Do the alarms really ring at every session?

Yes. The alarms are part of the rule: every session has the same ones, and each rings like an alarm clock, even in silent mode or with a Focus on.

What if I connect Google Calendar?

The rule goes to Google Calendar as you said it, "the first Monday of the month" included, with its end date or its number of times. Series already in Google come into Tellendar the same way, and you can add alarms to them.

How do I stop a series without deleting it?

Say "stop the series": the appointment stays, but no longer repeats. To stop on a date, say "until June 30". To erase everything, delete the session and pick "All future events".