Pester

The reminder that will not shut up until you tap Done.

Ordinary reminders ring once and give up. Pester keeps coming back, every few minutes, a little louder each time, until the thing is actually done.

See how it works

Android 8.0 and newer · Free for 3 active reminders · $4.99 once for unlimited · No ads, no subscription, no account

Pester storyboard: the Waiting on you list, the reminder that will not shut up

What it looks like

One list, one job: what is still waiting on you

Storyboard: Nudge, Buzz, Alarm. The full-screen alarm stage with a big Done button — A quiet nudge first. Ignore it and it climbs to a full-screen alarm.

Storyboard: Type it, pick a time, done. The New pester screen with interval and escalation ladder — One line and a time. Choose how often it pokes and when it escalates.

Storyboard: See what you finished. The Done log with time-to-Done and poke counts — The Done log shows how long each thing chased you.

Features

Built to be ignored badly

Most reminders assume you will act the first time. Pester assumes you will swipe it away, get distracted and forget. So it comes back.

It escalates.

A quiet Nudge first. Miss it and you get a Buzz with sound and vibration. Keep ignoring it and you get a full-screen Alarm over the lock screen. No cap. It stops when you tap Done.

Waiting on you.

One list of everything still open. Each card shows when it pokes next and how many times it already has. Swipe right for Done, left to snooze.

Type it like you'd say it.

"Move laundry in 20m" or "call the vet at 6:30" and Pester picks the time. Chips for in 15 min, in 1 h, tonight and tomorrow morning. Or hit the mic and speak it.

Snooze without escaping.

Snooze 10 minutes or an hour, reschedule to a real time, or tap Forget it. Every option is on the notification and on the ringing screen, so you never have to open the app in a hurry.

Quiet hours that don't quit.

Between the hours you set, pokes stay silent. They do not stop. They are waiting for the morning.

Done log.

What you finished, how long each thing took to chase you, your longest chase. Bring anything back with one tap. Entries clear themselves after 30 days.

How it works

Three steps, then it is Pester's problem

Write it and pick a time.
"What must get done?" A task, a time, and optionally how often to poke and when to escalate. Defaults are sensible.
Get poked.
At the time you set, a Nudge. Every few minutes after that, another one, climbing to Buzz and then Alarm the longer you leave it.
Tap Done.
That is the only thing that ends it. Or snooze and reschedule if you honestly cannot right now.

Also in the box

Home-screen widget showing what is waiting on you · Quick Settings tile for a new pester · a reliability check in Settings with a 3-second test poke · export and import your reminders as a JSON file.

Pricing

Pay once. That is the whole business model.

No subscription, no ads, nothing to renew. Try it free with three reminders at a time; unlock unlimited whenever you want.

Free

Up to 3 active reminders, every feature, forever.

Full Nudge, Buzz, Alarm ladder
Waiting on you list and Done log
Quiet hours, widget, Quick Settings tile
Export and import

Pester Unlimited

$4.99 once

Unlimited active reminders. Paid through Google Play, kept forever on your Google account.

Everything in Free
As many reminders as you like
Restores on any phone with your Google account
No subscription, no ads, nothing to renew

FAQ

Questions people ask

What if I really can't do it right now?

Snooze it for 10 minutes or an hour, or reschedule it to a real time. Snoozing pauses the loop; it does not end it. Forget it ends it, no judgement.

Will it ring through Do Not Disturb?

Only if you turn on "Bypass Do Not Disturb" in Settings, which asks Android for the extra permission. It is off by default, and quiet hours let you silence pokes at night without stopping them.

Why does it ask for so many permissions?

Because nagging on time is hard on Android. Each one is listed below with the reason. The reliability check in Settings shows which are granted and offers a Fix button for each. Pester has no reason to talk to the internet and does not.

Does anything leave my phone?

No. There is no account, no cloud, no analytics. Your reminders live in Pester's own storage on the phone. Back them up yourself with Export.

Permissions

Permissions in plain words

Each one is asked for at the moment it is needed, with an explanation on screen first. The reliability check in Settings shows what is granted.

NotificationsEvery poke is a notification. Without this there is nothing to nag you with.
Alarms and reminders (exact alarms)A poke has to land at 7:30, not "sometime after". Pester uses exact alarms so it stays on time while the phone is dozing.
Full-screen notifications (Android 14 and newer)Lets the Alarm stage open over the lock screen. Refuse it and Pester falls back to a loud heads-up notification.
Run at startupAfter a reboot Pester re-arms your active reminders.
Battery optimisation exemptionOptional. Some phones pause background apps and delay alarms; the reliability check offers the exemption and explains it.
Do Not Disturb accessOptional, only if you turn on Bypass Do Not Disturb.
InternetNot requested. Pester has no internet permission, so it cannot send anything anywhere. The one-time purchase is handled by Google Play itself.

Stop losing the small things

Free for three reminders, the full ladder, no ads.