---
title: "Square Appointments SMS Reminders: Setup Guide"
slug: "square-appointments-sms-reminders"
type: "help-article"
canonical: "https://www.remindlo.co.uk/help/square-appointments-sms-reminders"
category: "Integrations"
read_time: "7 min read"
published_at: "2026-08-31T12:22:00+00:00"
updated_at: "2026-08-31T12:37:57.010328+00:00"
keywords: ["square appointments sms reminders", "square appointments text message reminders", "square appointments reminder settings", "square appointments google calendar sms", "square appointments no-show reminders", "square appointments sms integration", "square appointments appointment reminders uk", "square appointments zapier sms", "square appointments free plan reminders"]
---

# Square Appointments SMS Reminders: Setup Guide

**Quick answer**

Square Appointments already texts your clients, but **only once per booking**, only between one hour and three days beforehand, and only for people who have a booking. Editing the wording needs the Plus plan. To send several reminders per appointment, message customers who are overdue rather than booked, and follow up after the visit, sync Square to Google Calendar and connect Remindlo to that calendar, or connect the two through Zapier. Setup takes about five minutes and Remindlo has a free plan you can test it on.

Square Appointments is a strong all-in-one system, and its reminder notifications are better than most booking platforms give you: text and email reminders are included on every plan, including the free one, and client replies come back into Square Messages. This guide is not about replacing any of that. It is about the messages Square structurally cannot send, and how to add them without moving your bookings, your card machine or your team anywhere.

## What You Need

-   A **Square Appointments account** on any plan, including Free.
    
-   Either a **Google account** with Google Calendar (Square Plus or Premium), or a **Zapier account** (works on any Square plan).
    
-   A **Remindlo account** - [create one for free](/register?utm_source=help&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=square_sms).
    

## Square's Built-in Reminders: What They Do and Where They Stop

Credit where it is due. Square includes [text and email reminder notifications](https://squareup.com/gb/en/appointments/features/reminders) on every plan at no extra per-message cost, and if a client replies to one, the reply lands in the Messages section of your Square Dashboard. Plenty of booking platforms charge for less.

The limits are worth knowing before you decide whether you need anything else:

-   **One reminder per booking** - Square asks you to pick a single send time from a dropdown. There is no "seven days before and again the day before" sequence. Plus and Premium add a separate confirmation request notification, but that is a different message, not a second reminder you can time yourself.
    
-   **A narrow timing window** - that dropdown runs from one hour before the appointment to three days before. A reminder a week out, which is what most people want for a service booked months ahead, is not an option.
    
-   **Editing the wording is a paid feature** - customising your text notifications requires Square Appointments Plus (£29 a month per location) or Premium (£69). On the Free plan you send Square's default copy. Custom messages are also capped at 1,024 characters, and if you go over, Square silently falls back to its own default text.
    
-   **Google Calendar sync is also Plus and above** - the free tier cannot mirror bookings into Google Calendar at all.
    
-   **Nothing before there is a booking** - this is the structural one. A reminder system built into a booking platform can only message people who have booked. The customer whose MOT is due in three weeks, whose boiler service is due next month, or who has not been back to the salon since April has nothing in your Square calendar, so there is nothing to remind them about.
    
-   **Nothing after the visit** - no automatic thank-you, review request or rebooking nudge timed from the appointment that just happened.
    

If every one of your customers books through Square, and one nudge the day before is all you want, Square on its own is genuinely enough. Keep reading if the gaps above are the part costing you money. There is a fuller side-by-side on our [Square Appointments alternative](/alternatives/square-appointments) page.

## How Remindlo Fits Alongside Square

Remindlo never touches your bookings or your payments. It reads a calendar, keeps a contact list with a next-due date against each person, and sends the messages off that. There are three ways to feed it from Square, and which one you pick depends mostly on your Square plan.

1.  **Google Calendar** - the tidiest route, needs Square Plus or Premium.
    
2.  **Zapier** - works on the Square Free plan.
    
3.  **A customer export** - the one that reaches people who have not booked at all.
    

Most businesses end up running the first or second alongside the third.

## Method 1: Square → Google Calendar → Remindlo

Recommended if you are on Square Appointments Plus or Premium. About five minutes, then it runs on its own.

### Step 1: Sync Square to Google Calendar

1.  Sign in to your **Square Dashboard** and open **Appointments**.
    
2.  Go to **Settings**, then the calendar sync section (Square moves this menu occasionally, so look for **Manage calendar sync**).
    
3.  Click **Link Google Calendar** and authorise the Google account you want to use.
    
4.  Choose a sync direction. **Export only** or **Import and export** both work for our purposes; what matters is that Square bookings flow out to Google.
    

![Square Appointments How To Sync Your Google Calendar](https://www.remindlo.co.uk/media/square-appointments-how-to-sync-your-google-calendar-1788179281861.webp "Square Appointments How To Sync Your Google Calendar")

Your bookings will appear in a Google calendar named after you, along the lines of _Your Name - Square Appointments_. Square syncs events from one month ago to two years ahead, usually within seconds. One warning from Square's own documentation worth repeating: do not edit or create events inside that synced calendar from the Google side, because a resync can wipe them. Make changes in Square.

### Step 2: Check what lands in the event

Open one synced booking in Google Calendar and look at the event details. Remindlo reads the client's phone number from the event, so what Square passes across decides how much you need to do by hand. Square does not document the exact fields it exports, and what appears has changed over time, so check rather than assume.

-   **Phone number is in the event** - nothing else to do, Remindlo picks contacts up automatically.
    
-   **Phone number is missing** - either use the Remindlo add-on for Google Calendar to attach the right contact to an event in a couple of clicks, or use [Method 2](#method-2-zapier), where the number comes straight from Square's customer record.
    

### Step 3: Connect Google Calendar to Remindlo

Follow our detailed guide:

[**→ How to Integrate SMS Reminders into Google Calendar**](/help/how-to-integrate-SMS-reminders-into-google-calendar)

It covers connecting the calendar, switching on autopilot, and writing your reminder templates with variables such as `{{first_name}}` and `{{business_name}}`. The same guide covers the [Google Calendar add-on](/help/how-to-integrate-SMS-reminders-into-google-calendar#workspace-addon-plugin), the sidebar plugin that lets you assign contacts, set a default country prefix for phone numbers and pick which campaign an event belongs to.

### Step 4: Let it run

For every synced Square booking with a phone number, Remindlo will:

-   Detect the event and match it to an existing contact by phone number, or create a new one.
    
-   Schedule as many reminders as your campaign specifies, at whatever intervals you chose.
    
-   Send them from a consistent sender, with your wording and no 1,024 character ceiling.
    
-   Withdraw queued reminders if the booking is cancelled or moved in Square.
    

## Method 2: Square → Zapier → Remindlo (works on the Free plan)

If you are on Square Appointments Free, Google Calendar sync is not available to you, and Zapier is the way in. It is also the more reliable route for phone numbers.

1.  **Trigger:** Square, _New Appointment_.
    
2.  **Action:** Square, _Find Customer_. A Square booking carries a customer ID rather than the customer's details, so this step fetches the name, phone number and email.
    
3.  **Action:** Remindlo, create or update a contact. Map the phone number, first name, the appointment date into the next-due field, and pick the campaign to enrol them in.
    

[**→ Set up the Zapier integration**](/integrations/zapier)

One limitation to plan around: Square's Zapier app has a trigger for new appointments but not for updated ones, so reschedules and cancellations do not flow through this route. If your diary moves a lot, run Method 1 for the calendar accuracy and keep Zapier for anything Square's calendar sync does not carry.

![New Square Appointment Sync To Sms System Remindlo](https://www.remindlo.co.uk/media/new-square-appointment-sync-to-sms-system-remindlo-1788179580863.webp "New Square Appointment Sync To Sms System Remindlo")

## Method 3: Your Square Customer Directory (the part Square cannot remind)

This is the method that pays for itself, and it has nothing to do with bookings. Every customer who has been through your till or your booking page is sitting in Square's customer directory, and most of them have no future appointment. Square has nothing to send them. Remindlo does.

1.  In Square Dashboard, go to **Customers**, then **Customer directory**.
    
2.  Choose **Import / Export**, then **Export customers**, and download the CSV.
    
3.  In Remindlo, import that CSV. Add a `next_due_at` date where you know it, or mark contacts as recurrent with an interval (12 months for an MOT or an annual boiler service, six weeks for a colour appointment) and let Remindlo roll the dates forward after each visit.
    
4.  Switch on a reactivation campaign so anyone who has not been back within your interval gets a message with your Square booking link in it.
    

![Square Customers Export Function](https://www.remindlo.co.uk/media/square-customers-export-function-1788179692412.webp "Square Customers Export Function")

A tidy detail: because Remindlo matches contacts on phone number, the people you import here and the bookings arriving from Method 1 or 2 land on the same contact record rather than duplicating.

## Square Native Reminders vs Remindlo

| Feature | Square Appointments | Remindlo alongside Square |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reminders per booking | One | As many as you want, for example 7 days, 3 days and 1 day before |
| How early you can remind | Between 1 hour and 3 days before | Any interval, weeks or months ahead if you like |
| Editing the message | Plus (£29 per location) and above, 1,024 character cap | Included on every plan, templates with dynamic variables |
| Messages after the visit | Not available | Thank-you and review requests timed from the appointment |
| Customers with no booking | Nothing to remind them about | Due-date and win-back campaigns off your customer list |
| Recurring service cycles (MOT, boiler, recall) | Recurring bookings only | Next-due date auto-advances after each visit |
| Client replies | Yes, into Square Messages | Yes on numeric senders, into your Remindlo dashboard |
| Google Calendar sync | Plus and above | Included, plus any ICS feed |
| Pricing model | Per location | Per business, free plan available |

## Example Messages You Can Send

Remindlo messages are built from templates you write, so the wording is yours. Three examples and what the client actually receives.

**A week before the appointment, which Square cannot send at all**

`Hi {{first_name}}, {{business_name}} here. Your appointment is on {{next_due_at_date}}. If that no longer suits, rebook any time: {{business_booking_url}}`

Renders as: _Hi Sarah, Copper Lane here. Your appointment is on 14/09/2026. If that no longer suits, rebook any time: copperlane.co.uk/book_

**The day after the visit**

`Thanks for coming in on {{last_service_at_date}}, {{first_name}}. If you have a moment we would love a quick review. Book your next visit any time: {{business_booking_url}}`

**Eight weeks later, to someone who has not rebooked**

`Hi {{first_name}}, it has been a while since your last visit to {{business_name}}. Book online at {{business_booking_url}} or call {{business_phone}}.`

The first message is one Square's dropdown cannot reach, and the second and third are for people with no booking on file, which is where a booking platform's reminders end by definition.

## Should You Turn Square's Own Reminders Off?

Not necessarily. Unlike some booking platforms, Square's reminder is decent and it costs you nothing on any plan. Two sensible setups:

-   **Keep Square's reminder, add Remindlo around it** - let Square handle the day-before nudge, and use Remindlo for the earlier reminder, the post-visit follow-up and the win-backs. Nothing overlaps.
    
-   **Move the whole pre-visit sequence to Remindlo** - if you want one consistent sender and one set of wording, switch Square's text reminders off under **Appointments**, **Settings**, **Communications**, and let Remindlo send all of them.
    

What you should avoid is two reminders for the same appointment landing at the same time from two different senders. Pick a lane per message, not per system.

## What Remindlo Costs on Top of Square

Remindlo is billed separately from Square, and there is a free tier so you can run the whole flow before paying anything. Worth noting if you run more than one site: Square Appointments paid plans are priced per location, Remindlo is priced per business.

| Plan | Price | SMS included |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | £0 | 10 SMS per month |
| Starter | £19/month or £199/year | 75 per month (900 per year) |
| Standard | £49/month or £499/year | 250 per month (3,000 per year) |

If you need more messages in a given month, one-off packs cost £9 for 50 SMS, £49 for 300 and £219 for 1,500. If you run out mid-month we top your account up with the 50 SMS pack automatically, which works out at £0.18 per SMS. There is no separate per-message charge, no bill at the end of the month and no per-seat fee. What's important - you can pay in your local currency at the checkout (we support USD, EUR, CAD and many more).

## Tips and Best Practices

-   **Put the long-lead reminder first** - the one Square cannot send is usually the valuable one. A week's notice is enough time for someone to rearrange rather than not turn up.
    
-   **Include your business name in the text** - your clients know Square's sender even less well than they know yours.
    
-   **Put your Square booking link in every message** - use `{{business_booking_url}}` so a reactivation text is one tap away from a booking that lands back in Square.
    
-   **Start with the customer export** - the win-back campaign usually produces bookings faster than any change to your pre-visit reminders.
    
-   **Test with a real booking** - book yourself in through your own Square page with your own mobile number and watch the full chain.
    

## Troubleshooting

### Square bookings are not appearing in Google Calendar

-   Google Calendar sync requires Square Appointments Plus or Premium. On the Free plan it will never appear, and Zapier is the route to use.
    
-   Check the sync direction is set to export or to import and export, not import only.
    
-   Square syncs events from one month back to two years ahead. Anything outside that window is excluded.
    

### Remindlo is not picking up phone numbers

-   Open a synced event in Google Calendar and confirm the number is actually in the event details. If Square is not passing it, use the Remindlo add-on to attach the contact, or switch to the Zapier route.
    
-   Check the number includes a country code, for example +44 for the UK. You can set a default country prefix in the Remindlo add-on and we will add it when a number arrives without one.
    

### Clients are getting two reminders

-   You are running Square's built-in reminder and a Remindlo reminder in the same slot. Either move the Remindlo one earlier, or turn Square's off under Appointments, Settings, Communications.
    

### Reminders are not sending at all

-   Check the calendar connection and sync status in your Remindlo dashboard.
    
-   Confirm the contact has consent recorded. Contacts without it are skipped.
    
-   Make sure the appointment is far enough ahead for the reminder to be scheduled. Past events are ignored.
    

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Does Square Appointments already send SMS reminders?

Yes, and on every plan including Free, at no extra per-message cost. The constraints are that you get one text per booking, the send time can only be set between one hour and three days before, editing the wording requires the Plus plan or above, and the whole thing only applies to people who have a booking.

### Do I have to leave Square to use Remindlo?

No, and you should not. Remindlo reads a calendar and sends messages. Bookings, deposits, card payments and your till stay exactly where they are. The [comparison page](/alternatives/square-appointments) goes into where each product starts and stops.

### Is there a Remindlo app in the Square App Marketplace?

Not today. Remindlo connects to Square through Google Calendar or Zapier, which is why this guide covers both. If a native Square integration would make the difference for you, email us and say so ([support@remindlo.co.uk](mailto:support@remindlo.co.uk)), because that demand is exactly what decides whether we build it.

### I am on the Square Free plan. Can I still do this?

Yes, through [Zapier](https://www.remindlo.co.uk/integrations/zapier) or a customer export. [Google Calendar sync](https://www.remindlo.co.uk/integrations/google-calendar/overview) is the only method that needs Square Plus or Premium. Remindlo's own free plan has no such restriction, so a low-volume setup can cost nothing on either side.

### Can I send more than one reminder per appointment?

Yes, and it is the main practical gain over Square's built-in reminder, which sends exactly one. A single Remindlo campaign can carry several timings, for example seven days, three days and one day before, plus a follow-up the day after the visit.

### Can clients reply to Remindlo messages?

It depends on the sender. Where Remindlo sends from a standard phone number, replies come back into your dashboard. Where messages go out under an alphanumeric sender ID showing your business name instead of a number, mobile networks provide no return path and those messages are one-way, so give clients a route inside the message with `{{business_phone}}` or `{{business_booking_url}}`. Square's own reminders are two-way and land in Square Messages, which is a genuine strength of theirs.

### What about customers who have not booked anything?

That is the reason most Square users end up here. Export your Square customer directory, import it into Remindlo with a next-due date or a recurring interval, and Remindlo will chase the annual service, the six-week rebook or the customer who has quietly stopped coming. Square has no booking to hang those messages on, so it cannot send them.

### Does this work outside the UK?

Yes. Remindlo routes messages through different carriers depending on the destination and bills in GBP or USD. The UK-specific extras, such as MOT-aware reminder templates and British date formats, are there if you need them and out of the way if you do not.

## Need Help?

If you get stuck connecting Square Appointments to Remindlo, email [support@remindlo.co.uk](mailto:support@remindlo.co.uk) and we will help you get it running.

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Canonical URL: https://www.remindlo.co.uk/help/square-appointments-sms-reminders