# Looking FWD: Event Countdown — Birthday \| Widget \| Reminders

> Event countdown and reminder app with customizable widgets and iCloud sync. (iPhone/iPad app by John Mackay.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/looking-fwd-event-countdown/id1232672943 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [John Mackay](https://appshunter.io/developer/993038359)
- Category: Utilities, Lifestyle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 32 App Store ratings · 8 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 59 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2017-05-14
- Data updated: 2026-09-01
- Monetization: subscription
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/looking-fwd-event-countdown/id1232672943/reviews.md

## What is Looking FWD?

What are you looking forward to? Looking FWD helps you count down to important events in your life, such as:

• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Holidays
• Sporting events
• Anything else you can think of ... pay day, perhaps!

You can create your own event types and you can customise all of your events with photos and emoji. You can also create secret events which will only be displayed when you authenticate. Events can be configured to repeat and to send you reminders. You can also quickly import birthdays from your contacts and events from your calendar. Talking of birthdays, you can add checklists to your events - perfect for keeping track of gifts. Never forget an event again!

There's also a beautiful set of widgets so that you can view your upcoming events at a glance right on your home screen.

All of your events will be kept in sync, securely and privately, across all of your devices via iCloud.


-- Subscription --

Looking FWD requires a subscription, which will allow you to:

• Countdown to an unlimited number of events
• Automatically import birthdays from your Contacts
• Automatically import events from your Calendar 
• Create your own custom event types
• Create your own checklists within each of your events
• iCloud Sync will keep your events in sync across all of your devices
• Create your own secret event types which can only be viewed when you authenticate
• Countdown to your events right on your Home Screen with our widgets
• Personalise the look and feel of the app and widget with emojis, photos, and your favourite colour scheme
• Significant events such as a 50th birthday will be automatically highlighted

Payment will be charged to your App Store Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, at the cost of your selected plan. Subscriptions may be managed, and auto-renewal may be turned off, by going to App Store Settings after purchase. 

For more information on how we handle your information, please review our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Terms of Service: https://www.johnmackay.dev/#terms
Privacy Policy: https://www.johnmackay.dev/#privacy


-- Support --

If you have any difficulties using Looking FWD and would like support, please use the Email Support feature within the Help section of the app.

## Key features

- Customizable event countdowns
- Event reminders
- Home screen widgets
- Photo and emoji customization
- Checklists for events
- iCloud sync across devices

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Looking FWD | $7.99 | per year |
| Unlock Looking FWD | $0.79 | per month |
| Unlock Looking FWD | $0.29 | per 7 days |

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Looking FWD | $9.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (8 of 8)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/looking-fwd-event-countdown/id1232672943/reviews.md

### 1/5 — Subscription Only

*2023-02-20*

Quite clearly states on App Store that you can get a premium upgrade for £1.99, however when I opened the app, it won’t let me do anything unless I sign up to a subscription, albeit with a 7 day free trial. Very misleading.

**Developer response:** Hello,

Thanks for your interest in Looking FWD! When the app launched in 2017 it included an in-app purchase of £1.99 to unlock all of the features. At the end of 2021, I redesigned the app and it moved to subscription only. This is explained in the App Store description where it states the app requires a subscription. I’m sorry if you didn’t find that clear and it saddens me that you’ve felt misled.

If I understand correctly, you saw a reference to the original upgrade in the list of products that you can expand in the detailed product information section on the App Store. I don’t directly control that but I’ll try to have it removed from there.

If you do decide to trial the app, I hope you enjoy it and find it useful.

Kind regards,
John

### 5/5 — Brilliant!

*2019-06-03*

£1.99 isn’t a lot to ask for upgrading. It’s certainly handy to have and I have this on my iPhone/iPad so well worth having and 5 stars. Thank you

### 5/5 — I came back

*2018-11-23*

I have been using this app for a year and love it more and more with each use. I recently decided to explore some other apps and came back to Looking FWD because none offered all of the features that I have come to love.

1. Offers repeating events
2. Uses emoji as event icons
3. Syncs with iCloud

Repeating events are a requirement if you want to be reminded about birthdays and anniversaries. What I like about Looking FWD — and could not find in any other app — is that it also calculates the number of the birthday or anniversary and shows it in the event list. Hence, you can not only see how many days to someone’s upcoming birthday, but you can also see how old they will be. I LOVE this.

Using emoji for event icons turns out to be incredibly flexible. I looked at other apps that only offered a built-in icon set and found them limiting compared to the world of detail and options available through the emoji character set. 

Finally, It was not clear from inside the app that it syncs with iCloud (which is what sent me in search of other apps). When I discovered that the sync is automatic, I am back to stay.

### 2/5 — Update

*2017-11-07*

You have to update this app ! It is not a good app !!!!!

### 1/5 — ..

*2017-07-21*

can't have more then one event ? you have to pay

### 5/5 — Easy to use 👍

*2017-07-07*

Easy to set up and use, does exactly what you would expect...

### 4/5 — Nice countdown app

*2017-06-02*

Provides a useful visual reminder of upcoming events. Good support and updates to solve a day-count problem. Needs sync for multiple devices (which the developer says is coming) for the fifth star.

### 4/5 — Fun but needs sports categories

*2017-05-31*

Great little app and nice integration with the Today widget. Would really like to see sports categories and corresponding icons!

Update: there is a + button in the upper right corner for adding your own categories!

**Developer response:** Thanks for trying Looking FWD! You can create a sports category by opening the app and tapping the + on the My Events screen, and then tap the + on the Select Event Type screen. When creating your new category, simply tap on the emoji to select your own. This will be the default emoji for that event type but you can change the emoji when creating each individual event. Hope that helps! Kind regards, John

## Frequently asked questions about Looking FWD

### What is Looking FWD?

Looking FWD is a utility app designed to help users count down to important events. It offers customizable event tracking, reminders, and home screen widgets for at-a-glance viewing.

### How much does Looking FWD cost?

Looking FWD offers a free trial period for its subscription plans. Subscription options include weekly ($0.29/P7D), monthly ($0.79/P1M), and yearly ($7.99/P1Y) plans, each with a 3-day free trial.

### Does Looking FWD have ads?

No, Looking FWD does not contain advertisements. The app operates on a subscription model to provide its full range of features.

### What devices does Looking FWD support?

Looking FWD is available on iPhone and iPad devices, offering a seamless experience across Apple's mobile platforms.

### How often is Looking FWD updated?

Looking FWD was last updated on December 23, 2025, indicating recent development and support. The latest version is 5.8.1.

### Can I import events into Looking FWD?

Yes, Looking FWD allows you to import birthdays from your contacts and events from your calendar. This feature is part of the subscription benefits.

### Is my data safe with Looking FWD?

Looking FWD prioritizes security and privacy, keeping your events synced securely and privately across all your devices via iCloud.

### What is the age rating for Looking FWD?

Looking FWD has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users, including children and adults.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 5.8.1 — 2025-12-23

Thanks for using Looking FWD! This update fixes a small bug in the last release.

### 5.8 — 2025-12-19

Thanks for using Looking FWD! This update adds the ability to view your past events.

### 5.7 — 2025-12-05

Thanks for using Looking FWD! This update makes some optimisations to the widgets.

### 5.6 — 2025-12-02

Thanks for using Looking FWD! This update adds support for Lock Screen widgets - perfect for counting down to Christmas!

### 5.5 — 2025-11-27

Thanks for using Looking FWD! This update includes some small enhancements to the new Smart Add feature.

## Apps similar to Looking FWD

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Days • Countdown & Widgets](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/days-countdown-and-widgets/id939368917) | 4.8 (12,288) | Free | Utilities |
| [Countdown](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1403367428) | 4.8 (183,403) | Free | Utilities |
| [Countdown Widget & Counter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-and-counter/id1533996161) | 4.6 (2,369) | Free | Utilities |
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| [Countdown Widget Maker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown-widget-maker/id1189515875) | 4.7 (5,639) | Free | Utilities |
| [Countdown@](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/countdown/id1456997268) | 4.7 (39,048) | Free | Utilities |

## More apps by John Mackay

- [Break - Snooker Score Calculator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/break-snooker-score-calculator/id993038360)
- [Count The Pigs](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/count-the-pigs/id1071790597)
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- [Bed Time \| Large Clock](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bed-time-large-clock/id1254058826)
- [Daily Challenges](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-challenges/id1272781520)

All apps by John Mackay: https://appshunter.io/developer/993038359

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-01.*