Birthday Management | Cakeday Docs

Cakeday provides comprehensive functionality to track and manage birthdays. In the app, birthdays are often referred to as “friends” or “contacts”. This guide covers adding and editing friends, the available fields, countdown mechanics, age calculation, and the profile detail view.

Adding a Friend

To add a new birthday reminder, tap the + button on the Home screen. This will initialize a new profile. You can fill out as much or as little information as you prefer; the only strictly required field is the person’s name.

Profile Fields

Every birthday profile supports the following fields to create a comprehensive astrological and temporal tracking record:

Name: The display name of the friend or contact.
Date: Supports either the Gregorian (Solar) or traditional Chinese (Lunar) calendar date.
Year: Optional. Providing a birth year unlocks age calculations, the Chinese Zodiac animal, and the Sexagenary (Stem-Branch) cycle.
Calendar Type: Toggles seamlessly between Solar and Lunar modes.
Notes: A free-text field for storing associated metadata (e.g., gift ideas).
Avatar: Select an image from your Photo Library or capture one using the Camera. Avatars are bundled when sharing files.
Birth Time: Optional. Combined with the birth city, it enables the calculation of the Ascendant (Rising Sign).
Birth City: Optional. Searchable from a built-in geospatial database of over 31,000 global cities. This provides exact coordinates for astrological derivations and determines the local timezone.

Editing a Profile

Tap any friend in your list to open their Detail View, then tap the Edit button to modify their information. All fields can be adjusted on the fly. If you switch between Solar and Lunar calendar types, Cakeday will automatically reconstruct and adjust the date.

Countdown Mechanics

Cakeday automatically calculates the exact number of days remaining until each friend’s next birthday. If the birthday is today, the indicator changes to a celebratory display. The countdown chronometer refreshes at midnight daily.

Age Calculation

If the birth year is supplied, Cakeday will display the person’s current age.

Detail View

The core display for a friend provides a complete summary:

Avatar and Name
Large countdown display to the next occurrence
Current or upcoming Age (if birth year is provided)
Side-by-side Solar and Lunar date
Western Zodiac Sign (Sun Sign)
Chinese Zodiac Animal
Ascendant (Rising Sign), automatically formulated via AstroCore or manually set