Best Apps to Get Notified When a New Anime Episode Comes Out on iPhone (2026)
You find out a new episode dropped when someone spoils it, or three days late when you finally think to check. A schedule app fixes that, but they do not all alert you the same way, or for the same shows. Here is which one to use, by what you watch and where.
Quick answer: To get alerted for the anime you follow on any streaming service, use a schedule app rather than a calendar website. Rexy, ours, alerts you at a lead time you pick: free for up to seven shows, iOS 26 or later. On an older iPhone, MeronPan and Anime Timer are free. If you only watch on Crunchyroll, its own app's notifications may be enough.
Why Your Calendar Never Tells You Anything
Most people start with a schedule website: Crunchyroll's release calendar, LiveChart.me, AnimeSchedule.net. They are good at answering "when does it air?" when you remember to ask. None of them can tap you on the shoulder, because a web page in Safari does not send alerts on its own.
An alert has to come from an app that knows three things: which shows you follow, when each next episode actually airs, and where you are, so it can convert a late-night Japanese broadcast into your timezone. Apps differ most on the second point. Some read real episode data that moves when a broadcast is delayed; others repeat a fixed weekly reminder that goes wrong the first week a show takes a break.
How to Set Up New-Episode Alerts on iPhone
Whichever app you choose, the setup is the same, and most "my alerts never came" complaints trace back to one of these steps:
- Install a schedule app and follow (or "favorite") each show you are watching this season. An alert only fires for a show the app knows you follow.
- Allow notifications when the app asks. If you tapped Don't Allow, open Settings > Notifications, find the app, and turn on Allow Notifications.
- Choose a lead time if the app offers one: at air time, or some minutes or hours before.
- Check your Focus modes. A Sleep or Work Focus silences apps that are not on its allowed list, and many episodes air late at night in US timezones.
- Leave Background App Refresh on for the app (Settings > General > Background App Refresh), so it can pick up schedule changes.
That is the whole job done by hand. What is left is picking an app whose alerts are accurate for the shows you actually watch.
Alerts for Your Shows, on Every Service
Follow a show in Rexy and it alerts you at the lead time you pick, with a countdown to the exact minute each episode airs in your timezone, from real episode data rather than a weekly guess. Every show you follow sits on one week view, whether it streams on Crunchyroll, Netflix or elsewhere, with a link to where to watch. Free for up to seven shows, no account. iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Vision Pro, iOS 26 or later.
The Best New-Episode Alert Apps, by Use Case
| App | Best for | Cost | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rexy | Alerts at a lead time you pick, any service | Free for 7 shows; Rexy+ $1.99/mo, $9.99/yr or $29.99 once | iOS 26 |
| MeronPan | A free calendar with alerts on an older iPhone | Free; optional donations | iOS 16.1 |
| Anime Timer | A countdown widget and a 10-minute warning | Free; $2.99 lifetime upgrade | iOS 17.6 |
| Simkl | Anime alerts next to live-action TV | Free | iOS 15 |
| Crunchyroll | Everything you watch is on Crunchyroll | Free app; some episodes need Premium | A Crunchyroll account |
| LiveChart.me | Android users | Free | Android app; web on iPhone |
Best for alerts across every service: Rexy
This one is ours, so weigh it accordingly. We built Rexy around the next episode rather than the last one you logged. Air-date alerts fire at the lead time you choose, and the times come from real episode data (Rexy reads air dates from AniList) converted into your timezone, so a delayed broadcast moves your alert with it. Its main screen, Watch Week, groups everything you follow that airs this week by day, with a next-episode card counting down to the minute, and Where to Watch links each series to the services that carry it. Rexy does not host or play video and is not affiliated with any streaming service.
Follow one series and Rexy follows the franchise, so a new season, movie, OVA or special shows up without you hunting for a new entry. There is no account and no sign-up; your list syncs through iCloud and recommendations run on your device.
Pricing: free for up to seven shows, alerts and countdowns included. Rexy+ is $1.99 a month, $9.99 a year or $29.99 once for unlimited follows, Live Activity countdowns on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, all ten themes and icons, and friend sharing. Not for you if: you are on Android, or your iPhone cannot run iOS 26.
Best free option on an older iPhone: MeronPan
MeronPan is an anime calendar with countdowns that sends a notification when a new episode of a show you follow is released, across streaming platforms. It is free, with optional donation purchases, and runs on iOS 16.1 or later, which makes it the first thing to try if Rexy's iOS 26 requirement rules your phone out. Its alerts arrive on release rather than at a lead time you set.
Best for a Home Screen countdown: Anime Timer
Anime Timer is built around one number: time until the next episode. Its widget puts that countdown on your Home Screen, and its alerts arrive ten minutes before a new episode airs, which is enough warning to get to the couch. It is free with a $2.99 lifetime upgrade and needs iOS 17.6.
Best for anime next to regular TV: Simkl
If your watchlist mixes anime with live-action series, Simkl keeps both in one tracker, and its free iPhone app sends alerts when new episodes have aired, plus notices for premieres and finales. It is a full tracker first, so it suits people who log every episode they watch. Alerts land after an episode airs rather than before. Our anime tracker comparison covers Simkl next to MyAnimeList and AniList.
Best if you only watch on Crunchyroll: its own app
Crunchyroll's app has notification settings, and its watchlist marks the shows you added when a new episode is up. If every show you follow streams there, turning those on is the simplest answer and costs nothing extra. It cannot see a show on Netflix, Disney+ or anywhere else, and it has no calendar of the week inside the app; our guide to the Crunchyroll release calendar explains where that lives.
Best on Android: LiveChart.me
LiveChart.me's free account adds opt-in notifications for the shows you mark, and on Android they arrive as push alerts from its app. There is no iPhone app, so on iOS it is a website with countdowns that will not alert you on its own. Our LiveChart.me guide for iPhone covers what to use there instead.
Which One Should You Use?
If you watch across several services on an iPhone that runs iOS 26, use Rexy for alerts ahead of air time and one week view of everything you follow. If your iPhone is older, start with MeronPan, or Anime Timer if you want a widget and a ten-minute warning. If you track anime and live-action TV together, Simkl. If everything is on Crunchyroll, turn on its own notifications first. On Android, LiveChart.me. And if the show you are waiting on has finished its season, an alert app cannot help until a date exists; our guide to finding when your anime returns covers how to tell a confirmed date from a rumor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What app notifies you when a new anime episode comes out?
On iPhone, Rexy (our app), MeronPan, Anime Timer and Simkl all send new-episode alerts for the shows you follow. Rexy alerts you at a lead time you choose and covers every streaming service, MeronPan and Anime Timer are simple free options for older iPhones, and Simkl puts anime alerts beside regular TV. On Android, LiveChart.me's app sends push alerts.
How do I get notified when a new anime episode comes out on iPhone?
Install an anime schedule app, follow the shows you watch, and allow its notifications when iOS asks. Then check Settings, Notifications, and the app's entry to make sure alerts are on and not silenced by a Focus mode. A calendar website will not alert you on its own; an app has to.
Does Crunchyroll notify you when a new episode is out?
Crunchyroll's app has notification settings, and its watchlist marks shows with new episodes, so it can tell you about shows you added there. It only knows Crunchyroll's own catalog, so a show on Netflix or another service needs a separate app.
Can I get an alert before an anime episode airs, not after?
Yes. Rexy lets you pick how far ahead its air-date alerts fire, and Anime Timer alerts you ten minutes before an episode airs. Alerts from a streaming service's own app usually arrive once the episode is up, not before.
Why are my anime episode notifications not working?
The usual causes are notifications turned off for the app in iOS Settings, a Focus mode that silences it, Background App Refresh turned off, or the show not actually being followed in the app. Air times can also move when a broadcast is delayed, so an app that reads real episode data is more reliable than a fixed weekly reminder.
Never Miss a Premiere
Rexy counts down to the exact minute each episode you follow airs, alerts you ahead of it at the lead time you pick, and links straight to where it streams. Follow one series and it follows the whole franchise. Free for up to seven shows, no account, nothing about your taste leaves your phone. Requires iOS 26.
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