Set up a pattern
Pick your kind of rota, start from a shape, say which day today is, check, save.
A rota that repeats every few days
Open Patterns and tap It repeats every few days
On a brand new account the same question is on Today.Under Start from a shape, pick the one closest to your rota
The same name means different things at different workplaces, so treat it as a starting point. Nothing close? Use Build my own: set Days in the cycle and tap Start with a blank cycle.Check the Name
It starts as the shape’s name. Up to 60 characters.Make Your cycle match your rota
Tap a shift, then tap the days it goes on. Tap Day off to clear a day. Use − and + beside Days in the cycle to make it shorter or longer.Answer Which day of the cycle is today?
Or Which week of the rota is this week? for a cycle of whole weeks. Check the Today mark on the cycle lands where you expect.Check On your calendar from
Today, unless you want to fill in past weeks too. Any date within a year of today.Check Your shift types
See below.Tap Check what this will do
It says what saving will do before anything is written — for example Adds 182 shifts to your calendar, from 4 Nov 2026 to a year ahead.Tap Save and put it on my calendar
You see Saved — it is on your calendar.
Changed something after checking?
The shapes to start from
| Shape | Who works it | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 4 on, 4 off | Four 12-hour days, then four days off | 8 days |
| 2 days, 2 nights, 4 off | Response policing and fire watches | 8 days |
| 2 earlies, 2 lates, 2 nights, 4 off | A ten-day police rota | 10 days |
| 3 days, 3 nights, 6 off | Twelve-hour crews in industry | 12 days |
| 2-2-3 | Twelve-hour days, every other weekend off | 14 days |
| Earlies one week, lates the next | A two-week rota, weekends off | 14 days |
| DuPont | A four-week cycle that ends in a week off | 28 days |
| 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off | Offshore and site hitches | 28 days |
A cycle can be anything from 1 to 84 days (twelve weeks).
The same every week
Open Patterns and tap The same every week
Change Your week to match yours
It starts as Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, with weekends off. Tap a shift, then tap the days it goes on. The name starts as My week.Check On your calendar from, then Check what this will do and save
Matching the shape to your shift types
A shape uses parts like Day, Night, Early and Late. Under Your shift types, each part is matched to one of your shift types with the same name and hours, where you have one. Change any match from the list.
- A part set to New — for example New: Day · 07:00–19:00 — is made for you when you save. The check says how many it will make. You can change its name, colour and times later in Shift types.
- Only shift types with a usual start and end can go on a pattern. Archived types cannot.
Two shifts on one day
For a split day — a morning call and an evening call — turn on Two shifts on one day, tap a shift, then tap the days that have it as a second shift. Tap No second shift to clear one. A day can have up to two.
Days skipped at a clock change