No, I’m not mixed up. There isn’t a specific example to give, because I’m describing an observable feature that occurs every time you use the calendar app on your Apple device. I’m not sure how you aren’t understanding what I’ve described.
Anytime you create an event in your Apple calendar, it offers you the option to set an alert. You can then edit the event and add a second alert.
The app is programmed so that the alert is ALWAYS the one that happens closest to the event, and the second alert is ALWAYS the one that happens farther away from the event, which means that, in time, it happens first. The app overrides any effort by the user to set up the second alert to occur later in time than the alert. This happens every time. Try it for yourself and see.
For example, if I create an event to occur tomorrow at 2 pm in my time zone, and then set an alert for 10 minutes before, it’s straightforward—I’ll get an alert at 1:50 pm in my time zone.
If, however, I edit the event and try to set an alert for an hour before (1 pm) and a second alert for 10 minutes before (1:50 pm), the system will automatically switch it so that the second alert occurs an hour before, and the alert occurs 10 minutes before.
So tell me, in what universe is the “second” alert at 1 pm, while the other alert is at 1:50? Clearly, 1:50 is later than 1, so it should be the “second” alert. It comes after the first alert. That’s how we describe the order of things.
There are other posts in this community where other users have described their frustration because they think the system has a bug since it switches the alerts. I’m definitely not the only one who finds this illogical. Every person I’ve talked to about it (friends, colleagues) also agrees that the logic is entirely backwards.