Tasket is a service that syncs your Google Tasks list with your iOS Reminders list. It performs this magical feat pretty much flawlessly, using a Microsoft Exchange server to do the syncing,. On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Internet Accounts. In the list of accounts on the left, select the account. In the list of features on the right, deselect Reminders. To use the account again with Reminders, select the Reminders checkbox. The account’s reminder lists and reminders reappear. The Reminders app has been completely rebuilt with an all-new user interface and more powerful features, making it easier than ever to create, organize, and keep track of reminders. New edit buttons Quickly add dates, times, locations, or flags to reminders using the new edit buttons, all without having to go to another view. Choose Apple menu System Preferences, then click Notifications. Select an app in the left column. To change the notification style, select Banners or Alerts. You can also control other features here, such as whether notifications appear on your lock screen or include a preview. Released in 2011 as part of iOS 5, Reminders lets you create to-dos that sync across all your Apple devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. You don't need a good memory if you know. The Google Calendar app helps you spend less time managing your schedule and more time enjoying it. Available on Android, iPhone and iPad.
When Google unveiled its brand new Tasks app earlier this year, my heart skipped a beat. Would this be the all-encompassing tasks and reminders app I’ve been waiting for Google to release for years? Would I finally have an easy and direct way to create reminders and tasks with all sorts of handy features?
As you might remember, that was not the case at all. The anemic Tasks app feels like a half-baked idea which got tossed together and released in a few days time. As we know, that’s par for the course with Google.
While that disappointment stung a bit, I haven’t given up hope for the tasks/reminders app that I know Google can make. But what is taking so long?
The current status of Google reminders
When you think about it, reminders are one of the things smartphones were seemingly designed to do. For years, I lived and died by the Tasks section of Outlook. I made reminder tasks for literally everything I needed to do throughout my work day, no matter how mundane. My co-workers thought I was crazy.
But the Tasks section of Outlook was connected to my computer, not my smartphone. I’m sure Outlook’s app abilities have come a long way in the past few years, but when I got my first smartphone, there was no way to create Outlook tasks and have my smartphone notify me easily. So I quickly moved away from Outlook tasks and started using apps.
I was never thrilled with any of the apps I tried. It wasn’t until 2015 when Google started allowing users to create reminders in Google Now that I truly found what I was looking for. The Google Now reminders would pop up on my phone, allowing me to be reminded of things no matter where I was. They were simple and easy to create.
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A short time later, Google brought similar reminders to Google Calendar, allowing me to both see my reminders laid out in a calendar format as well as create new ones right in the app. Eventually, I was getting reminders on my phone and desktop browser. Yes!
Then Google brought reminders to Google Assistant, allowing me to create alerts using my voice. Now notifications are going off on my phone, my desktop browser, and my Google Home hardware. I will never forget anything!
But even with all these great strides in reminder creation and delivery, Google has yet to release a standalone app that is only about reminders. It also hasn’t added new capabilities to reminder functions that would make the service even more integral to my (and I’m sure many other people’s) life. Why not?
The current limitations of reminders
With the current state of reminders, I can create time-based and location-based alerts in one of three ways: through Google Assistant, through Google Calendar, or in the Google app. Some methods are easier than others, but they all get the job done.
But these reminders I’m creating aren’t very robust. For example, I can only input basic text with no formatting options, not even bold. I can’t make a list, I can’t create hyperlinks… I can’t even add a line break. I’m not expecting a full-on text editor, but being able to at least do some amount of formatting would indeed be nice.
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Once the reminder is created, there’s not much I can do with it. I can alter the date/time of the reminder, make it a recurring reminder, or change the text, but I can’t customize it in any way. For example, I can’t color-code reminders. I also can’t easily duplicate reminders, I have to either set it up as a recurring thing or manually create multiples.
In fact, outside of Google Calendar, I can’t organize my reminders in any way at all. I either have the calendar view or a simple list of reminders in the Google app that displays them in order from coming up next to coming up furthest from now.
When it comes right down to it, Google has given me the most fundamental set of tools to create reminders, which I appreciate. But just imagine all the possibilities that a true Reminders app could have…
My vision of a true Google Reminders app
In my vision, I imagine a standalone reminder app. If Google wants to still allow the creation/completion of reminders in other apps like it does currently, that’s fine, but a standalone app is necessary.
In this app, I can create reminders with a plethora of options. I can stylize text, create links, create lists, categorize reminders, and color code them.
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I can duplicate reminders, change the alert notification sound, and set conditions. As an example of a condition, I could say I want to be reminded to buy milk next time I’m near a particular store — but only if I’m there when the store is open. That way if I’m walking by the store on my way home from a night out, I don’t get reminded to buy milk when I can’t do so.
Perhaps the most important thing of all that I can do with this fantasy Google Reminders app is to share reminders. For now, I have to set reminders to help me remember to remind other people about things. This is madness! I should be able to create a reminder and then hit “Share,” and then that reminder gets added to the recipient’s calendar (with their approval, of course). I can do this with calendar events, but not reminders. Why?
I’m sure there are more features of this hypothetical Reminders app that I haven’t even thought of yet, but that would all be a terrific start.
I don’t want any old app – I want a Google app
Before you blow up the comments section of this article to tell me about X app that does some of the things I want, or explain to me what Tasker is (trust me, I already know), let me save you the time: I don’t want these features from a third-party service or to manually create a pseudo-app myself. I want this Reminders app to be part of the Google ecosystem.
The reason I want a legitimate Google Reminders app is because reminders are already integrated into my Google life. Google Assistant, Google Home, Google Calendar — reminders are all there, and all work fine. A third-party app can’t give me that kind of integration, and neither can Tasker.
Google already has everything it needs to create the reminders app I want. But for whatever reason, it hasn’t made it yet.
Help me Google; you’re my only hope (to not forget important stuff).
NEXT: Google’s endless app overlap: what is going on?
When it comes to managing to-dos on iOS, you already have Reminders baked into your iPhone and iPad. But if you are on the lookout for something different, then Google Tasks is one of the popular alternatives on the App Store.
And just like with all Google apps, Tasks is meant to shine on Apple’s mobile operating system.
But how do Reminders and Google Tasks stack against each other on iOS? Is it worth ditching Apple’s offering in favor of Google’s? Time to take a closer look and find out.
How They Look
Both Reminders and Google Tasks are quite different in terms of aesthetics. Reminders seemingly has that typical iOS design flair to it, with paper textured lists — akin to the Notes app — featuring big and bold headings that you can easily switch to.
Google Tasks, on the other hand, sports Google’s now wide-spread Material Design 2.0. Easy navigation controls at the bottom of the app ensures better one-handed usage compared to Reminders. Switching between lists via the hamburger menu, for example, feel easier on iPhones with larger screen sizes.
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Both Reminders and Google Tasks let you manage lists quite easily. Creating new lists from scratch (or deleting them) is seamlessly implemented.
And as mentioned earlier, Reminders features all your lists prominently within the main interface itself, while Tasks requires that you use a menu to access them. It's a clash between instant visibility of your lists versus the convenience of single-handed usage.
That aside, things do get interesting with Reminders. You can switch between various colors for your list headings for organizing your lists and items in a better way.
And then there's the Scheduled list, which is a master list of sorts that features scheduled to-dos taken from every other list. That contrasts sharply with Google Tasks, which requires you to check the lists for anything that you may have scheduled individually. Yes, you rely primarily on notifications, but it's always nice to see what’s on the table at a glance.
And if you use iOS’s Family Sharing feature, you also have a separate list that you can easily share with your family members. Just add whatever you want into the Family list, and they should sync over to everyone else seamlessly. Cool stuff.
Dealing With To-Dos
When it comes to creating to-dos, both Reminders and Tasks make it pretty simple to do that. With Reminders, just hit the ‘+’-shaped icon, type what you want, and you are good to go. With Google Tasks, that huge Add a New Task button lets you create to-dos in a jiffy.
Both apps also provide the ability to add notes to your to-dos, specify times to receive notifications, and even set certain tasks to recur (hourly, daily, weekly, etc.). Reminders also provides an option that lets you prioritize to-dos, which makes for a nice touch.
But this is where Reminders actually has a superior advantage over Tasks — location-based reminders. And with that feature, you can specify the app to notify you of a to-do whenever you enter or leave a location. It’s super-easy to set up, and works phenomenally well.
And the possibilities are pretty much endless. You can, for example, set a reminder for your shopping list to show up whenever you are in the vicinity of your local supermarket. Phenomenal.
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Click here to see our google tasks articles pageSiri Support
Siri entirely integrates Reminders. If you hate typing, you can tell Siri to add your to-dos quite easily either by using the 'Hey Siri' voice command or after activating it manually.
And you can also ask her to do just about anything that you would normally do otherwise — setting recurring tasks, adding location-based reminders, etc.
When it comes to Google Tasks, the lack of support for Siri really hurts. Aside from asking her to open the app for you, you need to do everything else yourself.
Note: For location-based reminders to work via Siri voice commands, you need to save whatever locations that you want to include as contacts first via the Contacts app.Supported Platforms
With Reminders, you are restricted to the Apple ecosystem (iOS and macOS), and no support for Android. However, you can access Reminders from any desktop via iCloud.com if you don't mind the general sluggishness of the user interface.
With Reminders, you are effectively restricted to the Apple ecosystem — iOS and macOS
With Google Tasks, you can access your list of to-dos from pretty much any device. It has a dedicated app for Android which is integrated into Google Calendar on desktop. And yes, Google Calendar is also a web app, but it's far more polished and easy to use compared to iCloud.com.
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As you saw, Reminders beats Google Tasks solidly in terms of the features that it offers. But in the end, all depends on what you prefer.
If you like Apple’s approach to-do management, such as the nifty location-based notifications, tight integration with Siri, etc., then Reminders is the obvious fit. Or if you want something more simplistic, and has widespread availability on multiple platforms, then Google Tasks is the way to go.
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So, what did you ultimately decide to settle with? Drop in a comment and let us know.
Next up: Did you know that Microsoft also has its task management app on iOS? Check out how it stacks against Reminders.
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