Can Apple Reminders Replace Your To-Do App? 

Grab your FREE Apple Reminders cheat sheet: peterakkies.ck.page/reminders-cheat-sheet

It's strange that Apple Reminder cannot be integrated with Apple Calendar.

Reminders are the way to go for me, I have ditched Things 3 a while back and never looked back. So many crucial features are missing from Things like location based reminders, attachment support, quick action icons for notes and mail, Siri integration with voice, collaboration on task / project etc etc. Reminders has it all, it's free, and built in to our ecosystem already!

IMO Apple Reminders already beat out Things3 in terms of functionality, but with iOS 16, it is a no brainer. With its Siri integration and other new features (filtered lists, attachments, location-based reminders, etc), Apple Reminders is so much better. I love the design of Things3, but even Apple Reminders has made some improvements there. I am managing some complex projects using Apple Reminders and haven't looked at Things3 in years now.

Some things I like in Things are - a focus on projects. Canceling a to-do. Moving things to someday. Auto-creation of multiple instances of a project. I agree - Reminders is great for lists. I also love the fact that Reminders integrates super well with Fantastical as I can look at my reminders and calendar events in one place. Both Reminders and Things can be used for light-weight lists and full on project management but they both have their core strengths. Right now, my setup involves reminders for simple tasks like pick up food but Things has more serious projects like "redesign website"

Here is how I use the apple reminders app. I use reminders to remind me when I should do my task. I use the calendar to set the deadline.

Although Things may make it easier for subtasks with date on your projects, you can do this within Reminders. Rather than create a subtask within the Reminder, create another Reminder with a date and then drag it on to the primary in order to display as a subtask. The date will not show under the subtask listing for the primary Reminder, but it is available through the display.

Man I love your style. Please stay original and please don't sell out. You just earned a subscriber. #salute

I find your videos very helpful. I often watch and rewatch. Thanks 🙂

Thank You Peter ! - You have a very charismatic approach to discussing Apple IT - Much Appreciated !!

Excellent paced tutorial! Thanks 🙏

Reminders is certainly enough for me I love it especially it’s integration with the Apple Watch.

Hi Peter, great info on the updates in IOS 16 for Reminders, getting really good. Convinced me to move from Things 3, thanks

With this video you got me as a new subscriber. Amazing info man, ill will purchase things 3 right now and use both apps

Thanks, Peter. Reminders, Notes and Things 3. All great at what they do. I like the connect between Reminders and Notes. Looking forward to iOS16.

As usual a great video by Peter, thanks

Moved back to Apple Reminders on the new Apple Betas because I'm fed up with Cultured Codes Things3 attitude to change their app to user requests - something simple like completing a reminder early. Only major issue with Reminders now is the UI. They need to give an option to hide/collapse Notes on individual reminders. As when viewing lots of reminders at once it all get messy if there's any reminders with even just a few lines of notes in them.

I needed this!!!

Thank you for the video. I'm going to try using apple reminders for a while and see if it works for me.

Great video and thank you very much for your great contribution. I have a confusion when I create a task with a due date but without a start alarm. for example I put a deadline on Friday but I don't want to put Monday as the start date. so how can i control the remaining time? That is, until Friday it would not appear in the tab today. then there is the possibility of not doing that task by not being able to control the remaining time. what is my mistake? Thank you!!!

I use calendar to schedule reminders, then Notes for supporting data to execute task in detail. Calendar has 2 reminder settings. Some require first reminder 24hrs notice, then I set 30minutes before event.

I have been trying to use reminders to stay organized with all my tasks, but was getting super frustrated with it. I have major problems with the practical side of doing things like copying tasks, using subtasks, moving reminders between lists and such. I just started with Things 3 and I am blown away by its design and ease of use. I might keep reminders for shopping lists and such. Other than that, I am transitioning to Things 3.

I agree on all points ;) For lists and if you want to share them with others and location-based reminders, Apple Reminders is great (Things 3 can't do that, for example). Todoist can do that too, but not in the free version. I think the idea of using Reminders as a (shared) shopping list, but also where a template makes sense, is great.

Great video. Last year Notes replaced my note-taking app and this year it looks like Reminders will replace my to-do app. Now if only Podcasts could become good enough to replace my podcast app…

Great videos Peter! I would love to go all in with reminders but it needs due dates and start dates like you mentioned. I just love Things 3 so much and it looks way nicer.

Finally #3 - I. find creating a "Next 3 Days" Smart List to be very useful. - - - Reminders provides the ability to designate a "Relative" or a "Specific" range for the dates. Creating such.a Smart List is a workaround for those people who crave a "Due Date" for Reminders.

I need the due and do-date distinction as well but regarding Areas in Things I think tags and smartlist in Apple Reminders can replace that.

wow I didn't know Reminders was this advanced. I do use Things 3 but I think I will start using reminders instead, I see it does exactly what I need and more! Thanks Peter!

I deleted things and switched to Reminder. Love that they added badges

Great video. It might confuse some, however, who don’t get betas. The template function and a few others won’t available to most users for a few more weeks probably when iOS 16 launches. When it does, I particularly look forward to the template function allowing lists.

What's a Macos/iOS app that's both an excellent journaling app AND an excellent todo list app? That would be THE app I really need. Thx

Peter, excellent video. I must have missed a point. It seems like a List or Tag in Reminders would achieve what you do in Things3 for projects and areas. In addition, reminders with Tags but not dates works well for me to process a list of an outstanding tasks. Also, I have a set of Tags I call my "When" Tags. They have simple values like "Today", "Hot", "Soon", "Someday". You can, of course, make a more elaborate set of "When" Tags. - - - My "When" Tags help me define a sense of urgency for tasks. Finally - Using a Smart List that selects a specific "When" tag and a specific List works well, too. Finally #2 - I have yet to come across an app that allows me to manual reorder a a set of tasks with my finger as easily as Reminders.

All I want from reminders app right now is the option to make certain reminders show up in the calendar app by either linking it to a calendar event or having a check box within the reminder item that says “show in calendar”. I’d much prefer the linking option so from the calendar Event I can link back to the reminder item. I use a lot of location base reminders also so under the today list in reminders. I would love if Apple moves you’re nearby to the top then morning afternoon and tonight just below it to the top also. I guess I’ll have to send them some feedback.

Bro I love this video #salute

Any idea how much data can be stored in the reminders app?

Thanks Peter! A nice and clear explanation. So funny to hear you say “it may be slightly different if your not on iOS 16 yet…” (03:22). Of course were are not. You are our laboratory rabbit 🐇 😉

Will you get a notification if you choose a day but not a time? For instance water the flowers tomorrow.

Hi Peter, your video on Notes and Reminder are good. but you get it wrong that the items in reminders would be "ident" hence grouped as "sub-tasks" to a task item, which behave like a project app.

Correction: Reminders does NOT send you individual notifications for tasks that do not have a reminder time. It DOES send you one notification daily at a time you specify for all of the items you have scheduled for that date, which includes those you didn’t set a time for. However, you have to turn this on in Settings. It’s not on by default.

Great video! I really want to make the move to Reminders. But it doesn't appear that I can migrate all data from Things 3. Any solutions?

Things 3 is my personal task/project manager. Other than medications and/or calendared appointments/travel arrangements there is very few alarms/notifications in my personal schedule/tasks list. For years I did the bing bang boom alarm for everything but no longer. If I find a task resides too long on my list, I consider the task unimportant and delete it or move it to Someday. The integrated calendar view is essential too. I view the Today list every morning(with the integrated Calendar), sliding the Things 3 tasks in descending order of importance or going into my Calendar schedule and altering those items if need be. The only list I share (Things 3 does not do) is a grocery list with my wife in Reminders. In a medium widget Stack View I have this shared Reminders list with the Things Today view widget. Above this stacked view is my Calendar Up Next medium sized widget. With a glance on my iPhone, I miss nothing. Things 3 is a much more relaxed approach to organizing/scheduling/tasking that I appreciate in my personal life. Anyway, horses for courses. I don't use either of these programs professionally.

How do set up repeating reminders? I can’t get this to work. I can set one up but it immediately reverts back to a one time reminder. Any help would be most appreciated. Thanks

Yes

It is possibile that reminder or Apple notes has a info into Apple calendar? For example Todoist Have it. I am looking something which my specify meetings are automatic added into calendar. Besides google keep have reminders, apple notes I don’t see it. Do you have any idea? And i dont Have a person icon yet n reminder so i cant send reminder to someone else.

Thank you , i like the video so much , there is a many new info for apple reminder , thanks again

I like Apple reminders. Handy for input from my watch. And lets you integrate with Microsoft To-Dos, handy as I can then use any device, including my watch to add Microsoft todos and can work across any device, iOS, android, Windows, MacOS...

Useful info. You mention you are in Toastmasters. Has the term “vocal fry” ever come up?

I have been torn on whether to use Reminders OR Things for a while now. This vid definitely makes sense but, as a minimalist, I want one app to rule them all. At the moment I primarily use Things 3 albeit integrated with Siri through Reminders. For actually getting shit done... a piece of paper with a short but considered list.

Unfortunately in iOS16 reminders still don't support file attachments (only pictures can be attached to a reminder). At least for me, it is a blocker, and I'll need to stay on Omnificus

Thank you for this - you have justified why I have been using Things since 2010. Apple just keeps falling short with Reminders in so many ways. Reminders is good, as you said, for simple lists - but when it comes to getting things done - Things is the winner. That's why I have been using it since day one. Thanks again - awesome video!

Location doesn’t work with my Reminder App (iOS 15)

Is there a way to search for a list in reminders? Not a reminder. But a list. Thanks

Things is great but I hate that i can’t see task in my calendar. Reminders and Calendars app works great together and it’s a 1 time purchase I believe it’s $9.99 and just became available on Mac OS as well. I love to see reminders and calendar view together.

Thanks! I just bought the Things 3 app. Is there a way to set a deadline for a "to do" within a project? I can't seem to find it. I do see a way to set a deadline for a project, but not a task within a project.

You said that you do not use Apple Messenger app, what do you use then to do SMS?

Do you know of a video course for learning Apple Reminders, similar to the wonderful course you have for Things 3? I'm thinking of recommending Apple Reminders to my brother. He's retired, has trouble with short term memory, and I don't think he needs the features of Things 3. So I'm looking for something simple, that I can help him with as needed.

How do I get Things 3? I have android system

How did you get your phone recording in your video?

I just watched to the whole vlog and I have to say I disagree with you in your summary at the end. You state that Apple reminders isn't any good for things you need to do?, that it doesn't make the distinction between projects and lists?? I'm surprised you said that.

I prefer Things over Reminder because when it sends a notification to my Apple Watch about a task at certain time of the day, I have the option to snooze it for 10 minutes, not 1 hour/day like Reminder. I rely on it heavily for taking medications.

The praise for Things’ “Upcoming” view puzzled me. Doesn’t iOS 16 reminder have the “Scheduled” view that’s essentially the same thing?

So the Things's Supporter n°1 speaking about Apple Reminder. Lets Reminder get a chance from this community 😇

For this dyslexic kid it’s all to complicated Maybe one day the penny drops Voice is a good way for reminders so simple Cheers

Totally replaced Things 3 with Apple reminders IOS 16 beta version, never going back.

I am having such a hard time trying to find something I love. I have two businesses and a house to take care of. I want it to be easy to get to, work on the computer and the phone and be project based but I also want it to work with the apple Calendar app which I'm not seeing Reminders doing at all. They should all work together. I was using OPUS 1 but that isn't really project based how I need it to be. ARGH!!!!

Really hoping Things 4 will be released soon. Fingers crossed :)

I just wish that Apple would make the web version of Notes match the iOS version. There isn't even a Today area on the web version, and this is even in the "new improved" beta iCloud site. Headscratcher....

why would it? it's already my favorite to do app.

Apple reminders is not safe the reminders might get deleted suddenly. Its not reliable at all.

Nice video, Pete. Still RedBull team will win =)

Who is Ece ?

I wanted to create a smart list that shows me tasks with no date (from selected lists)...but the problem seems to be that I can't select more than 1 list. Is that correct or am I doing smth wrong?

Sadly, the sub-task module is still hard to make and maintain, do-due date seperation is non existent and repeating tasks would break later tasks dates instead of leaving a copy like Things do, I’ll be on Things more even I like & prefer stock apps

After watching your videos on notes and reminders, I’ll remove all subscriptions that I have :)

No way either Things or Reminders could replace TickTick. After a lot of trial and error that app has the features I need including robust habit tracking.

I wish Apple cared about the absolutely awful browser version for Windows.

Reminders is so ugly tho. And that font? We. It looks like comic sans

Personally speaking, I didn’t expect a tutorial of the reminders app, I wanted you to actually answer the question which you put. Dislike from me.