Everything New With the iOS 15 Notes and Reminders Apps

[juan_ozuna]

The one thing I'm really hoping for in the Notes app is the ability to zoom in on my handwriting. I've gotten used to that feature in Notability, and if it came to Notes, I might drop third-party apps altogether. The handwriting is just so much better in Notes.

 

[MisterSavage]

I never opened it until about 9-10 months ago, but now there isn’t a single thing I don’t add to it and it’s probably the most important app on my phone and I would have a hard time living without it now.

Same here. I create at least a reminder a day.

 

[suns93]

and Im still waiting for Notes app to be supported on Apple Watch. why its not there yet? ?

Goodness it would be so nice to see and update our grocery list while in the store on my AW rather than pulling out the phone.

 

[svish]

Quick notes with iPadOS is a great feature. Did not install beta. Looking forward to using it in the final version of iPadOS 15.

 

[CarlJ]

I’m still gonna use OmniFocus for my reminder-type lists, but this update looks like they’re getting much more useful.

I don’t see any indication of an escape mechanism for the @ and # though. If they don’t offer one, it’s going to make it very hard to, say, write a note with some text explaining how Notes and Reminders work, where you mention a lot of fictional people like @alice and @bob and @charlie, without Notes “helpfully” trying to give editing access to actual people.

(Or, say, you paste in a tweet that you want to refer to later, and Notes tries to extend shared note access to the names @-mentioned in the tweet.)

And you couldn’t, say, put a snippet of C code in a note that contains #include <studio.h> (“#includes” are found in essentially every C program) without Notes “helpfully” making “#include” into a tag for you.

This makes Notes (and Reminders) less useful for arbitrary text, unless they include some sort of escape mechanism.

 

[vbctv]

Notes and reminders need
* Markdown!
* Links to and from entries
* Integration into each other
* Mail & calendar integration is also a disaster

Why can't I integrate a reminder into a note?
Why can't I link from a calendar event to a note?
Why can't I generate a note or reminder from a mail? Including backlink of course?

Hell, there is so much potential that Apple does not care of.

PLEASE, Apple!

See iOS 17, lol.... I think Apple focuses more on basic workflows for business and personal. For advanced workflows they will always suggest 3rd party apps. I use Reminders, Calendar and Notes for both personal and my business. My entire business uses the iCloud and I have no issues using it the way it is. I used Reminders before it's redesign and subtasks and made it work for me. There are ways to do things without have the features there if you think outside the box...

 

[lexvo]

I was a long time Notes user until they changed the sort order of the search results. I have like 1500 notes and when I do a search the result come up now in a seemingly random order which makes it unusable for me. Therefore I switched to IAWriter and 1Writer which present the search results the way I want.

 

[OliOliOliOli]

I will switch from Evernote to Note, havé enough of this app!

 

[ignatius345]

Funny, I have been doing DIY hashtags in Notes for quite a while now -- just so that I can search for (say) "#macreference" in the text search field. I wonder if Notes will recognize those as hashtags or if they have to be added as such as they're written.

 

[ignatius345]

I may be in the minority here but I have a hard time remembering to even use the Reminder app.

I use Things, myself, but it does lack two things I need: the ability to share a list with my wife and the ability to create location-based reminders. So I end up having to relegate a few lists like groceries to Reminders and use Things for everything else.

And honestly it's pretty damn convenient to just tell Siri "add eggs to the Grocery list" and know it's on both of our phones without my having to open the app or type at all.

 

[ignatius345]

I activate Siri and say “Remind me tomorrow at 9 am to bring pillows” that she will create a reminder for that. NOPE she adds it to my grocery list!

Open Settings > Reminders and check what your "default list" is.

 

[Yendog]

like a lot of people on here I live by these two apps. Glad they are still paying attention to them

 

[manofthematch]

There are ways to do things without have the features there if you think outside the box...

Well, I should think outside the box because Apple core tools still lack core features?

So, what should I do if i want to link to a note from a calendar event?

I need workarounds like the hook.app to accomplish things like that. Or buy tools like Agenda or Noteplan. I guess that's why Apple always keeps its apps two steps behind the third party tools -- they generate additional cash flow

I should buy more Apple shares.


EDIT: And by the way -- I am hoping that one day Apple will introduce a global tagging system: I want to search with spotlight for #ProjectACME and get all reminders, notes, files, mails, events ... and I want to store that search as a kind of smart folder, so that I can always see all kinds of things related to that project.

It would be so cool. And so obvious to build. So, Apple, please?

 

[d4cloo]

Reminders is still useless to me. What I am looking for is integration into iCal and Mail, and Apple providing an API for third-party apps.

• e.g select text (if not auto-detected as a potential reminders event) in Mail and right-click “set reminder for this”, then having Reminders populate a new item.
• See my active reminders visualized in iCal.

 

[manofthematch]

e.g select text (if not auto-detected as a potential reminders event) in Mail and right-click “set reminder for this”, then having Reminders populate a new item.

GoodTask (based on reminders) can do this. In Mail select text, then go to Menu Mail->Services->Add Selection to GoodTask. --> this will create a new reminder with that text. I bought it for 10$, now costs 40$

See my active reminders visualized in iCal.

Fantastical provides this for $$$.

 

[urnotl33t]

Reminders needs context. I want my completed items to disappear and not do it manually. Aka grocery list. I can star certain items to always stay put and not erase, aka milk eggs etc. but the others auto delete a day after having been completed. Also I’m hoping in iOS 15 when I activate Siri and say “Remind me tomorrow at 9 am to bring pillows” that she will create a reminder for that. NOPE she adds it to my grocery list! So I ask her again “create a new reminder” etc so many different ways and she simply doesn’t understand I just simply want to be REMINDED! Are you kidding me. Idk how to even explain, reminders is SH&t put simply and complete trash View attachment 1826678

Settings - reminders - default list

 

[urnotl33t]

The most infuriating thing about Reminders has always been that you can’t delete the reminder from the notification. Particularly irksome when you view the notification on Apple Watch and can’t delete it without first opening the app on iPhone. Ashamed to admit I only skim-read the article so don’t actually know if this will be fixed, but I doubt it.

"Mark as completed" on the notification. I do it regularly with my Apple Watch. If you still "see" it, then you have "show completed" turned on. Turn that off.

 

[urnotl33t]

I set reminders constantly using my Apple Watch and CarPlay. I love these changes that help with organization.

Yup, it's nice with HomePod too. "Hey Siri, add bananas <half second pause> Apples <pause> rice <pause> and bread to my grocery list", and it adds all of those as individual items. Not bad. Gotta have the short pause tho, but not TOO long.

 

[urnotl33t]

Goodness it would be so nice to see and update our grocery list while in the store on my AW rather than pulling out the phone.

Make a "grocery" list in reminders. I switched mine that way and do exactly that. Apple Pay with the watch on the way out, too. Phone stays in the car with my wallet (hidden).
Then you tell Siri, "add butter to my grocery list". Boom. HomePod does it too.

 

[urnotl33t]

Well, I should think outside the box because Apple core tools still lack core features?

So, what should I do if i want to link to a note from a calendar event?

I need workarounds like the hook.app to accomplish things like that. Or buy tools like Agenda or Noteplan. I guess that's why Apple always keeps its apps two steps behind the third party tools -- they generate additional cash flow

I should buy more Apple shares.


EDIT: And by the way -- I am hoping that one day Apple will introduce a global tagging system: I want to search with spotlight for #ProjectACME and get all reminders, notes, files, mails, events ... and I want to store that search as a kind of smart folder, so that I can always see all kinds of things related to that project.

It would be so cool. And so obvious to build. So, Apple, please?

Three dots on a note, share note, swipe over to "copy link", tap the yellow "copy link" again. URL in your clipboard.

I wager when IOS 15 is done, you can search tags in spotlight. Saving a search, ..unlikely.

@jclo can you check?

 

[suns93]

Make a "grocery" list in reminders. I switched mine that way and do exactly that. Apple Pay with the watch on the way out, too. Phone stays in the car with my wallet (hidden).
Then you tell Siri, "add butter to my grocery list". Boom. HomePod does it too.

I truly appreciate the tip, hadn’t thought of that. Unfortunately my particular use case relies heavily on sharing the list with my wife. Losing that feature would be worse than gaining AW compatibility.

 

[urnotl33t]

I truly appreciate the tip, hadn’t thought of that. Unfortunately my particular use case relies heavily on sharing the list with my wife. Losing that feature would be worse than gaining AW compatibility.

You can share reminder lists, too. Activities sync.

 

[manofthematch]

Three dots on a note, share note, swipe over to "copy link", tap the yellow "copy link" again. URL in your clipboard.

This works only on iOS, not on macOS. And it needs internet, because it is a workaround with iCloud instead of x-callback-urls.

 

[Jim Lahey]

"Mark as completed" on the notification. I do it regularly with my Apple Watch. If you still "see" it, then you have "show completed" turned on. Turn that off.

But I want to delete them. I don’t want a hidden list. Or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

[ignatius345]

Yup, it's nice with HomePod too. "Hey Siri, add bananas <half second pause> Apples <pause> rice <pause> and bread to my grocery list", and it adds all of those as individual items. Not bad. Gotta have the short pause tho, but not TOO long.

I didn't know to try the pause! I've been just doing a whole separate command for each item, like a caveman.