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miamialley

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jul 28, 2008
3,614
1,093
California, USA
Coming back to iPhone from Galaxy S4, one of the things I've really loved about having iOS again on my phone is the reminders app. It's so simple, but so useful. It does only what it needs to and does it well.

I love having different lists for work, home, travel, etc. I love the sharing ability. Georeminders are awesome. I never used the app too much when it first came out, but incorporating into my daily routine has made me more organized.

I used to Evernote for these functions (still use it heavily for other things), but find Reminders better for these uses.
 
I like Reminders also. Does what I need it to do.

Liked S-Memo on my S4. But, the custom roms I was running started to not include it. Had to unzip a stock rom and re-install it.

I thought I would miss some apps coming to the iPhone. But, have found comparable if not better ones for my needs. I also like having a couple dozen apps on the phone as opposed a couple hundred. Even when I debloated still had well over a hundred. Although, some were rooting/rom flashing related.

I do use Evernote a lot also.

:):apple:
 
I'm using GoodTask, actually a Reminders client - but it adds some nice functionalities to Reminders like custom repeat, calendar view etc.
And personally I love the UI a lot more than Apple's Reminders.
 
I thought this article was kind of interesting: http://www.macstories.net/stories/why-i-left-icloud-reminders-for-todoist/

It really reemphasized to me that all our use cases for apps are very personal (and may change as our needs do). Reminders doesn't do it for me...I need things a certain way as far as lists go, and I've yet to find one tool to handle them all. But my husband adores it, especially the Siri integration, and has never tried any other to-do app. (Whereas I've tried all the major ones, and never ever use Siri for anything!)
 
I used to use it but now use Wunderlist. It's been greatly improved and is free on my Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Aside from the slick interface, Wunderlist does two things I really like that Reminders doesn't: it has sublists and allows you to set a due date without having to choose a time of day. Reminders requires you to chose a time, which always bugged me. Wunderlist will also put your to-do items on your calendar, if you wish.
 
I used to use it but now use Wunderlist. It's been greatly improved and is free on my Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Aside from the slick interface, Wunderlist does two things I really like that Reminders doesn't: it has sublists and allows you to set a due date without having to choose a time of day. Reminders requires you to chose a time, which always bugged me. Wunderlist will also put your to-do items on your calendar, if you wish.

+1 for Wunderlist. I still use the Reminders app for personal stuff but I use Wunderlist for my work projects and I assign tasks to my Associates and Coordinators with it. It's very collaborative. The subtasks and additional notes you can add are a fantastic feature.
 
I use the stock calendar app for reminders. What am I missing?

The stock calendar app isn't designed for task or project lists. Other apps are better suited to this, including the stock Reminders app. But if the Calendar works for your needs, then you're not missing anything.

Many people use calendar (only) apps for scheduled events, rather than specific to-dos they need to accomplish. Then there are also combined calendar/task apps, such as Fantastical, Calendars 5, and Pocket Informant, that perform both functions, but the stock calendar doesn't provide that option.
 
I am trying out Todoist (after seeing the article on Macstories), but I am still not really seeing its strengths compared to other todo apps. The annual subscription fee also concerns me, but I will give it a whirl.

Currently, I am using reminders to serve as a quick to-do list. I will type out stuff I need to keep track of in the Drafts app, then export it as a list of reminders which I can check in Fantastical and check off accordingly. Working fine so far for basic tasks like names of pupils who haven't submitted their assignments to me. :p
 
The stock calendar app isn't designed for task or project lists. Other apps are better suited to this, including the stock Reminders app. But if the Calendar works for your needs, then you're not missing anything.

Many people use calendar (only) apps for scheduled events, rather than specific to-dos they need to accomplish. Then there are also combined calendar/task apps, such as Fantastical, Calendars 5, and Pocket Informant, that perform both functions, but the stock calendar doesn't provide that option.

Thanks. I'll check it out.#
 
I am trying out Todoist (after seeing the article on Macstories), but I am still not really seeing its strengths compared to other todo apps. The annual subscription fee also concerns me, but I will give it a whirl.

Currently, I am using reminders to serve as a quick to-do list. I will type out stuff I need to keep track of in the Drafts app, then export it as a list of reminders which I can check in Fantastical and check off accordingly. Working fine so far for basic tasks like names of pupils who haven't submitted their assignments to me. :p

Todoist definitely has its weaknesses, but so does all the other to do apps I've tried. So far, Todoist has been great for crossing my business/colleagues and personal tasks in one app.
 
I also love Reminders. You can't beat Siri integration and device iCloud syncing. I mainly use it via Fantastical integration on the phone.
 
Coming back to iPhone from Galaxy S4, one of the things I've really loved about having iOS again on my phone is the reminders app. It's so simple, but so useful. It does only what it needs to and does it well.

I love having different lists for work, home, travel, etc. I love the sharing ability. Georeminders are awesome. I never used the app too much when it first came out, but incorporating into my daily routine has made me more organized.

I used to Evernote for these functions (still use it heavily for other things), but find Reminders better for these uses.

One of the thing I love about Reminders is you can just easily check on due or overdue items off in Notification Centre. No need to go to the app.
 
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I use the stock reminders app as my grocery / household items list. I create a list for the 3 stores we frequent (add an item with the address of the store so the list open when I arrive at the store).

So easy to use Siri to add items to the list.
 
It's been one of my most used apps since it was released in iOS 5, and became exponentially more useful when they allowed you to re-order items and iOS 6.

It's perfect for me, a simple straightforward app with several means of notifications. I have a list for timed reminders, personal to-dos, school, work, and a "today" list. I sometimes wake up and remember something in the middle of the night and can access my lists any time.

The only bad thing, since iOS 7 (amd worse in iOS 8) location based reminders are flaky.
 
I find all of them lacking in the "alert" function. I want it to go off almost like an alarm clock. Nothing I have tried gets close to that. I just get a simple alert and I usually miss it.
 
My problem with the app is I have 10 lists and if there is a due item, once you're in the app, there's no way to tell which lost has a due item. The badge count on the app icon lets me know but after you open the app it's hopeless. Does anyone at Apple even use this app? Am I missing something?
 
My problem with the app is I have 10 lists and if there is a due item, once you're in the app, there's no way to tell which lost has a due item. The badge count on the app icon lets me know but after you open the app it's hopeless. Does anyone at Apple even use this app? Am I missing something?
Tap the alarm icon to get a scheduled list which should show you which ones are due and from which list.
 
I really like the stock reminders app also. I'm having a problem with it though. I get notified when my reminders come do whether it is time based or location based, however; it does not place a badge on the reminders icon. I have checked settings and badges are enabled. Anyone else have this problem?
 
I really like the stock reminders app also. I'm having a problem with it though. I get notified when my reminders come do whether it is time based or location based, however; it does not place a badge on the reminders icon. I have checked settings and badges are enabled. Anyone else have this problem?
Unfortunately quite a few people have this issue. Hard to say why that's the case, but it's been like that for a little while now (at least as of iOS 7). Sometimes it takes some time for the badge to show up, sometimes opening the app gets it to show up, other times it just doesn't show up at all it seems.
 
I like reminders, but think the interface could use an overhaul. It just feels weird and needs a better way of organizing the lists and more label colors. I'm glad they finally made it so that you could share lists directly from iOS instead of having to use the website or Mac. Geofencing and Siri are the killer features. It's so fast to add something to the shared shopping list with my wife. I set up lots of reminders for when I leave work, which can vary from day to day, or for when I get home to do the recycling or whatever.
 
I like reminders, but think the interface could use an overhaul. It just feels weird and needs a better way of organizing the lists and more label colors. I'm glad they finally made it so that you could share lists directly from iOS instead of having to use the website or Mac. Geofencing and Siri are the killer features. It's so fast to add something to the shared shopping list with my wife. I set up lots of reminders for when I leave work, which can vary from day to day, or for when I get home to do the recycling or whatever.

Surprised that no one mentioned this earlier. I think this weird passbook-like interface is downright terrible; it doesn’t feel right even after the 100th time. I think integration with Siri is a good start, but it could be a lot better. You can’t seem to use Siri hands free and ask it to remove or mark existing reminders and when you ask for your groceries list, it will only read the first few items and then always ask ‘Shall I continue?’. (Not to mention that Siri won’t work without a data connection, which happens in some larger supermarkets to me.)

Wunderlist is the go-to app for me. I really hope to see some Siri developer APIs in iOS 9, so that these features are not exclusive anymore.
 
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