So apparently, my current To-Do app has quit reminding me. About anything. Y’all do not want to know how long it took me to notice. (Nothing to remind me, right?)
So, I need a new phone reminder app. This needs to be separated from alarm clocks, and from Google Calendar or anything synched like that.
It needs to handle recurring items (my daily Rx, a few weekly chores) along with sudden one-off things. It needs to be FREE though I don’t mind ads in return. If there’s a way to categorize items, such as choices of colors to code things, that would be a big plus.
ColorNote is free and has no ads, but you have to pay if you want online sync, or sharing across multiple devices. The free version does create local backups, though.
I quite like using Wunderlist, though I just found out that it was bought out by Microsoft and is intended to eventually be replaced by a Microsoft version called “To-Do”. It’s pretty great for setting up lists, including reminders, recurring tasks, etc. It’s cloud-based, so you can also share lists with other people (and I presume sync them across multiple devices) - I share several lists with my wife, such as shopping lists, tasks that need to be done, etc. which is great for staying coordinated when we aren’t in the same location. It’s also completely free, somehow!
I used to use Colornote. Simple, effective, highly recommended.
But the past couple of years I’ve come to just rely on the default android (google, not that it matters) “Calendar.”
I use Cozi. It’s free and easy to use. Reminders are built right into the interface for entering appointments, and can be customised from a couple of weeks in advance to 15 minutes. The free version allows two reminders for each event. The pay version allows three reminders for each event.
You can link in other family members, so if it’s something your spouse needs to know about, both of you get reminders on your own phones.
For keeping track of appointments, etc., I use Google Calendar.
For reminding myself to do things in the near-short term (e.g., today I had to park in a different lot because my usual lot is closed for an event), I set an alarm on my phone.
For reminding myself to do things further out, I have a text file on my phone I check regularly to see what’s what.
For my work I love using Trello for project management and collaboration with teammates. Google Calendar is huge in my personal life. Oh and Flowster for recurring work-related tasks and SOPs.
OP here, bumping this thread because I’ve accumulated a few bucks in my Google Play account and would be more than willing to use them for an upgraded or better designed app.
So my “free” restriction is no longer in place. No longer a cheapskate!
Anyone know of, like, the most kick-ass reminder app on the planet, with good customization and features?
One really important feature: I need recurring reminders, and I want to set them for various intervals: hourly, every 3 hours, every 12 hours (esp. helpful for 1st thing in the morning, then after my shift is over) as well as daily or weekly. Or every Sat/Sun is a good one.
If I miss or ignore a recurring reminder, I need it to still remind me on the next scheduled timeframe!!
The one I’m using now does not do this, and it’s becoming a huge problem. It’s like the program shrugs and goes, “Well, guess it wasn’t all that important to you, huh.” Missed reminders go into the archive and no longer activate. Fuckin pain.
I use Google Keep for lists, and Gmail for reminders. To create a reminder I email myself a message, then Snooze it until a later date/time. When that date/time arrives the message appears at the top of my inbox.
An alternative would be to use Google Calendar. Create calendar events and notifications and it will do the same thing, only better, and handle repeating reminders as well.
Since you referenced Google Play, you’re on Android, which means some of my usual recommendations won’t work for you. It sounds like your needs are pretty simple, so normally I would recommend Things as a lightweight task manager for people who haven’t used anything beyond a stock reminders app and a calendar before. Since you’re not on iOS, your best alternative is probably Todoist, which is cross-platform and also has the advantage of being free for basic users.
I tried using Todoist for about a month when I was evaluating task managers a couple years ago. What knocked it out of the running was the lack of support for start dates, which let you cut down on clutter when you just need to look at what you can do right now, not stuff that’s scheduled for the future and can’t even be started yet. Good points: decent natural language parsing, available on just about anything that you can connect to the internet, good collaboration tools, web API for automation/integration with various online tools and services. Bad points: non-native apps (on macOS and iOS) with various tiny annoyances in how they work and look, no start dates, ongoing costs if you need the more advanced features vs. a one-time purchase as with many other apps.
I personally use 2Do (which I just found out has an Android version; I thought it was only macOS/iOS). It is a bit more for people who need something to help them keep track of a lot of projects and tasks, well beyond a simple task-list/reminders app. It’s not particularly cheap, but it’s worth it if you need a more powerful tool. I’ve been using it full-time for about 3–4 years now and it does everything I need. Sync is pretty quick and solid, looks good, supports URL schemes and Siri Shortcuts for automation. I actually bought it on a recommendation from way back, but used it only sporadically until I realized I really, really needed a good task manager.
For anyone reading this who isn’t constrained to Android/Windows, Omnifocus is the task manager you pick when using a sledgehammer to swat a fly feels too lightweight and you’re tempted to use a pile-driver instead. People who actually need it swear by it, but Omnifocus felt a little bit like overkill when I tried it, even with the metric-shitload of work projects and recurring tasks I have to keep track of now. If you need all the bells, whistles, and capabilities, it’s pretty much the gold standard of task managers. I just found the learning curve to be a bit too high when I had already been using 2Do for a while and hadn’t found any real limitations beyond not being able to make sub-lists inside checklists and projects.
