/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10727397/akrales_180426_2511_0021.jpg "The recently merged Google Tasks and Reminders app proves to be surprisingly impressive")
Google has been teasing me with its to-do list app for the past five years. Initially, Google had big plans for its task manager tool, but then nothing happened. In fact, the situation got worse as Google launched multiple reminder-setting products that made it confusing to keep track of tasks. However, in recent months, Google has made some miraculous improvements. They have combined all their Tasks and Reminders products into a single tool that is accessible across various Google products. While there are still some missing features, Google Tasks has its unique advantages, and for the first time ever, I am actually enjoying using it.
The significant change made by Google was channeling all reminders into Google Tasks. Whether it’s setting a reminder through Google Assistant or adding a task from Nest Hub Max, everything goes into Tasks. Even tasks assigned in a Google Doc now appear in the Tasks list with a link to the document. This consolidation is a much-needed improvement, and it’s surprising that it took Google so long to make this simple change.
Google Tasks may not be as powerful as other project management tools like Todoist or Apple’s Reminders, but it has one advantage – ubiquity. If you use Google products, you can’t avoid Google Tasks. It’s integrated into Gmail, Docs, and other Google products. Tasks also appear in Google Calendar, and the mobile app is simple yet functional. The integration with Google Assistant is excellent, as you can easily check your tasks for the day with a voice command.
This level of integration ensures that you don’t miss anything on your task list and makes it effortless to add new tasks. I often struggle between overly complicated to-do list apps and simple tools that lack features, but Google Tasks strikes a good balance. Additionally, using Google Assistant to add tasks is the best capture tool I’ve come across. Within seconds, the task appears on my list, calendar, and next to my inbox, increasing the chances of me actually completing it.
The only drawback is the lack of integration with Google Keep. While you can add reminders to Keep, they don’t show up in Tasks. However, I can tolerate having separate note and task apps, especially since Keep seems to be an overlooked Google app.
One ongoing issue I face with Google products is managing multiple accounts. It’s impossible to view all tasks in one place if you have multiple accounts, making it challenging to stay organized. Google Tasks needs a unified view similar to Gmail’s “All inboxes” feature. Additionally, it would be helpful to have the ability to subscribe to Tasks, similar to subscribing to events in Google Calendar. However, these features are currently missing.
Given Google’s track record, it’s likely that Tasks won’t receive much attention for a while, and remaining issues won’t be addressed anytime soon. Nevertheless, it is now an app worth using. It doesn’t need to be a power-user tool; it just needs to be a reliable place to store tasks. In some ways, having multiple reminder tools is more troublesome than having none. Google has finally consolidated them into one app, which is a step in the right direction.
However, I don’t think I’ll ever get the perfect integration between Keep and Tasks that I’ve been hoping for. But I’ll accept what I have and make the most of it.