Your iPhone is full of default apps you might overlook. But Apple Reminders? It deserves more attention than you think. It’s a task list app that’s free on all your Apple devices and can send location reminders when you drive past the grocery store.
Who is behind Apple Reminders?
Apple Inc. has a history dating back to 1976, when Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne founded the company in Cupertino. What started as a computer company grew into a technology giant that redefined the smartphone industry.
Apple Reminders itself came much later, in 2011 with the launch of iOS 5. The idea was simple: build a native task manager that worked seamlessly with Siri, the new voice assistant Apple had just introduced. Through deep integration with Apple Maps, the app could also send location-based reminders, which was pretty innovative at the time. You could literally set your phone to beep as soon as you arrived at the hardware store.
Today, the app runs on more than 2 billion active Apple devices worldwide. The tool comes pre-installed on every iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and supports natural language input. You just type “do groceries tomorrow at 2:00 PM” and the app understands what you mean. For a free, pre-installed app, Apple Reminders has evolved into a surprisingly capable task manager.
Who is Apple Reminders for?
This app is built for people who are fully in the Apple ecosystem. If you have an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, everything automatically works together via iCloud. Families like to use it for shared shopping lists where everyone can add items. Students appreciate the simplicity and the fact that they don’t have to download or pay for an extra app.
But there are clear limitations. Android users can’t install the app, so if your team or household has a mix of phones, it gets tricky. Windows users can access it through the browser at iCloud.com, but that’s a slow and limited experience. And if you need complex project management with Gantt charts, dependencies, and time tracking, then Apple Reminders is too simple. It’s a task list, not a project management suite.
What can Apple Reminders do?
Apple Reminders offers surprisingly extensive functionality for a free app. Here are the main features:
- Smart lists: The app automatically generates lists like ‘Today’, ‘Scheduled’ and ‘Flagged’. This way you can see at a glance what has priority without having to build filters yourself.
- Location-based reminders: This is where Apple Reminders really excels. Set a reminder that goes off as soon as you arrive at or leave from a specific location. Handy for “don’t forget to empty the washing machine” as soon as you get home, or “ask for discount” when you walk into the electronics store.
- Siri integration: Just say “Hey Siri, remind me tomorrow morning to put out the trash can” and it happens. The voice recognition works surprisingly well and recognizes dates, times and even locations.
- Share lists: Invite other iCloud users to a shared list. Everyone can add, check off or edit tasks. Perfect for family groceries or a vacation packing list.
- Tags and priorities: Organize tasks with custom tags and mark important items with a flag. You can also add subtasks to break up larger tasks.
- Add attachments: Add photos or scanned documents to a task. Handy if you want to save a screenshot of an order or a photo of something you need to buy.
- Column view: View your lists in a Kanban-like layout with columns. Not as advanced as real project management tools, but clear and organized.
- Natural language input: Type “call dentist Tuesday at 3:00 PM” and the app automatically sets the date and time. Works reasonably well, although it’s less powerful than what Todoist offers.
The sync via iCloud works incredibly fast. Check something off on your iPhone, and it’s gone on your Mac within a second too. That reliability is a major plus compared to some third-party apps that sometimes experience hiccups.
What does Apple Reminders cost?
Here comes the best news: Apple Reminders is completely free. There are no paid subscriptions, no premium versions, and no hidden costs. If you have an Apple ID, you can use the full functionality without ever having to pay.
You also don’t need a free trial, because there’s nothing to try out that will cost money later. All the features mentioned above are included in the app by default. That makes Apple Reminders an attractive option if you don’t have a budget for tools like Things 3 (which costs about 50 euros for the Mac version) or a Todoist Premium subscription.
All you need is an Apple device and an internet connection for syncing. The app also takes up hardly any storage space on your phone, since it’s a system app that comes pre-installed.
What should you watch out for?
Apple Reminders has clear limitations you should know about before relying on it completely.
The biggest problem is the lack of start dates. You can only set a deadline, but not indicate when you want to start working on a task. For people who work with the Getting Things Done method or projects with multiple phases, this is frustrating. You see all tasks with a deadline, but not when you need to start them.
The platform limitations are also significant. There is no native Android app and no Windows application. Technically you can access your tasks through iCloud.com in a browser, but that web version is slow and lacks a lot of functionality. If you regularly switch between different operating systems, Apple Reminders quickly becomes impractical.
The natural language input works reasonably well, but doesn’t match Todoist. More complex sentences are sometimes misinterpreted, and you can’t set multiple parameters at once like “every Monday at 9:00 with high priority and work tag”. You have to manually adjust those things after creating the task.
The smart lists are useful but limited in logic. You can’t create advanced filters like “show all tasks with tag X AND high priority BUT NOT in list Y”. For power users who want to organize their task list in detail, this feels restrictive.
Finally, some users miss functionality like recurring tasks on specific weekdays (for example “every first Monday of the month”), time tracking, or productivity statistics. The app is intentionally kept simple, which is an advantage for some but a dealbreaker for others.
Apple Reminders alternatives
If Apple Reminders doesn’t quite fit what you’re looking for, there are good alternatives:
- Todoist: Choose this if you need a cross-platform solution that works on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac and in any browser. Todoist has more powerful filters, better natural language input and productivity statistics. The free version is usable, but for advanced features you pay about 4 euro per month.
- Microsoft To Do: Go for this if you work a lot with Outlook and Microsoft 365. The integration with your email and calendar is better than with Apple Reminders, and it works on all platforms including Windows. Also completely free.
- Things 3: Choose this if you’re willing to pay for a premium experience. Things 3 has a beautiful design, strict GTD methodology with projects and areas, and more powerful organization options. Downside is the price: about 50 euro for Mac and 10 euro for iPhone, without subscription model but also without cross-platform support.
Each of these alternatives has specific strengths. Todoist wins on flexibility and platform support, Microsoft To Do on business integration, and Things 3 on design and GTD implementation. Apple Reminders wins mainly on price (free) and convenience if you already have Apple devices.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about Apple Reminders:
Is Apple Reminders free?
Yes, the app is completely free and comes pre-installed on Apple devices. There are no hidden costs, premium versions, or paid upgrades. All functionality is available as soon as you log in with your Apple ID.
Can I use Apple Reminders on Windows or Android?
There is no native app for Android or Windows. You can go to iCloud.com through a web browser to manage your tasks, but that web version is slower and lacks features like location reminders. For daily use on those platforms, it’s not ideal.
Can I share lists with others?
Yes, you can share lists with other people who have an iCloud account. Everyone who has access can add, edit, or check off tasks. This works well for family shopping lists or shared projects, as long as everyone uses Apple devices.
Conclusion
Apple Reminders is a solid task list app that derives its strength from deep integration with the Apple ecosystem. The location reminders, Siri support, and reliable syncing make it a convenient choice for iPhone and Mac users. The fact that it’s completely free is a big plus.
But the limitations are clear. No Android or Windows support, no start dates, and less powerful organization options than paid alternatives. If you’re looking for a simple task list and already have Apple devices, this is a logical choice. Do you work cross-platform or need more complex project management? Then you’d be better off looking at Todoist or Microsoft To Do.
For average use – shopping lists, daily tasks, simple reminders – Apple Reminders does exactly what it needs to do without fuss. And that’s sometimes worth more than all the advanced features you’ll never get around to anyway.
