The Reminders app on the iPhone is probably one of the most underrated apps Apple has ever created. On the surface, it’s a simple to-do list app: you can use Siri to add reminders, get notifications, and check them off. But hiding beneath the surface is a complex program, with features that help you do things with the right context and at the right time. You can organize your list as a Kanban board, set blaring alarms for important reminders, manage tasks from the Calendar app, and generate your own Smart Lists. Here are 10 ways to get the most out of your Reminders app:
Use “When Messaging” to get a reminder when texting a specific contact
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If you have something to ask your friend or colleague, but you forget, there is a feature in Reminders that can help. “While Messaging” links an action to a contact, so the next time you text them, Messages reminds you about it. This feature is a bit hidden, though: when you create a new task, tap the “i” icon to go to the detail view. Scroll down and enable the “When messaging” toggle. Next, select a contact from your contact book. The next time you talk to them on iMessage, you’ll get a notification from the Reminders app.
Use the Kanban view for complex lists
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Kanban View transforms your list into a column-based interface. Any section you create becomes its own column. This works best on a Mac, but you can easily scroll columns on an iPhone as well. I find this scenario ideal for anyone using an assembly-based task management workflow, where you need to track work between multiple steps. For example, my article management list might have multiple sections: “Pitches,” “Approved,” “Writing,” “Editing,” “Published,” and so on. This way, I can easily track the progress of each of my articles. You should experiment with how a column-based interface can help you. Start by creating sections. tap on menu button, select Add sectionand give it a title. Then, tap View as columns button from menu To switch to Kanban view. For more information, see my A detailed guide on using the Kanban view in Reminders.
Use Calendar’s built-in reminders feature to sync tasks in both apps
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If you’re a visual planner, you’ll want to see your tasks along with your events as you plan your day. But not all calendar events can be tasks. You can solve this problem By turning your reminders into calendar events. The feature is enabled by default: all you have to do is set up the Calendar app. All your reminders with due dates and times will automatically appear in the Calendar app, complete with checkboxes. You can drag and drop a task into the calendar and there’s also an option to add a task to Reminders from within the Calendar app. Just hit plus button and then switch to Reminders tab
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Organizing a shopping list can be a challenge. You have a long list of things to pick up, and you end up running from wing to wing. Instead of using a dedicated grocery shopping list, use the auto-organized “grocery” list built into Reminders. If you’re using iOS 17 or higher, you’ll see a suggestion to create a new grocery list after you start entering items. If not, you can tap plus button to create a new list, and select Groceries in “List Type”. Now, when you insert a new item in the list, it will automatically be categorized. Sourdough would go in the bread section, tomatoes would go in the produce section, chicken thighs would go in the meat section, etc.
Set alarms so you never miss important reminders
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It’s easy to miss reminders if your iPhone is away from you or if you’ve enabled Do Not Disturb. It can spell disaster for especially important alerts. Instead of setting a separate alarm from the Clock app, you can now add an alarm to any reminder Using the new Urgent setting on iPhones running iOS 26.2 and higher. Go to the detailed view of the task, assign a due date and time and then enable “Urgent”. (The first time you do this, you’ll get a request to integrate with iOS’ alarms.) Now, when a reminder is due, you’ll see a full-screen interface with the reminder at the top. As with traditional alarms, there will be an option to slide to stop, and you’ll also see a big blue “snooze” button.
Create a shared list to assign tasks to family members or team members
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Reminders has a built-in collaboration feature that you can use to create shared lists with your family members and your coworkers. It’s not as feature-rich as a dedicated tool like Todoist, but for day-to-day task sharing, it’s more than adequate. Go to the list, tap Share it button, and choose how to share the invitation—either using Messages or Mail. Once they are added to the list, you can assign the task by simply typing “@ his name“In action.
Use templates to quickly reuse existing lists
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If you find yourself using the same list over and over again, you should turn it into a template. That way, the next time you need it, it will automatically populate with the same sections, tasks, and subtasks, without having to recreate those items from scratch. To get started, go to the list, tap menu at the top, and select Save as template. Give the template a name and save it. The next time you want to create a new list based on a template, tap menuchoose Samplesand select a template to recreate the list.
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Use subtasks to create complex workflows
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Each task in Reminders can contain multiple subtasks, and each subtask can have its own due date, notes, tags, assignments, and more. This allows you to break down complex tasks into a visual hierarchy without a complex project management application. It all works with one simple gesture: first type your main task, press Enter, then start typing your subtask, which will initially appear as another task entry. For example, in your newsletter list, you could have a main task called “Update Interview Section” with sub-tasks like “Schedule Interview with Guest” and “Approve Questions”. After writing your subtask, swipe right on a task and select indent to indent it. It will attach as a subtask to the task immediately above it. This is now a subtask. You can now expand or collapse the main function.
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Tags help you stay organized without putting in the work. When you’re adding tasks, start by tagging them with a category using “#” icon. Use tags like #work, #shopping, and #home. Then, tap a tag to see all the tasks associated with it. At the bottom of the home page in the Reminders app, you’ll see all your tags. Tap a tag to see all tagged tasks.
Use Smart Lists to organize reminders
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Once you get the hang of subtasks and tags, start using Smart Lists. Smart Lists in Reminders are customized filters that you can stack to create highly specialized collections of tasks. For example, you can create a smart list that includes all tasks tagged with “#work”, set up in your office, due in a week, and assigned to you.
To create a custom Smart List, go to the Reminders home page, tap plus At the top and in to create a new list list typeswitch to Smart list. Then, from Manage Smart ListsEnable the filters you want. This can be based on tags, flags, due dates, locations, priorities and tasks in other lists. A new custom list will appear on your Reminders home screen. You can pin it to the top section if you want to use it often.
