I’ve been using Reminders for my to-do lists lately (see Switch to iPad #85). I like to rely on the default options, and while I’ve run into some smaller things with Reminders, I’m happy with it for the time being.
The Reminders app isn’t the best when it comes to adding actual reminders, though. While it does have natural language support, meaning that you can write “Call Helena tomorrow” and get the date set to tomorrow’s date, you have to actually tap the suggestion for it to get added. It misses the point, I think. And don’t get me started on all the things that are several taps away, hidden away behind that information icon – it’s just not as sleek as it could be.
Luckily, there’s an app called Remind Me Faster that sort of solves this.
Remind Me Faster isn’t an alternative to Reminders, it’s an extension of it. The only thing you can do in the app is add to-dos to your Reminders lists. Pick a default list, and write your reminder. It’s fast, with shortcut buttons for three specific times, and a nice date picker. I particularly like the +Xh buttons, though, which you can tap multiple times. If I want to set the reminder to three days from now, I’ll just tap +24h three times. And, obviously, there’s natural language support so that “Call Helena tomorrow” will create the Call Helena to-do with the due date set to tomorrow, no extra taps necessary.
Now, this all sounds great, doesn’t it? The app is free, too, which is great, until you realise you’re going to want to unlock a couple of features through in-app purchases. I’m not against this model, not at all, but Remind Me Faster sure is pushing it. You can play with most of these features before paying for them, which is nice, but I’d prefer a single unlock everything purchase, myself.
- Enabling natural language input costs $1.
- If you want to change the custom time presets, that’s another $1.
- Want to add more location presets? Yep, $1.
- Finally, you can get more icon variations for another $2.
- Oh, and there’s a tip jar too…
I’d rather pay $5 to unlock it all. Now, while I will unlock everything (because it’s a great app, and I’d gladly support indie developers putting out nice things like this), I really don’t care for additional icons or location presets. If you’re like me, you’d pay $2 and stop there, but if it was $5 to unlock “pro features” or whatever, you’d pay that. I guess the developer expects to add more features and charge for them in the future, which is a way to get more money from the user base (and honestly, better than a subscription for an app like this), but it still leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth.
The in-app strategy aside, I really like Remind Me Faster. I wish there was a widget, though, perhaps letting me stipulate different presets to launch the app in. This could be different lists, locations, or similar. It’d make it even faster to add reminders, I think. (Yes, I’d pay for that feature as an in-app purchase, ironically.)
If you’re relying on Reminders, then Remind Me Faster could save you some time. It’s certainly in the “nice to have” category, but it’s a staple in my workflow now, so I don’t want to go back to relying on Reminders only.
☑️ ☑️ ☑️ ☑️ of 5 — Great!
Remind Me Faster is free, with several in-app purchases.
