Here’s how you can stay on task with Google’s help.
Over the years, Google’s allowed you to create basic to-do lists through its Tasks platform from a variety of different apps – including Google Calendar, Keep, etc. The system technically worked, but up until now, there’s been no single app that’s allowed you to view your reminders/tasks in one single area.
Thankfully, alongside the launch of the new Gmail redesign, that’s finally changing.
In addition to the new Tasks section found on Gmail’s desktop site, Google’s also released a dedicated mobile app for Android and iOS. It’s pretty barebones in its current form, but for folks that want to give it a shot, here’s what you should know.
The UI looks very Googely
As you’d probably expect, the user interface for Tasks is about as Google-like as they come. There’s a lot of white space, Google’s Product Sans font is in full effect, and there are plenty of rounded corners.
The overall design is a bit different compared to some of the company’s older apps, but it could be yet another glimpse into the rumored Material Design 2 scheme that we’ll see with Android P (and how about that bottom navigation bar? ?)
It’s not the best-looking app I’ve ever used, but it’s clean, functional, and keeps your tasks front and center.
You can make tasks as simple (or detailed) as you’d like
To create a new task, all you need to do is tap the large “Add a new task” button near the bottom of your screen. You’ll then get a pop-up with your keyboard to type in whatever you need to get done, and tapping the Save button will add it to your list.
If you want to add a bit more detail to your task, touching it in your list will show options for adding a description, due date, and any subtasks you want to go along with it.
There’s currently no way to add priority levels to tasks you create, and while this isn’t too big of an issue for basic lists, it could prove to be an annoyance if you’ve got a lot going on at once. Should Google decide to add this later on, we’ll be sure to let you know.
Tasks can be sorted manually or by date
By default, your tasks are listed in the order they’re created. If you want to move them around as you wish, you can hold down on a task and move it above or below any other ones you’ve created.
Alternatively, tapping the three dots near the bottom right will bring up an option to sort your tasks by the date they’re due.
Google Tasks ties in beautifully with the new Gmail
Once you’ve got access to the revamped Gmail experience, you’ll also have easy access to your Tasks from your desktop.
By clicking on the Tasks icon in Gmail’s new right-side panel, you can either manually type in new tasks or drag and paste emails to your list. If you do the latter of these two things, you’ll be able to quickly jump to the email the task was created from via the mobile app.
There are a few missing features
As positive as my early impressions are of Google Tasks’ new app, there’s still a lot that needs to be added. Some of the missing things I noticed include:
- Adding a time of day to due dates
- Recurring tasks
- Priority levels
- Snooze tasks
- Integration with Google Assistant
- Location-based reminders
- Etc., etc.
It’s still worth checking out
Despite its shortcomings, Google Tasks is still worth checking out. I imagine Google will be adding a lot more to Tasks over the coming weeks, and for anyone that’s been waiting for a proper to-do list app from the company, this is a decent start.
Download: Google Tasks (free)
