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Apple Reminders is a free task management app available on all Apple devices. With the release of the first public beta for iPadOS 16, we can now explore the updates Apple has made to this app. Here’s a look at what’s new in Apple Reminders for iPadOS 16.
The most noticeable change is the new toolbar, which is now permanently displayed above your lists. Previously, in iPadOS 15, these icons appeared above the keyboard when editing reminders. Now, they’re always available and change depending on what you’re editing—whether it’s lists, smart lists, or reminders. You can even customize the toolbar to add or remove icons as needed.
This new toolbar opens up more ways to create to-dos, especially for setting date- and location-based reminders. It also makes it easier to start collaborating on your lists.
You can now pin lists to add them to the smart lists section of the app. To hide a smart list, you no longer need to go into Edit mode like in iPadOS 15; just long-press the smart list and hide it. Unfortunately, we’re still unable to rearrange lists this way and are stuck with the edit-and-drag method for now.
The smart lists section can hold up to nine lists, including the default ones. However, we discovered a way to add more than nine, though this might be a bug that will likely be fixed before the official OS release.
A great new feature is the ability to save lists as templates. You can name your template and choose whether to include completed reminders. By default, templates copy all incomplete reminders. You can easily access and manage your templates from the new top toolbar. Editing a template allows you to modify individual tasks or add new ones, making templates particularly useful for recurring projects.
Apple has also introduced a Completed smart list, where you can see all the tasks you’ve finished, regardless of which list they belong to. This is a handy way to track your progress across various projects. While you can still view completed tasks within individual lists, this new feature offers a broader overview.
One downside, though, is that Apple still hasn’t implemented a strike-through for completed tasks, which can make it hard to distinguish them from incomplete ones when viewing them within a list.
The Today list has been reorganized into Morning, Afternoon, and Tonight sections. Currently, these time slots are predefined, but we hope Apple will allow customization in the future.
The Scheduled smart list also received some improvements. It now provides a clearer view of when tasks are due. However, the presence of empty dates or months under Scheduled is a bit of a letdown, though some may find it helpful for planning.
Another improvement is the ability to view your lists and their tasks when tapping on groups in Apple Reminders. You can even create reminders directly below your lists in this view, streamlining the process of planning your schedule.
In iPadOS 15, we received notifications when someone assigned a task to us. With iPadOS 16, notifications have been expanded to include updates when someone adds or completes tasks in shared lists, enhancing collaboration.
Apple has also introduced formatting options for notes within reminders, allowing you to bold, italicize, underline, and create numbered or bulleted lists. While these options are a welcome addition, it would be even better if Apple could bring back the quick access icons above the keyboard for these features.
The app now lets you create more specific smart lists with additional filter options, making the feature more versatile for users.
Overall, Apple Reminders continues to improve with each iPadOS update, which is encouraging to see. The addition of templates, better scheduling, and note formatting are all positive steps forward. However, there are still a few key features we hope Apple will introduce in future updates.
