Let’s face it: life comes at you fast. Between juggling work deadlines, remembering to pick up the dry cleaning, and trying to drink enough water, your brain is constantly running at full capacity. For years, many of us treated the iPhone’s native Reminders app as a simple digital sticky note—a place to jot down a quick grocery list and nothing more. But while we weren't looking, Apple quietly turned Reminders into a productivity powerhouse.
If you are still just typing "Buy Milk" and hitting done, you are missing out on an entire suite of features designed to offload the mental clutter and actually help you master your day. The best part? You don’t need to be a tech wizard to use them. These features are built for everyday life, helping you remember the right things at exactly the right moments.
Here is how you can transform your iPhone from a distraction device into a personal assistant with these essential Reminders features.
1. Stop Scrolling and Start Typing Naturally
We have all been there: you open a to-do app, type in a task, and then spend the next thirty seconds spinning those little scroll wheels to set the correct date and time. It’s tedious, and it creates friction that stops you from adding tasks in the moment. The "Natural Language" feature in Reminders solves this completely.
Apple’s software is now smart enough to understand context. When you type a sentence, the app scans for dates, times, and even recurring keywords, automatically formatting them into a scheduled alert.
For example, instead of manually selecting a date, try typing these phrases directly into the task bar:
- "Pay rent every month on the 1st at 9 am" — This automatically creates a recurring monthly event.
- "Call Mom tomorrow morning" — The app knows "morning" usually means 9:00 AM.
- "Take out the trash every Tuesday at 6 pm" — You will never miss garbage day again.
Once you finish typing, you will see the date and time turn blue. This means the iPhone has recognized your request. Just tap the suggestion, and your reminder is set without you ever touching a calendar wheel.
Pro Tip: This works with Siri, too! You can say, "Siri, remind me to check the oven in 20 minutes," and it will set a precise timer-based reminder without you unlocking your phone.
2. Location-Based Reminders: The "When I Get There" Magic
Time-based reminders are great, but they aren't always practical. Setting a reminder to "Buy lightbulbs" at 5:00 PM is useless if you are still stuck in traffic or haven't left the office yet. You don't need to be reminded at a specific time; you need to be reminded at a specific place.
Location-based reminders utilize your iPhone’s GPS to ping you exactly when you enter or leave a specific area. This is a game-changer for errands that don't have a strict deadline but need to happen when you are in the vicinity.
Here is how to set one up:
- Create a new reminder (e.g., "Water the plants").
- Tap the "i" (info) button next to the task.
- Toggle on Location.
- Select "Arriving at Home" or search for a specific store, like your local hardware store.
Now, your phone stays silent until you actually pull into your driveway, at which point the notification pops up right when you can actually do something about it. You can even set reminders for when you get into your car. If your iPhone connects to your car via Bluetooth or CarPlay, you can choose "When getting in the car" to trigger a reminder like "Bring the return package."
3. Organize the Chaos with Subtasks and Tags
If your "Today" list looks like a never-ending scroll of doom, it’s time to organize. One of the biggest reasons people abandon to-do lists is that they become overwhelming. A task like "Plan Vacation" is too big to check off in one go, so it sits there for weeks, mocking you.
The solution is breaking big projects into Subtasks. This allows you to keep your main list clean while ensuring you don't miss the small details.
To create a subtask:
- Create a main task, like "Pack for Trip."
- Create smaller tasks underneath it, like "Buy sunscreen," "Check passport," and "Pack chargers."
- Drag and drop the smaller tasks on top of the main task, or swipe right on them to indent them.
Now, you have a collapsible list. You can hide the clutter when you don't need to see it, and expand it when you are ready to work.
Additionally, you can use Tags (hashtags) to view tasks across different lists. If you add #urgent to a work task and #urgent to a home task, you can simply tap the tag to see everything that requires immediate attention, regardless of which list it lives in.
Quick Organization Tip: Create a "Groceries" list and enable the "Automatically Sort" feature. Reminders can now automatically group your items by aisle (Produce, Dairy, Meat) so you aren't running back and forth across the store!
4. The "Remind Me When Messaging" Feature
This is perhaps the most hidden, yet most brilliant feature in the entire app. How often have you thought, "I need to ask Sarah about the potluck," only to forget entirely when you actually start texting her? We often get distracted by the conversation and forget the original reason we reached out.
Apple has a specific trigger for this called "When Messaging."
Here is how it works in the real world:
- Write a reminder: "Ask Sarah about the potluck."
- Tap the "i" button.
- Toggle on "When Messaging".
- Select Sarah from your contacts list.
The next time you open the Messages app and start typing a text to Sarah, a banner will appear at the top of your screen with your reminder. It’s like having a friend tap you on the shoulder to say, "Hey, don't forget to ask her that question!" It works perfectly for those non-urgent but necessary conversations that always seem to slip your mind.
5. Share the Load: Collaboration and Assignments
Managing a household or a team project shouldn't be a solo sport. The Reminders app allows you to share entire lists with other iPhone users, turning a static list into a collaborative workspace. Changes update instantly on everyone’s devices.
This is perfect for:
- Grocery Lists: Your partner can add milk while you are already at the store, and you will see it appear instantly.
- Chore Charts: You can create a list of house cleaning duties.
- Trip Planning: Everyone can add the attractions they want to see to a shared itinerary.
But Apple takes it a step further with Assignments. In a shared list, you aren't just dumping tasks into a communal pot; you can assign specific items to specific people. When you type a task, you can tap the "Assign" button (which looks like a little person icon) and choose a member of the shared list.
The assignee will get a notification that they have a new task. This eliminates the "I thought you were doing that" argument forever. If the task is "Pay the electric bill" and your face is next to it, there is no confusion about who is responsible.
Family Setup Note: If you use Family Sharing, you likely already have a "Family" list created in your Reminders app automatically. Check for it—it’s the easiest place to start testing out shared tasks!
By integrating just one or two of these features into your daily routine, you can stop worrying about what you might be forgetting and start focusing on what you are actually doing. Give the location-based reminder a try today—it might just be the productivity hack you have been waiting for.