AppAdvice Daily: Learn How To Master Reminders And How To Use Siri To Help
by Robin Rhys
February 3, 2012
The Reminders app seems easy enough to use, so why don't you use it more? Today you are going to learn how to master Reminders, and how to use Siri to help. Are you ready to become a power user? Watch the show to find out how. You can thank us later.
There are five different types of reminders in the Reminders app: let's dive right in and see what we can do.
Lists
Lists are created on you iDevice, and are great for things like shopping, house to-dos, Christmas, and birthdays. Lists are a great way to keep things organized within the Reminders app. You can't create a list using Siri, but once you create a list you can add to it using Siri. Below are some phrases that will be helpful when adding to a list.
Add 'cheese' to my 'Shopping' List
Add 'take out the trash' to my 'House To-Dos' List
Add 'candy' to my 'I Love My Boyfriend' List
Shared Lists
Once you create a list on your iDevice you can share it with other iCloud users. To do this you have to navigate to iCloud.com on your computer, login using your Apple ID and Password. Click on Calendar, and then select the List you want to share. Enter the email address of the iCloud user you want to share the list with, and you're ready to start sharing. Head back to your iDevice and start adding items to your shared list.
Add 'cheese' to my 'Shopping' List
Add 'take out the trash' to my 'House To-Dos' List
Add 'candy' to my 'I Love My Boyfriend' List
Location Based Reminders
Location based reminders give you the option of being reminded when arriving, or leaving, a certain location. However, in order to get this to work, you either have to be at that location, or have the location added into your address book. This sounds annoying, but most of the locations you will use this for are likely places your visit often. We suggest you add your local grocery store, Target, or Starbucks to your address book to make your life easier. Once you do this you can use Siri to remind you when arriving or leaving a location.
Remind me to 'get cheese' when I arrive 'at the grocery store'
Remind me to 'call my mom' when 'I get home'
Remind me to 'workout' when I get to 'the gym'
Time Based Reminders
Adding a location is nice, but not always necessary. Sometimes you just want a reminder at a certain time. That's where time based reminders come in. Time based reminders can be added manually, or you can use Siri to help.
Remind to 'workout' at '9 a.m.'
Remind me to 'call my dad' tomorrow at '8:30 p.m.'
Remind me to 'walk my neighbors dog' tonight
Recurring Reminders
Recurring reminders are similar to time based reminders, only they repeat. These are a must have if you take medication, or don't want to forget to feed your dog. You can add these manually, or use Siri to help as well.
Remind me to 'workout' 'every day'
Remind to 'call my mom' 'every week'
Remind to 'call my mom on September 26' 'every year'
Knowing all of the different types of reminders and how to use them, along with Siri, will help you become a Reminders power user! Watch the show to see all of these reminders in action.