The ins and outs of scheduling alerts on your phone

We have revised this article. Initially released on June 24th, 2017

In today's fast-paced world, it's more important than ever to be able to recall information quickly and accurately. Your trusty smartphone can be of assistance. Besides being a camera, music player, and general-purpose communications tool, your phone can also serve as a combination secretary and to-do list to help you remember important tasks. As an added bonus, the alternatives to your notebook or stack of Post-it notes are far more sophisticated.

Tips for Creating Reminders on Your Android Device

Any task, at any time, from any location, can be prompted by a Google reminder. Prof. David Nield

The Google Assistant is preinstalled on all stock Android phones.

To do this, either go to Google and use the search bar to type "set a reminder," or you can simply say "OK Google" and speak your request. When you go to create a reminder, Google automatically asks if you want to include a time and location. A reminder can be set for a specific time, or for the morning, afternoon, evening, or the entire day. Additionally, Google has a cool feature that paper doesn't have: if you select a location, you'll be reminded the next time your phone detects you're in that area. If you forget your grocery list every time you go to the store, you can set your phone to alert you before you enter the store. The frequency of reminders can be set on a timer to occur at regular intervals such as once per day, week, month, or year.

Related: 20 useful commands to try with Google Home

If you want to avoid making a reminder and then filling in the details, you can instead incorporate them into the original command itself. As an illustration, you could tell your phone, "Remind me to wash the car tomorrow at 2 p. m ”

If you don't specify when or where you'd like to be reminded, the note will simply remain in your list of reminders until you delete it. To hear your current list, just say, "OK, Google, show me my reminders," and the Google assistant will read it aloud. The G button to the left of the search bar, followed by your profile picture to the right, is your secret button if you don't want anyone to know what you're up to. Find the Reminders option at the bottom of the page to view and edit existing reminders or add new ones.

The Google Keep app (also available on iOS) gives Android users an additional option besides the Google Assistant. Select Reminders from the app's main menu, then make a new note with a reminder attached. Once more, your reminder can have a time and location attached to it, and you can even make it a recurring event. For the time being, these reminders will remain separate as Google has not yet figured out how to sync them across its various apps.

Tips for creating reminders in the iOS system

Setting up reminders on Android and iOS digital assistants is very similar. You can set a reminder on an iPhone by pressing and holding the Home button to bring up Siri and saying, "Set a reminder." Whenever you activate Siri, she will inquire as to the nature of your reminder and store the resulting note.

You can't link a specific location or time to a reminder if you only use the "set a reminder" function. Nonetheless, if it becomes necessary, these specifics can be added to the original set of instructions. To set a reminder, simply tell Siri what you want to do, such as "Remind me to wash the car tomorrow at 2 PM" or "Remind me to buy flowers when I get home." You can always go back and check the reminder to see if Siri got it right, and delete it if she didn't.

[Related: Make Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant part of your daily routine to save time and effort]

Siri uses iOS's built-in Reminders feature to schedule these alerts. The app can also be used without speaking to set reminders; just open it and enter your instructions manually. A new reminder can be added by tapping the plus button (lower left). You can set reminders for times and locations, as is customary, but you can also assign them a priority, which simplifies the process of sifting through your to-do list. Moreover, you can set recurring reminders for the following days, weeks, months, or years.

In contrast to Google's compartmentalized approach, Apple's iOS Reminders app syncs with iCloud and macOS. Reminders for anything, with time or location tags where applicable, and the option to have those reminders repeat regularly; this is a slightly cleaner solution, but the end results are very similar across both operating systems.

Not a fan of the default settings in iOS and Android Many different third-party reminder apps are available to you. We can't go over everything, but we'll certainly highlight the most important points we've made. I encourage you to conduct your own research.

The well-designed Todoist app has been available for a long time, and it's free on both Android and iOS. Almost every aspect of your reminders—their timing, importance, location, label, and notification—can be tailored to your specific needs. Todoist's streamlined design is one of its best features because it makes it easy to monitor multiple projects at once. More importantly, it is compatible with the vast majority of electronic gadgets currently available.

Another well-liked reminder app for Android and iOS is Remember The Milk. While it may not have as many bells and whistles as Todoist, it still has a respectable set of options, including the ability to set reminders via text, email, mobile alert, or even Twitter, as well as the ability to tag tasks with a specific time and location. It also works well with other well-known programs like Evernote and Google Drive.

Connected: 20 great uses for Google Drive

The Microsoft digital assistant Cortana deserves a mention as well. Microsoft no longer offers this choice, as it was previously available on Android and iOS. Check out Microsoft To Do (available for free on Android and iOS) if you like Windows or are looking for an alternative to Cortana. The app syncs with Office 365 so that reminders and to-do lists can be accessed from anywhere.