Google debuts a standalone to-do app, Google Tasks

Along with today’s big reveal of the redesigned version of Gmail, Google also more quietly introduced a new app that ties into its suite of productivity applications: Google Tasks. The app, as the name implies, offers you a dedicated place to create, view and edit your task list and to-do’s, including those created from within the new Gmail or from Google Calendar.

While Gmail had before supported task creation, it was more buried in its user interface. With the revamp, however, Tasks gets a bigger billing – it, along with Google Keep notes and Google Calendar – can be popped up right in Gmail’s sidebar with just a click.

With the influx of new users coming from Gmail, it makes sense to create a dedicated Google Tasks app, as well. After all, to-do’s aren’t something you only access or think about while in your inbox.

The app itself is a fairly standard take on to-do lists. You can create and manage your task list in the app, and break down tasks into subtasks. The drag-and-drop interface lets you prioritize your tasks, and you can set a “due date” for reminders on those you don’t want to forget. The app keeps things simple by not allowing you to set a time to be reminded – just a the date. That’s not going to work for everyone, though – some people will want to configure things more precisely.
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On its own, none of what Google Tasks offers is that remarkable. Instead, what makes the app worthwhile is its integration with the other Google services you use, like Gmail and Calendar. Being able to access the tasks you created elsewhere is useful, as is syncing your changes back to the inbox. Plus, you’re able to trace a task back to its source email in Gmail, and view them on your Google Calendar.

The app is also now considered a part of Google’s G Suite, which means Google doesn’t consider this some sort of mobile “experiment” that it will later ditch, leaving you to find a different to-do list app yet again.

The app is available as a free download on iOS and Android.