Google Tasks upgrade brings Assistant integration and will replace ‘Reminders’

As we’ve been expecting since June, Google is “simplifying [its] task management solutions by migrating Assistant and Calendar Reminders to Google Tasks.”

The years-old Assistant Reminders offering is quite bad. Adding them via “Hey Google” voice commands is fine, but interacting via touch using the Google app on Android or assistant.google.com/reminders results in a slow, laggy experience.

Fortunately, Assistant Reminders, which can also be found in Google Calendar, are being moved to Google Tasks and getting a big upgrade in the process.

The primary enhancement is Google Assistant integration so that you can create Tasks with “Hey Google” on phones, Smart Displays, and speakers.

Hey Google, remind me to call dad every Thursday at 6pm

L-R: Google Reminders, Assistant, Tasks

Everything you create will show up in the Google Tasks list across the Android and iOS mobile apps, as well as the Workspace sidebar in Gmail, Drive, Docs, etc. You can specify a date and time to get notified of to-dos. Other existing integrations include the “Add to Tasks” button in Gmail and Google Chat.

This big Google Tasks upgrade that replaces Reminders and adds Assistant is rolling out in the “coming months.” Once live, you’ll be able to opt in to this new experience before it takes place for all users by migrating existing reminders into Google Tasks:

…when you use Assistant or Calendar to create or view reminders, you’ll see a notification on your phone or computer that will prompt you to be one of the first to try the new Tasks experience. Simply open the notification to move your reminders into Google Tasks so you can manage all your to-dos in one place.

As part of this, “Reminder” will disappear from Google Calendar’s FAB, with “Goal” also going away starting in November.

Looking ahead, the Workspace team will “invest in Google Tasks and expand its capabilities to help you capture, organize and accomplish all you have to get done.” Namely, the reminders system in Google Keep will not be migrated and remain the same.

Moving reminders into Google Tasks is one step closer to helping people effortlessly get things done, and we are so excited to bring it to you.

More on Google Tasks:

• Google Calendar removing ‘Goals’ from Android and iOS this year [U]
• Docs checklists can now be assigned and appear in Google Tasks
• Google Tasks rolls out the ability to star important to-dos [U]