Lifehack App Review: Due for iPhone

If you are anything like me, then if you don’t write down something to remind yourself of it later, it either won’t happen or will quickly forget about it. For most of all my task management I use the all-powerful OmniFocus, but if I have to remind myself of little things, especially if they are timed actions, then I find myself turning more and more to the reminder and timer app for iPhone, Due.

Let’s take a look at what Due has to offer.

Setting a reminder

One of the best parts about Due is how fast you can create a reminder or start a timer. Simply tapping on the reminder tab at the bottom of the app, tapping the add button in the top right, and then entering your requirements for you time reminder is all you have to do. Due includes a nice touch for reminders where you can add a repeat function to the reminder, like every week, or every 6 days.

There is also a bar on the reminder screen called “Quick Access Timings” where you can set times such as when you wake up, lunch, after work, or before bed. Then with just a tap the time in the create reminder screen will go to that specified time. It’s fast to set one of these quick times and then go from there.

Once you have reminders created you can swipe them to delete, duplicate, email, message, or even tweet them. There is also a very nice quick access bar on each reminder that speeds up the process of postponing a reminder until tomorrow, or moving it’s due date back an hour.

Setting timers is a fast experience too. Go to the timer tab, tap new timer, set your criteria, and you are done. To start a timer just tap the timer toggle and the timer will start.

Quick settings on a reminder

Due is all about simplicity. It doesn’t have a ton of features so the interface isn’t all clogged up with buttons, crazy repeat settings, messages, and confusing items. What I like the most about Due’s design is that it gives you access to features right when you need them. For example, after you have set a reminder and when you tap on it you get the quick action bar at the bottom of the reminder to postpone it, turn it into a repeat, etc. This type of “just in time” feature addition allows Due to keep a very streamlined and non-complicated interface. This is something that makes the app highly usuable and one that I find myself going back to more and more for timed tasks.

There are definitely some smart ideas built into Due like being able to use the Quick Access Timings when setting a reminder and being able to change those times in the settings of the app. Also things like default snoozing of reminders to every minute or every hour.

Another smart idea was to allow for your Due’s app badges to be controlled in such away that you can have a badge count for everything or only the things that you care about the most. This is another addition that Due makes sure that it is simple yet powerful.

Due also can use iCloud or Dropbox to sync all your reminders, alarms, and settings as well as keep them in sync with the Due app for Mac. The only thing that I tested was syncing my Due app with Dropbox and then restoring it. It works a treat.

Timers

There is only one real negative that I found with my experience with Due, and that is not being able to set a repeat on a reminder for every few hours and then also setting a “quiet time” for the reminder. For instance, if I want to be reminded to check email during the day, every three hours and then shut it off at 6 PM, I can’t do that. I’m sure that is a rare case, but is something that other apps like Alarmed can do.

Other than one small feature I feel is missing (at least for my workflow), Due is by far one of the simplest, cleanest, fastest apps for setting reminders and timers on the iPhone. The app will set you back $4.99 but I can’t recommend it enough.

CM Smith is a technologist, writer, and husband. He holds a degree in MIS and CMPSC from Penn State. CM is also interested in personal productivity, creativity and how to use technology to get things done. Check out his writing at devburner.net or follow him on Twitter.

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