Google Tasks isn't really an app, it's a panel on the right side of Gmail and Calendar. That sounds like a knock, but it's the reason people use it, because it's already open.
It's also the reason it stops being enough. A sidebar can only be where the page is.
A panel, not an app
Open Gmail and it's the little checkmark on the right edge. Click it and there's your list, next to the email you're reading.
That closeness is the appeal. You don't switch anywhere, you don't wait for anything to load, and the task goes in while you're still looking at what caused it. For somebody who works out of their inbox all day, this beats a lot of nicer-looking apps.
The Gmail trick worth stealing
The best thing it does is turn an email into a task by dragging the email onto the panel. The task keeps a link back to the message, so the thing you owe and the email that asked for it stay together.
Add a date and it shows up on your Google Calendar too. Nothing was copied there, it's one task looking out of two windows, which is how this should work1.
The ceiling
Then you close the laptop. There's a phone app, and it's fine, but the rest of Tasks only exists where Google already is, so it's Gmail, Calendar, and that app.
You also can't share a list with anybody, which catches people out. Tasks was built for one person, so there's no way to hand your partner the grocery list. And when you're walking the dog and remember you need to call the vet back, there's nothing to say it to.
The ones that never make it in
So the tasks that reach it are inbox tasks, which is a real category and not a small one. What doesn't reach it is everything else in your life.
The vet, the tire that's low, the thing your kid mentioned at breakfast. Those all happen away from a screen, and by the time you're back in Gmail they're gone. Then your list looks like a work list, and you keep a second one in your head for everything else2.
Where to go from here
If you live in Gmail and your tasks are mostly emails, Tasks is doing its job and you should keep it. It's free and it's right there.
If you're tired of the second list in your head, you want one that answers away from a keyboard. 42 Todo! works that way. Say it to Alexa in the kitchen, type it into Slack, ask Claude what's due, check it off from the car, and it's one list underneath all of it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Tasks free?
- Yes, it comes with any Google account, personal or work. There is no paid version of Tasks.
What's the difference between Google Tasks and Google Reminders?
- Google folded reminders into Tasks, so the two are now one thing. If you set reminders through Google in the past, they live in Tasks now.
Can I share a Google Tasks list?
- No. Tasks is built for one person, so there's no way to invite somebody to a list. If you need a grocery list two people can both add to, you need something else.
Does Google Tasks work offline?
- The phone app keeps working without a signal and catches up when you're back online. The Gmail and Calendar panels need the page loaded, so they need a connection.
Footnotes
- Where Microsoft To Do runs out the same story on the Outlook side of the fence. ↩
- What a to-do list app is actually for why where you are when you remember something decides everything. ↩