Things 3.8
One of iOS’ best task management tools gets an upgrade
iPhone $9.99; iPad $19.99 From Cultured Code, culturedcode.com Made for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch Needs iOS 10.0 or later
Things 3.8 is the latest version of one of the most popular productivity tools on iOS. Version 3.8 introduces a new Dark Mode and allows you to swap between light, dark, and black. You can also set it to switch automatically based on the brightness of your device’s screen.
Since we last reviewed Things at version 3.4, it has also added support for Siri Shortcuts, allowing Siri to suggest common actions you perform as shortcuts on your Lock screen. You can also create your own, Siri–activated shortcuts for adding new Quick Entries, open lists, or adding a regularly–used to–do. You can also incorporate Things Shortcuts into workflows.
Things now also supports the new Siri watch face on the Apple Watch, iOS’ password autofill feature, and dynamic notifications that allow you to control how long notifications are snoozed for. Other improvements since 3.4 include better support for external keyboards on the iPad version, improved tagging, and better recognition of URLs.
In some senses, all those new features are the icing on what is a very impressive cake. Things’ method of working makes it very easy to use. You can sync it with Reminders and Calendar so all your to–dos and appointments appear in Things. Everything you add, by default goes into the inbox and you can then allocate it to a project. Or you can add items
within a project directly. You choose what works for you.
You can also group projects and individual tasks in Areas, such as work and family, and view them filtered by Area. Tap the Quick Add button at the bottom of the screen, and you’re given the option of creating a new task, project, or area, and everything flows from there. And if you currently use a different app to organize tasks, you can import data from those. There are built–in importers for Wunderlist and Todoist, and others are available via AppleScript from the official Cultured Code website.
Task management is outstanding. Double–tap a task and then hide the keyboard and you have access to a set of tools that allow you to move it to a different project, repeat, convert, or duplicate it.
The other area where Things stands out is in its flexibility when it comes to viewing tasks. The Today and Upcoming views allow you to see what you have planned that day or in the near future, whether it’s a deadline for a task, a reminder to begin something, or an appointment. AnyTime displays tasks that don’t have a set deadline but which still need to be done eventually, and Someday lists those tasks that are more aspirational and may be done at some point in the future. And if you have lots of tasks and projects on the go, the Quick Find box allows you to search for them by title or tag.
All of these features come at a price though. While many of its competitors are universal apps or offer free versions with paid upgrades, Things is charged on a per–app basis, which may make it pretty expensive if you want it on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
the bottom line. Things is a superb task manager, and the new features added since we last looked at it only add to its appeal. Keny Hemphill