Did You Know You Can Sync Tags in Apple Reminders & Apple Notes?

While re-organizing my Apple Notes and Apple Reminders, I discovered that tags sync between the two. This feels like the first step to something, we might see in the next iteration of these two apps.

Every week, I try to improve how I organize everything.

I become obsessed with managing everything I want to do or need to do under the false impression the existence of tasks will motivate me to get them done.

What I have learned is that is never the case. But I have also known I enjoy organizing things and trying things out. Call it a hobby, or call it what you want.

Recently, I found myself inspired by Federico Viticci’s decision to update how he uses Reminders. Instead of having many lists for everything he is working on, he has opted to put everything into the single Reminders lists. Opting instead to use the available tags to create smart lists.

The “smart” feature is the ability to create lists by a single tag or many tags.

How to Make a Smart List

To make a “smart” list, you are by creating a standard list. Name the list, and choose a color and icon. You need to check the boolean titled “Make into Smart List.”

After clicking the “Smart List” checkbox, your options expand from not only choose tags but a dropdown option of Date, Time, Priority, Flag, and even Location.

The plus sign on the right means you can add even more requirements to your smart list. To keep in mind, though, all conditions must be met in the smart list for the tasks to show up. If you choose two tags, only those reminders with both tags will show up.

I took one look at my dozens and dozens of Reminder lists and decided I would attempt to do something similar.

On my way to doing this, I decided to organize my notes in Apple notes.

I struggle to decide which notes app to use. I’m enjoying using Craft for work and Obsidian for personal stuff. Right now, Craft allows me to sync notes to my calendar events. As a Project Manager, I take notes for every internal and external meeting. Ever since Craft made this possible, I’ve found it essential to my daily workflow.

But sometimes, I wish I could use Apple Notes since it’s so well intertwined with the entire Apple ecosystem.

I would go all in, save for Apple’s insistence on not using Markdown and making it impossible to import and export notes.

Of the note apps I use, nothing yet beats Bear Notes. They are the king of import/export note functions.

Tags can Sync

While organizing notes, I noticed that I was tagging some of my notes the same tag options I use in Reminders were showing up in Apple Notes. This fascinated me since I could sync my notes to my reminders and vice versa. But how?

So far, I have found I can use the same tags for reminders and notes, but there is no way to link them to each other.

This makes me think this might be something Apple has planned for the future.

Imagine being able to tag notes and reminders together and a calendar event. The possibilities are tremendous. Craft has already made this possible. Apple is sitting on gold here and either knows it or doesn’t care.

Apple will be holding its annual WWDC conference in a few weeks. I hope an announcement is made related to my discovery.

I hope.