Launched in 2010, Due has been in the App Store for more than four years. During that time, the app has matured, but its core functionality as a reminders app has remained the same. This singular focus remains evident in version 2 of Due, which was launched last month. Just like the original Due, its update, Due 2, excels at two things — making it easy to set reminders and ensuring you don’t overlook them.
Due is perfect for setting those quick reminders that you don’t want to forget — buy milk, call my sister, mail a thank you card and so on. Due 2 may have a fresh, new interface that is compatible with iOS 8 and the larger screens of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but the app is as easy as ever to use. Just tap the “+” button to add a reminder, fill in the time you want to be reminded and then swipe left or right to save the entry. If a have an extra minute, you also can assign a name to the reminder and change some of the attributes, such as the alarm sound, snooze options and whether you want the task to be recurring.
One standout feature of Due is the way it allows you to customize the alert times. Instead of a dial with the hours and minutes, Due uses a grid that allows you to tap on a time such as 6:30PM and then tap +1 hours to set an alert for 7:30PM. The app ships with default values for the times and increments, but these values are customizable. Hop into the settings, and you can change the grid to times that are suitable to your schedule.
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Another standout feature of Due is its vast repository of reminder sounds. When you browse through the sounds, you can preview each one before you make your selection. The app also lists the duration for each sound which is useful for situations that call for shorter or longer alerts. For example, you may want a short alert for a reminder that’ll pop up during a meeting and a long alert to wake you up from a nap. You also can pick different sounds for different reminders, allowing you to identify a reminder based solely on its alert sound.
Similar to the pervious version, Due 2 also supports natural language input, allowing you to set the time for a reminder by typing “Leave in two hours” in the name of the reminder. Due will recognize the time context added to the title and will automatically choose the appropriate time for the reminder alert. In this example, you would just tap on the “Set to in two hours” to confirm the alert time.
When you are done creating some reminders, you can view them in the “All Reminders” view that lists your tasks arranged in chronological order. The app distinguishes between reminders that are overdue, due today or due in the future, making it easy to prioritize your task list. If you need to make changes, you can easily edit a reminder by tapping on it and changing the details. You also can mark a reminder as being completed or delete it by swiping from right to left. Swipe half way to mark it as completed and swipe all the way to delete.
Besides reminders, Due also support timers, allowing you to set an alert quickly for a time sensitive activity like walk for 30 minutes or bake cookies for 8 minutes. These timers are present in the settings section, which is accessible by tapping the three bars in the upper right corner or swiping from left to right. From here, you can switch between the “All Reminders”, “Logged” reminders, and “All Timers” view. You also can access the settings to change a variety of options within the app, including setting up an iCloud or Dropbox sync that shares your reminders across devices.
Once you’ve configured Due and entered some reminders, it is time to wait for the app to do its job — remind you of tasks you need to complete. Each notification that appears in the notification center is actionable, allowing you to respond to the alert. Due has a wonderful way of continuously reminding you of a task without being too much of a nag. It is great for people like me who need an extra alert or two to make sure a small, but important task doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
Due is available in the iOS App Store and is compatible with the iPhone and iPad. It costs $4.99 for new users and $2.99 for users who upgrade from version 1.0. It also was just updated to version 2.0.1, which includes a handful of bug fixes and a few new options to create a silent no-alert-sound reminder, turn off sync notifications and more.
