I’m slowly coming to the conclusion that I’ve been too willing to give Apple a pass for flawed applications. While this isn’t a new issue, it remains an increasingly frustrating one.
For my workflow, it’s essential to link email messages to Reminders so I can easily reference the associated message when following up on a task. Unfortunately, if the email is moved after being linked, the connection breaks–forcing me to search manually. I understand this may be due to Apple’s privacy commitment. Fine. But if Apple Notes can maintain stable links to email messages regardless of where the message is moved, I can’t think of a justification for why Reminders can’t do the same.
Add to that the persistent inconsistencies across Apple’s apps on different devices, and the friction becomes hard to ignore. I recognize that Apple builds for the so-called “average user,” however that’s defined–but that often leaves professional or power users underserved.
I’m not making any rash decisions, but the repeated friction is nudging me toward moving my professional work to third-party apps and reserving Apple’s default apps for personal use.
I’ll let this percolate a bit longer, I might just need more coffee—and yes, the pun is intended.
The truth is that computer hardware and software have never been better in the 75 years these tools have been available. Successful (and happy) computer users have always adapted themselves to what’s available rather than bemoaning perceived shortcomings.
Well, except for tech journalists. Seriously, in general, you are correct, but expectations are higher. That may or may not be fair, but at a minimum, I should be able to expect links to work across apps from the same company that makes the apps, the syncing, and the hardware, no?
Like I said, I’m not making any drastic knee-jerk decisions, but it is frustrating.
It is often our expectations that make us unhappy. The question is, what are you going to do now? Perhaps pick up one of the apps you discarded when you decided to put all your “eggs” in the Reminders “basket?”
Maybe a compromise to alleviate your workflow frustration is to use Hookmark. You can hook an email and place the link in the Reminders URL spot. I did a quick test and the link still worked when I moved (deleted) the email. Added benefit: “CTRL H” is a little easier/quicker to capture the link. And, linking to emails is available in the Hookmark free tier.
Disclosure: I am using the trial of Hookmark and have little experience. Perhaps others may see a flaw.
And I don’t think you’ve been giving Apple a “pass”. They’ve done a great job with both Reminders and Notes (and Numbers). For some reason Apple seems to always have one or two things that, from the outside, just don’t make sense - like your email linking.
All software is going to have some degree of friction, either because of oddities or that it just doesn’t work the way a user wants it to. Either the friction is too much to live with or you accept the friction cause the benefits outweigh.
I always try to focus on the benefits first, then deal with the friction, rather than let the friction drive my decision making.
IMO. Not really. With the exception of their video editing and music creation apps, Apple makes consumer hardware and software. Their devices can be, and are used by businesses because they are capable of running the required third party software.
The features that you want are available from Google and Microsoft, and probably several other companies. Apple’s bundled software has remained much the same for twenty years for a reason. It’s good enough for the majority of people who use it.
What exactly is the mail link in a reminder task? I can’t find a way to copy the URL/metadata in it out of the task. I synced the task to OmniFocus and no text came over. Notes makes a message:%3Creply... link, of course.
Kind of – I’m going to get a bit nit-picky here, mainly because writing this out is also a good reminder for myself to follow this practice.
Friction points, like so many negative things in the world, take up an inordinate amount of space in our minds and our actions compared to things that are running smoothly. If I’m going to change my tools because of a friction point I make sure (once I"m no longer angry) to focus on what’s working first. Then when I look at my options for dealing with an issue I have a much better context to act from.
Maybe it’s semantics, but it’s not quite focusing on the positive or being grateful for what you already have, it’s putting the issues in a better framework to act from.
This of course comes from years of “solving” an immediate concern or problem, only to ultimately go back to what I was doing before because I didn’t work from a good context.
On a practical note, I bought Hookmark at one point but didn’t keep updating it. It still seems to work fine. The only reason I didn’t maintain the updates is it wasn’t transferring well over to my iPad – but apparently that’s on the way.
I did not realize that; I thought it was a subscription. I’ll check it out. I’d need the iOS version as well so I’ll wait until that is released before giving it a spin. Thanks!
I agree with your post and commiserate with your experience.
Two of my colleagues tried to move to Reminders over the last few months (which I’ve done as well) and just this week realized that search has been failing us. 10-15 tasks (not completed) exist in reminders that share the same keyword. Search for the keyword and 1 shows up. We tested this across computers/accounts/people/keywords. I don’t think you should have to pay for an enterprise product for search (across that product) to work.
Now we sit back and wait for the blame the user responses to pour in!
Good advice,