Things 3 for iPad
Rating breakdown
TL;DR
Things 3 for iPad is generally well-received, with users praising its clean design, ease of use, and effective task management capabilities. However, some significant pain points and feature requests emerge consistently across reviews. A key weakness is the lack of feature parity across all Apple devices, especially regarding keyboard shortcuts on iPad. The high cost of purchasing the app separately for each device (iPhone, iPad, Mac) is also a recurring complaint. While many users appreciate the app's simplicity, some power users desire more advanced features like file attachments, collaboration, and better recurring task management. The overall sentiment is positive, but addressing these issues could significantly improve user satisfaction and potentially attract new users.
Customer Reviews (500)
Time fails me to describe how much I love and use this app. I regret spending more time here, describing my one complaint, than my thousands of reasons I love this app. However, this complaint is only written in high hopes that it will precipitate a fix from the fantastic Things 3 team. Here’s the problem…. It used to be that when simply moving a task from “Evening” to “Day” or from “Day” to “Evening,” that task would go—very nicely and predictably—to the very top of either of those portions of the list—which aided in task shuffling speed and efficiency (especially for task-heavier days). However, ever since one of the most recent updates, now moving any task from “Evening” to “Day” places that task somewhere at the BOTTOM of “Day” (instead of the top, and even then not always exactly at the bottom—it might be 2nd or 3rd or more from the bottom, with no discernible pattern to this new behavior). On the other hand, more often than not, when moving a task from “Day” to “Evening”; the task does not move to the very top of that portion of the list; but often randomly must be sought for and found within the first 8 to 10 items at the top of that list (again, no clear discernible pattern to this logic, either). If one’s lists were only 20-50 items (light users); this may not matter so much. However, for heavier (power users), who may have hundreds of tasks to prioritizie and timeline each day; this becomes a cumbersome and unnecessary speed bump. Please fix! Long story short, I use this app so much, it is not unusual for me to have 500 to 900+ tasks on a given day. That many tasks require a lot of sorting coupled with a lot of efficiency—or list fatigue becomes impossibly overwhelming! So this new (presumed) glitch, causing this new unpredictability in every-day, simple task moves is not helpful, but detrimental and a drag to productivity. Otherwise, I still LOVE and use Things 3–more than any other app on my devices! As a very heavy user of this app, I humbly feel I have decent feedback on what improves this app, versus what does not. Much gratitude, in advance, to the great Things 3 team, for considering / fixing this unnecessary glitch / problem.
I use this to create my shopping lists, then go through each list as I shop by checking things off on my Apple Watch. It’s so helpful! I keep a separate Project for each store and make a heading for each department, adding emojis next to the heading name to easily find the one I want. The headings are in order according to the layout of the store. I make new To Dos, then drag them below the appropriate heading. After I check one off, I can later find it in the archived items, and if I uncheck in the archive, the item automatically re-appears under the correct heading. This app is genius!
I accidently touched delete while typing a long note in a task and it disappeared for ever !!!
Data & Methodology Overview
- Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
- Time Frame: Reviews span a considerable period, with the earliest reviews referencing older versions of the app (e.g., Things 2) and updates. The most recent reviews are from 2024.
- Analysis Methods:
- Sentiment Analysis: Implicitly derived from star ratings and explicit positive/negative comments.
- Keyword Extraction: Manually identified recurring keywords and phrases related to features, issues, and sentiment.
- Frequency Analysis: Counted occurrences of specific complaints, requests, and praises.
- Thematic Analysis: Grouped related reviews to identify high-level themes and insights.
Key User Pain Points
- Separate Purchases for Each Device: The most frequent complaint is the need to purchase the app separately for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, making the total cost prohibitive for some users.
- Impact: Creates a barrier to entry and limits accessibility across devices.
- Lack of Keyboard Shortcuts on iPad: Many users, particularly those with iPad Pros and external keyboards, lament the absence of keyboard shortcuts, hindering productivity.
- Impact: Reduces the iPad's potential as a primary productivity device for these users.
- Inability to Edit/Complete Recurring Tasks Early: A significant number of users find it frustrating that they cannot mark repeating tasks as completed before the scheduled due date.
- Impact: Clutters the "Today" view with tasks that are already done, reducing its effectiveness.
- No File/Image Attachments: A recurring request is the ability to attach files or images to tasks, especially for documenting work or including visual references.
- Impact: Limits the app's usefulness for tasks that require visual information or supporting documents.
- Limited Collaboration Features: Many users desire the ability to share lists and tasks with others for collaborative projects.
- Impact: Restricts the app's use to individual task management, preventing its adoption in team settings.
- Sync Issues: A few users report problems with syncing between devices, leading to data loss or inconsistencies.
- Impact: Undermines trust in the app's reliability and data integrity.
- No Web or Windows Version: Users who work on Windows machines or prefer web access express a need for a web or Windows version of the app.
- Impact: Limits accessibility for users who are not fully within the Apple ecosystem.
- Spotlight Search Integration Missing: Some users noted that it does not show up in Spotlight search.
- Impact: Makes it difficult to find tasks quickly.
Frequently Requested Features
- File/Image Attachments: The most frequently requested feature, allowing users to add visual references or supporting documents to tasks.
- Collaboration/Sharing: The ability to share lists and tasks with other users for collaborative projects.
- Keyboard Shortcuts on iPad: Implementing full keyboard shortcut support on iPad for faster task management.
- Web/Windows Version: Expanding accessibility to users on Windows or those who prefer web-based access.
- Prioritization: Adding a prioritization system (e.g., A1, B2) to help users focus on the most important tasks.
- Location-Based Reminders: Setting reminders based on the user's location (e.g., when arriving at or leaving a specific place).
- Smart Lists/Saved Searches: The ability to create smart lists or save searches based on tags or other criteria.
- More Calendar Integration: Deeper calendar integration, including the ability to view and edit events directly within Things.
- Time Blocking: A more robust time-blocking feature to schedule tasks within specific time slots.
- Natural Language Input Improvements: Enhanced natural language input for quicker task creation with automatic date and time parsing.
- Ability to Sort Lists: Ability to sort task lists.
Strengths and Positive Aspects
- Clean and Intuitive Design: Users consistently praise the app's clean, elegant, and user-friendly interface.
- Ease of Use: Many reviewers highlight the app's simplicity and ease of learning, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
- Effective Task Management: The app is generally considered effective for planning days, managing projects, and achieving goals.
- Cross-Device Sync: The Things Cloud service is praised for its reliable and fast synchronization across devices.
- Calendar Integration: Users appreciate the ability to see their calendar events alongside their to-dos.
- Headings and Checklists: The use of headings within projects and checklists within tasks is well-received.
- One-Time Purchase (No Subscription): Many users prefer the one-time purchase model over subscription-based alternatives.
- Responsiveness of Developers: Some users have noted the developers' responsiveness to feedback and bug reports.
Prioritized Action Recommendations
| Priority | Recommendation
Summary of Key Insights
Things 3 for iPad is generally well-received, with users praising its clean design, ease of use, and effective task management capabilities. However, some significant pain points and feature requests emerge consistently across reviews. A key weakness is the lack of feature parity across all Apple devices, especially regarding keyboard shortcuts on iPad. The high cost of purchasing the app separately for each device (iPhone, iPad, Mac) is also a recurring complaint. While many users appreciate the app's simplicity, some power users desire more advanced features like file attachments, collaboration, and better recurring task management. The overall sentiment is positive, but addressing these issues could significantly improve user satisfaction and potentially attract new users.
Quantitatively, the app has a strong rating, but the distribution shows there's room for improvement:
- Overall Rating: Approximately 4.5 stars (based on the score distribution)
- Score Distribution:
- 5-star: 64.4% (322 reviews)
- 4-star: 14.8% (74 reviews)
- 3-star: 7.4% (37 reviews)
- 2-star: 5% (25 reviews)
- 1-star: 8.4% (42 reviews)
Data & Methodology Overview
- Data Sample Size: 500 reviews
- Time Frame: Reviews span a considerable period, with the earliest reviews referencing older versions of the app (e.g., Things 2) and updates. The most recent reviews are from 2024.
- Analysis Methods:
- Sentiment Analysis: Implicitly derived from star ratings and explicit positive/negative comments.
- Keyword Extraction: Manually identified recurring keywords and phrases related to features, issues, and sentiment.
- Frequency Analysis: Counted occurrences of specific complaints, requests, and praises.
- Thematic Analysis: Grouped related reviews to identify high-level themes and insights.
Key User Pain Points
- Separate Purchases for Each Device: The most frequent complaint is the need to purchase the app separately for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, making the total cost prohibitive for some users.
- Impact: Creates a barrier to entry and limits accessibility across devices.
- Lack of Keyboard Shortcuts on iPad: Many users, particularly those with iPad Pros and external keyboards, lament the absence of keyboard shortcuts, hindering productivity.
- Impact: Reduces the iPad's potential as a primary productivity device for these users.
- Inability to Edit/Complete Recurring Tasks Early: A significant number of users find it frustrating that they cannot mark repeating tasks as completed before the scheduled due date.
- Impact: Clutters the "Today" view with tasks that are already done, reducing its effectiveness.
- No File/Image Attachments: A recurring request is the ability to attach files or images to tasks, especially for documenting work or including visual references.
- Impact: Limits the app's usefulness for tasks that require visual information or supporting documents.
- Limited Collaboration Features: Many users desire the ability to share lists and tasks with others for collaborative projects.
- Impact: Restricts the app's use to individual task management, preventing its adoption in team settings.
- Sync Issues: A few users report problems with syncing between devices, leading to data loss or inconsistencies.
- Impact: Undermines trust in the app's reliability and data integrity.
- No Web or Windows Version: Users who work on Windows machines or prefer web access express a need for a web or Windows version of the app.
- Impact: Limits accessibility for users who are not fully within the Apple ecosystem.
- Spotlight Search Integration Missing: Some users noted that it does not show up in Spotlight search.
- Impact: Makes it difficult to find tasks quickly.
Frequently Requested Features
- File/Image Attachments: The most frequently requested feature, allowing users to add visual references or supporting documents to tasks.
- Collaboration/Sharing: The ability to share lists and tasks with other users for collaborative projects.
- Keyboard Shortcuts on iPad: Implementing full keyboard shortcut support on iPad for faster task management.
- Web/Windows Version: Expanding accessibility to users on Windows or those who prefer web-based access.
- Prioritization: Adding a prioritization system (e.g., A1, B2) to help users focus on the most important tasks.
- Location-Based Reminders: Setting reminders based on the user's location (e.g., when arriving at or leaving a specific place).
- Smart Lists/Saved Searches: The ability to create smart lists or save searches based on tags or other criteria.
- More Calendar Integration: Deeper calendar integration, including the ability to view and edit events directly within Things.
- Time Blocking: A more robust time-blocking feature to schedule tasks within specific time slots.
- Natural Language Input Improvements: Enhanced natural language input for quicker task creation with automatic date and time parsing.
- Ability to Sort Lists: Ability to sort task lists.
Strengths and Positive Aspects
- Clean and Intuitive Design: Users consistently praise the app's clean, elegant, and user-friendly interface.
- Ease of Use: Many reviewers highlight the app's simplicity and ease of learning, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
- Effective Task Management: The app is generally considered effective for planning days, managing projects, and achieving goals.
- Cross-Device Sync: The Things Cloud service is praised for its reliable and fast synchronization across devices.
- Calendar Integration: Users appreciate the ability to see their calendar events alongside their to-dos.
- Headings and Checklists: The use of headings within projects and checklists within tasks is well-received.
- One-Time Purchase (No Subscription): Many users prefer the one-time purchase model over subscription-based alternatives.
- Responsiveness of Developers: Some users have noted the developers' responsiveness to feedback and bug reports.
Prioritized Action Recommendations
| Priority | Recommendation
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